8 Best Node.js frameworks to use in 2024

How many node js frameworks are available? What’s the use of a framework? Which are the best frameworks for Node.js? All such queries are answered in this article. We have made a list of the best node.js frameworks that will help developers use Node Js in projects belonging to different domains.

Frameworks like Express.js, Nest.js, Sail.js, etc., are described here. The answer to which framework to choose for the project development depends on the project requirements. Along with learning about top node js frameworks, we will also learn about how these frameworks are differentiated. So, without wasting any time, let’s begin with the information.

What are the types of Node.js frameworks available?

Nodejs frameworks can be classified into three groups:

• MVC Frameworks

These frameworks help developers create each app layer separately

• REST API Frameworks

Helps in developing server-client reliable communication routes

• Full-stack MVC frameworks

Now let’s look at some popular node.js frameworks available in the market that are worth giving a try while developing Node apps.

Best Node.js frameworks

Express.js

Express.js is a minimalist web framework for Node.js that provides a set of features for building web and mobile applications. It is designed to be flexible, lightweight, and easy to use, making it a popular choice for building single page, multi-page web applications with Node.js.

Some of the key points of Express.js include:

• Routing: Express.js provides a simple, elegant way to define routes for your application, allowing you to map URLs to specific actions or functions.

• Middleware: Express.js includes a powerful middleware system that allows you to easily add custom logic to your application at different points in the request/response cycle.

• Templating: Express.js integrates with a variety of template engines, making it easy to render dynamic HTML pages for your users.

• Static file serving: Express.js provides built-in support for serving static files, such as images, CSS, and JavaScript files.

• HTTP helpers: Express.js includes a variety of functions for working with HTTP requests and responses, such as sending responses, setting HTTP headers, and redirecting users to other pages.

Hapi.js

Hapi.js is a rich and extensible framework for building APIs and other backend services with Node.js. It is designed to be highly configurable and modular, making it a good choice for building complex, scalable applications.

Some of the key features of Hapi.js include:

• Routing: Hapi.js provides a simple, yet powerful routing system for defining the endpoints of your API or backend service.

• Plugins: Hapi.js has a plugin system that allows you to easily extend the functionality of your application with pre-built or custom plugins.

• Validation: Hapi.js includes a built-in validation system that allows you to easily validate incoming requests and responses.

• Caching: Hapi.js provides support for caching responses, allowing you to improve the performance of your application.

• Authentication: Hapi.js includes a variety of authentication strategies, making it easy to secure your application.

Mojito.js

Mojito is a full-stack JavaScript framework for building scalable web applications. It was developed by Yahoo and is designed to be a lightweight, modular, and scalable framework for building web applications.

Some of the key features of Mojito include:

• MVC architecture: Mojito follows the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern, providing a clear separation of concerns between the data model, the user interface, and the business logic.

• Server-side rendering: Mojito supports server-side rendering of HTML, allowing you to build applications that can be easily indexed by search engines and load quickly for users.

• Reusable components: Mojito uses reusable components called “mojits” that can be easily shared and reused across different parts of your application.

• Deployment: Mojito provides tools for deploying your application to different environments, such as development, staging, and production.

Meteor.js

Meteor is a full-stack JS platform for creating modern web & mobile applications. It is designed to be simple and easy to use, allowing developers to build applications quickly and efficiently.

Some of the key features of Meteor include:

• Real-time updates: Meteor allows you to build real-time applications that automatically update the user interface as data changes on the server.

• Cross-platform support: Meteor allows you to build applications that run on both the web and mobile devices, using the same codebase.

• Packages: Meteor includes a large library of packages that provide pre-built functionality for common tasks, such as user authentication and data management.

Sails.js

Sails.js is a full-stack MVC framework for building custom, enterprise-grade Node.js applications. It is designed to be scalable and flexible, making it a good choice for building complex, feature-rich applications.

Some of the key features of Sails.js include:

• MVC architecture: Sails.js follows the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern, providing a clear separation of concerns between the data model, the user interface, and the business logic.

• Data-driven APIs: Sails.js provides a powerful ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) called Waterline, which allows you to easily define and query data models in your application.

• WebSockets: Sails.js includes support for WebSockets, allowing you to build real-time, interactive applications.

• Automatic API generation: Sails.js can automatically generate RESTful APIs for your application based on your data models.

Feather.js

Feathers.js is a lightweight, real-time web framework for building scalable web applications with Node.js. It is designed to be easy to use and flexible, making it a good choice for building web applications that require real-time functionality.

Some of the key features of Feathers.js include:

• Real-time updates: Feathers.js allows you to build real-time applications that automatically update the user interface as data changes on the server.

• io integration: Feathers.js integrates with Socket.io, a popular library for real-time communication over WebSockets, allowing you to easily add real-time functionality to your application.

• Service-based architecture: Feathers.js uses a service-based architecture, allowing you to easily define and expose data models and business logic as reusable services.

Nest.js

Nest.js is a framework for building efficient, scalable, and modular server-side applications with Node.js. It is built on top of the popular JavaScript runtime and uses the Express.js middleware framework to provide a simple and easy-to-use set of APIs for building web applications.

One of the key features of Nest.js is its modular architecture, which allows developers to easily organise and structure their code into reusable modules. It also provides a powerful CLI (command-line interface) that can be used to generate and manage the structure of a Nest.js application.

Koa Framework

Koa is a lightweight JavaScript framework designed for building web applications and APIs. It is built on top of the popular Node.js runtime and is designed to be minimal, expressive, and flexible.

One of the key features of Koa is its middleware-based architecture, which allows developers to easily build web applications by composing small functions that perform specific tasks. These middleware functions can be used to handle requests, perform validation, set response headers, and more.

Koa also provides a range of other features that make it a popular choice for building web applications and APIs

Concluding Words

These are some of the best node.js frameworks that are easy to learn and implement in your next node.js app development.