Best Node.js Frameworks for Rapid Development

Most of us are already familiar with Node.js or Node, Node.js can be defined as a platform built on Chrome’s JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices.

Today, Node.js offers myriad of creative and innovative solutions to building servers and web/mobile applications. Its single-threaded event looping and asynchronous, non-blocking input/output processing feature distinguishes it from other run-time environments.

Developer community has embarked itself to develop various frameworks using primary principles and approaches of Node.js, such frameworks are gaining prominence for designing better website and mobile applications. Keeping that in mind I have chosen 18 Best Node.js Frameworks for developers which are currently dominating the application development field.

Let’s explore the list!!

1. Expressjs

Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications. Express provides a thin layer of fundamental web application features, without obscuring Node features that you know and love. With a myriad of HTTP utility methods and middleware at your disposal, creating a robust API is quick and easy.

2. Hapi.js

Hapi is a simple to use configuration-centric framework with built-in support for input validation, caching, authentication, and other essential facilities for building web and services applications. hapi enables developers to focus on writing reusable application logic in a highly modular and prescriptive approach.

3. Meteor

Meteor is an open-source, model-view controller (MVC) framework for building websites and web/mobile applications. The framework supports OS X, Windows and Linux. It allows writing both client and server parts of an application in JavaScript. Meteor’s in-built set of pre-written, self-contained modules makes writing application codes.

4. Flatiron

Flatiron is an adaptable framework for building modern web applications. It was built from the ground up for use with JavaScript and Node.js. Flatiron promotes code organization and sustainability by clearly separating development concerns. Each component works elegantly with or without its counterparts. Many of the components work the same in the browser as they do on the server. This is the motivation behind flatiron.

5. Totaljs

Total.js is one of the best web application frameworks for creating a rich web sites and web services. The framework has good documentation and contains many examples. It supports friendly URL, XHR, JSON, LESS CSS (CSS 3), JavaScript minifier, XSS protected, resources, modules and supports MVC architecture.

6. Sails.js

Sails.js is one of the most popular real-time frameworks around for building Node.js applications Sails makes it easy to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js apps. It is designed to emulate the familiar MVC pattern of frameworks like Ruby on Rails, but with support for the requirements of modern apps: data-driven APIs with a scalable, service-oriented architecture. It’s especially good for building chat, realtime dashboards, or multiplayer games; but you can use it for any web application project – top to bottom.

7. Restify

Restify is a node.js module built specifically to enable you to build correct REST web services. It intentionally borrows heavily from express as that is more or less the de facto API for writing web applications on top of node.js.

8. Socket.io

Socket.io is a Node.js server framework for building real-time web applications. Being a Javascript library, it allows event-driven, bidirectional communication between web clients and server. The framework allows real-time concurrency for document collaboration and data exchange. Moreover, its key features also include asynchronous input/ output (I/O) processing, binary streaming, instant messaging (‘Hello World’ chat application) and more.

9. DerbyJS

DerbyJS is a full-stack framework for writing modern web applications. Derby’s Racer, a real-time data synchronization engine for Node.js allows multi-site, real-time concurrency and data synchronization across clients and servers. By leveraging ShareJS, Racer optimizes conflict resolution algorithm and allows real-time editing within an application.

10. Socket Stream

SocketStream is a new breed of web framework that uses websockets to push data to the browser in ‘realtime’. It makes it easy to create blazing-fast, rich interfaces which behave more like desktop apps than traditional web apps of the past.

11. Koa

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. Through leveraging generators Koa allows you to ditch callbacks and greatly increase error-handling. Koa does not bundle any middleware within core, and provides an elegant suite of methods that make writing servers fast and enjoyable.

12. 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.

13. Meanjs

MEANJS is a full-stack JavaScript solution that helps you build fast, robust, and maintainable production web applications using MongoDB, Express, AngularJS, and Node.js. It also leverages the Grunt tool to enable automated testing. Mean.js and Mean.io are both considered a part of Mean stack. Mean stands for MongoDB, Express.js, Angular.js and Node.js. Ziploop is one example of a popular mobile application used for shopping which is designed using Mean stack.

14. 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! COKE is built on top of the popular web framework Express, which means you can use all middlewares from Express and Connect directly in COKE.

15. Kiss.js

Object-oriented web framework on Node.js, written in CoffeeScript.

16. Firsby.js

Frisby is a REST API testing framework built on node.js and Jasmine that makes
testing API endpoints easy, fast, and fun.

17. DozerJS

Dozer is a system for rapidly developing services to support front-end applications. It’s not a framework, not a toolkit, rather Dozer aims to be a malleable and unopinionated foundation for developing RESTful API’s and web services to support front-end development. Dozer creates a core server environment using NodeJS and the Express framework then allows you to build api endpoints, database models, components and adapters which all work together to provide the services required on the front-end.

18. GeddyJS

Geddy is an amazingly simple, structured web framework for Nodejs which would help you to build lots of interactive web applications easily.