Top Node.js Frameworks for Web Apps

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JS engine. It uses an event-driven, asynchronous, non-blocking input/output model (meaning how it interacts with the system's disk and network, e.g., reading/writing data, making HTTP requests, etc.). It operates on a single-thread event loop.

Node.js was created in 2009 by Ryan Dahl. He said the right way to handle several concurrent connections was to have a single thread, an event loop, and non-blocking I/Os. All these made Node very efficient and eliminated the wait for requests.

Best Node JS Frameworks for Web Apps are as follows:

1. Express.JS

Express.js has a minimalistic design and easy learning curves. Even beginners can implement fairly high-end applications with it. It is an un-opinionated framework with no specific structure, and you can declare your architecture due to all these positives. Both small and big developers widely use express js.

Developed by: TJ Holowaychuk and team

Statistics :

• Websites that use express.js: 39627

• GitHub stars: 53k (github.com) 

• 1626 companies use express.js(stackshare.io) 

Pros:

• Simple

• High performance

• Robust routing

• Great community

• Open-source

• Well documented

Cons:

• Express.Js is a lightweight framework, and there is no security offered in it. It's up to the developer to implement any sort of security in their application as it's entirely under their control.

• Very unhelpful error messages. They are making it more challenging for developers to understand the error.

Companies that use express JS:

• IBM 

• Myntra 

• Stack 

• Uber 

• MuleSoft 

More info →

2. Hapi.js 

Hapi.js is an open-source and rich Node.js framework created and actively maintained by Eran Hammer. Hapi.js is a rich framework for building applications and services. It enables developers to focus on writing reusable application logic instead of spending time building infrastructure.

Developed by: Eran Hammer, Walmart labs team

Statistics: 

• GitHub stars:13426 (github.com) 

• 74 companies use hapi.js(stackshare.io) 

Pros:

• Modularization

• Better validation

Cons:

• It has a lot of compatibility issues.

• Complex code base.

• It has a small community.

Companies that use hapi.Js:

• Walmart 

• Artifakt 

• BEAM 

More info →

‍3. Koa.JS

Koa is a new web framework designed by the team behind Express, which aims to be a smaller, more expressive, and more robust foundation for web applications and APIs. By leveraging async functions, Koa allows you to ditch callbacks and significantly increase error handling. Koa does not bundle any middleware within its core, and it provides an elegant suite of methods that make writing servers fast and enjoyable. What makes Koa better is the inclusion of new catch calls, which prevent website crashes. This makes error handling easier, unlike Express. Koa also eliminates the use of callback functions. Koa is more lightweight than Express as it lacks many libraries that express has thus made it more customizable.

Developed by: TJ Holowaychuk and team

Statistics: 

• 88 companies use Koa.js(stackshare.io) 

• GitHub stars:31495(github.com)

Pros:

• Highly customizable

• Asynchronous

• Lightweight and streamlined

Cons:

• It has a tiny community

• Koa uses generators that are not compatible with any other type of Node.js framework middleware

Companies that uses Koa: 

• Brainhub 

• Paralect 

• Attio 

More info →

4. Meteor.Js

Meteor, or Meteor.JS, is a free and open-source isomorphic JavaScript web framework written using Node.js. Meteor allows for rapid prototyping and produces cross-platform (Android, iOS, web) code. It integrates with MongoDB and uses the Distributed Data Protocol and a publish-subscribe pattern to automatically propagate data changes to clients without requiring the developer to write any synchronization code. On the client, Meteor can be used with any popular front-end JS framework, Vue, React, Svelte, Angular, or Blaze.

Developed by: Meteor Software

Statistics: 

• GitHub stars: 42539 (github.com) 

• No of websites using meteor JS: 7900

• 316 companies use Meteor.js(stackshare.io) 

Pros:

• Good for Real-time Applications

• Open-source

• Live page updates

• Large and helpful community

• Simplified for developers

Cons:

• Lack of control mechanism over the order of loading files. This makes it hard to organize files sometimes.

• Not-so-obvious way of deployment to own server.

• No native server-side rendering (useful for SEO)

Companies that use Meteor JS:

• Deloitte 

• Accenture 

• NetApp 

• Rocket.Chat 

More info →

‍5. Feather.Js

Feathers is a real-time, micro-service web framework for NodeJS that gives you control over your data via RESTful resources, sockets, and flexible plug-ins.

Feather.js contains a logical and straightforward workflow that streamlines building APIs and can make an API that would have taken hours and builds it in minutes. It hits the perfect balance of magic and control where you still have complete control over how your API behaves but the tools provided make your life so much easier.

Developed by: David Luecke and Eric Kryski

Statistics:

• GitHub stars: 13515(github.com) 

• Initial release date: on Jul 14, 2013

• 31 companies use feather.js(stackshare.io) 

Pros: 

• Suitable for Real-time Applications.

• Database agnostic- can integrate with any type of database

• Compatible with any ORM

Cons:

• Feathers are primarily intended to build APIs and not - although possible - for traditional websites that render views on the server, so if that is your primary use case, you may want to stick with Express.

Companies using Feather.js:

• Didomi 

• ChatBot 

• Mylo 

More info →