29 Node.js Frameworks for Fast Web Application Development

Few years ago, Javascript is a just client-side scripting language. It only runs in the browsers to add interactivities between users and websites. Now, we have Node.js, a popular platform to build scalabe network applications by using Javascript as its scripting language.

Node.js has became incredibly popular. Its growth is really impressive throughout these few years. Well, undeniable, its performance to handle large amount of requests is the key of its success. For example, if you're building RESTful API that takes a few parameters and returns result after processing. Node can handle thousands of these request concurrently whereas if with PHP, it would crash your server.

Node.js has great community support, there are more than sixty thousands of modules written and many frameworks available to be used. Here we have chosen 29 best Node.js frameworks to speed up your web application development by providing robust set of features and also enhance the ease of programming with MVC programming pattern.

ExpressJS

Express is a minimal and flexible node.js web application framework, providing a robust set of features for building single and multi-page, and hybrid web applications.

 

GeddyJS

A simple, structured web framework for Node

 

Meteor

Meteor is an open-source platform for building top-quality web apps in a fraction of the time, whether you're an expert developer or just getting started.

 

DerbyJS

MVC framework making it easy to write realtime, collaborative applications that run in both Node.js and browsers.

 

FlatironJS

flatiron is an adaptable framework for building modern web applications. It was built from the ground up for use with Javascript and Node.js.

 

Locomotive

Locomotive is a web framework for Node.js. Locomotive supports MVC patterns, RESTful routes, and convention over configuration, while integrating seamlessly with any database and template engine. Locomotive builds on Express, preserving the power and simplicity you've come to expect from Node.

 

nombo

A new Node.js framework for building scalable single-page realtime apps.

 

PartialJS

Free web application framework for building Web sites and Web applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. From web developer for web developers.

 

Opa

The Opa Framework for JavaScript - Rapid & Secure Web Development

 

SocketStream

SocketStream 0.3 is a fast, modular Node.js web framework dedicated to building realtime single-page apps.

 

Tower

Small components for building apps, manipulating data, and automating a distributed infrastructure.

 

KoaJS

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.

 

SocketIO

Socket.IO aims to make realtime apps possible in every browser and mobile device, blurring the differences between the different transport mechanisms.

 

SpineJS

The Model View Controller pattern is at the heart of Spine, and absolutely integral to modern JavaScript applications.

 

Hapi

A rich framework for building web applications and services. hapi is a simple to use configuration-centric framework with built-in support for input validation, caching, authentication, and other essential facilities.

 

Wintersmith

Flexible, minimalistic, multi-platform static site generator built on top of node.js.

 

TotalJS

Free server framework for building Web sites and Web applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

 

Bone.io

Bone.io is a lightweight framework for building high performance Realtime Single Page HTML5 Apps

 

KissJS

Web framework for node.js in CoffeeScript. Simple and sexy. Object-oriented web framework on Node.js, written in CoffeeScript.

 

Coke

COKE is a lightweight node.js MVC framework that speeds up your web development. It's simple, it's modularized, it's somking fast!

 

Stapes

Stapes.js is designed to be agnostic about your setup and style of coding.

 

Other NodeJS frameworks

• Ni: a minimalistic Node framework that makes setting up an MVC project a breeze, inspired by CodeIgniter
• Restify: a node.js module built specifically to enable you to build correct REST web services.
• (fab): a streaming javascript framework
• Express resource
• Connect
• CompoundJS
• SleekJS
• WebJS

 

Conclusion

It sounds like most web developers choose Node.js as the first consideration in web application project. Personally, I got a chance to use node.js in one of my projects. It feels like home because as a frontend developer I use Javascript a lot. However, I have to admit, I was facing a steep learning curve too. It took me a while to set it up on my localhost. There are command line to learn, new debugging method, modules and new syntaxes. I'm not a server admin person, and server setup and command line do freak me out a little bit, but it wasn't hard though. 

If you are a newbie, I do recommend you to start it with the raw Node.js tutorials instead of using framework to begin with. With this method, you will able to learn from the basic and have a better understanding of Node.js. Lastly, you would able to tell how these frameworks could speed up the development. Have fun!

• TAGS:
• Framework
• Javascript
• node.js