The Tool Desk
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How to read this shortlist
“JavaScript” here includes server-side projects written in TypeScript. The options below are not interchangeable: some route HTTP requests, some bring stronger application conventions, and others generate or organize APIs around data or a broader application platform.
The State of JavaScript 2025 survey reports that Express leads usage among the frameworks represented in its respondent survey, with NestJS progressing. That is useful ecosystem context, not a market-share estimate or proof that Express is right for a particular service. Survey respondents reported an average of 1.9 backend frameworks in the survey’s “Number of Items” section. State of JavaScript 2025 backend framework results and survey item counts describe respondents, not all developers.
20 JavaScript backend options, by role
| Option | Role and fit |
|---|---|
| Express | A minimal, flexible Node.js web framework for APIs and middleware. A practical baseline when a team wants to select its own packages and architecture. Official site. |
| NestJS | A structured Node.js framework that abstracts over Express or Fastify and supports microservices and different transports. Consider it when modules, conventions, and an explicit architecture help a team. Official documentation. |
| Fastify | A low-overhead Node.js web framework with published benchmarks. Use its results as a reason to test it, not as a production throughput guarantee. Official site. |
| Hono | A web framework with a Node.js adapter and Node.js documentation; worth considering when portability across runtimes matters. Check that its supported runtime and adapter fit the intended deployment. Official documentation. |
| Koa | A minimalist, middleware-oriented Node.js web framework. Check ecosystem coverage and project requirements before selecting it for a new service. Official site. |
| hapi | A Node.js framework with an official project site. Compare its design and plugin approach in its full documentation before deciding whether it fits. Official site. |
| AdonisJS | A backend-first TypeScript framework with integrated routing, middleware, validation, and ORM, plus an API-only mode. Consider it when common backend capabilities and conventions are desirable. Official site. |
| Feathers | An API and real-time application framework. A candidate when real-time application patterns are part of the service; check current adapters and ecosystem fit. Official site. |
| LoopBack | A Node.js API framework with an API-oriented structure. Confirm the current release and maintenance details for the project before relying on it long term. Official site. |
| Moleculer | A Node.js and TypeScript microservices framework, making it one of the more directly architecture-focused choices in this list. Official site. |
| Sails | An established Node.js MVC/full-stack framework that can be used for APIs. The 2025 survey page cited here does not name it among its primary listed items, so this shortlist does not establish its current popularity. Official site. |
| Restify | A Node.js framework often considered for REST services. Its inclusion in a benchmark table is not evidence that it is popular or suitable for every API. Official site. |
| Nitro | A server engine/framework in the broader JavaScript backend ecosystem, rather than simply a narrowly focused HTTP API framework. It appears among backend choices in the 2025 survey. Official site. |
| H3 | A server framework in the broader Nitro/UnJS ecosystem. Check current H3 documentation for its ecosystem role and runtime support before choosing it. Official documentation. |
| ElysiaJS | A backend framework associated with Bun in the 2025 survey. Evaluate it in light of that runtime association rather than assuming it is identical to a Node-focused choice. Official documentation. |
| Strapi | A content management system with API generation, not a minimal general-purpose HTTP framework. Consider it when content modeling and management are central. Official site. |
| Directus | An API and data platform, not a low-level server framework equivalent to Express. Consider its data-platform role when selecting an architecture. Official site. |
| tRPC | A type-safe API layer/tooling choice rather than a standalone server framework equivalent to NestJS or Express. It belongs in the comparison when the API approach is itself under consideration. Official site. |
| Encore.ts | A TypeScript backend framework/platform option for teams considering more opinionated backend tooling. Current popularity and specific feature claims are not established here; confirm them in the project’s documentation. Official site. |
| Meteor | A full-stack JavaScript platform with backend capabilities, broader than a focused API or microservice framework. Official site. |
Choose by the service you need to build
For a small, conventional HTTP API
Compare Express, Fastify, Hono, and Koa. Express and Koa keep the core relatively small, leaving more assembly and package choices to the team. Fastify is another focused Node.js option, particularly worth evaluating when overhead is a concern. Hono may be a fit when its documented runtime adapters match more than one deployment target. In each case, check required middleware, authentication, validation, error handling, and operational integrations before choosing.
#1 Best Overall
For stronger application structure
Consider NestJS or AdonisJS when a project benefits from conventions and integrated backend concerns. NestJS supports TypeScript and JavaScript and offers an abstraction over Express or Fastify; it also has dedicated microservice support. AdonisJS is TypeScript-first and includes common backend features, with an API-only mode. The trade-off is not simply “more features”: a team should decide whether the framework’s structure suits its design and whether it wants to adopt its conventions.
For microservices and real-time systems
Moleculer is directly positioned as a microservices framework. NestJS is also an explicit candidate when a service architecture uses its supported microservice transports. Feathers is relevant when the application’s API needs include real-time patterns. Confirm that the framework supports the transports, deployment model, and failure-handling requirements the system actually needs; the label “microservices” alone does not settle those questions.
Rank #2
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For content, data, or a full-stack platform
Strapi and Directus address content or data-platform needs and should not be compared as if they were only request routers. Meteor is broader than an API framework. Nitro and H3 occupy a wider server-engine/framework ecosystem role. tRPC changes the API layer approach rather than supplying a standalone framework in the same category as Express. These options may be excellent fits when their broader role matches the product, but they solve a different selection problem.
What the benchmark numbers do—and do not—say
Fastify’s official benchmark page, updated September 2, 2026, reports single-instance Node.js results of 97,595 requests per second and 9.73 ms latency for Fastify 5.12.1, compared with 59,651 requests per second and 16.25 ms latency for Express 5.2.1. The page calls the comparison illustrative and says results depend on hardware, Node.js version, and workload. Fastify’s own wording is: “Machines matter, but so does the framework overhead.” See the official benchmark page.
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These figures are not a forecast for a database-backed API, a guarantee for a particular deployment, or proof that a framework is best overall. Before using performance as a deciding factor, benchmark representative routes with the middleware, payloads, database calls, and deployment environment your service will use. Measure latency and resource use as well as request throughput.
A practical framework selection process
- Define the service shape. Decide whether you need a REST API, a transport-based microservice, a real-time application, a content/data platform, or a full-stack system.
- Set runtime and deployment constraints. List the required runtime, hosting targets, and any edge or serverless requirements. Confirm support in current project documentation; Hono documents a Node adapter, while ElysiaJS is associated with Bun.
- Choose the desired level of structure. Decide whether the team wants to assemble packages around a smaller core or use stronger conventions and integrated backend features.
- Check team and ecosystem fit. Account for existing expertise, dependency health, documentation, integration needs, and the cost of adopting or migrating to a framework. Survey usage can provide context, not a substitute for this assessment.
- Prototype the risky parts. Implement a representative route, validation, error handling, observability, and the integrations most likely to expose a mismatch.
- Benchmark only if performance is a real constraint. Test the actual workload and environment rather than selecting on bare framework results alone.
ScreenshotNeo: capture API documentation and service pages
When evaluating frameworks, teams often need repeatable screenshots of documentation, rendered API references, or test pages for a report. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers; it is separate from the JavaScript framework choices above.
For a direct capture, create an API key and use the documented endpoint. The example below saves a WebP response; replace the sample URL with a page you are permitted to capture. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpOne-call example in Python:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)One-call example in Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Only clean shots are billed: bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, with verdict and billing information in response headers. Its MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot and page-information tools. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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Common selection mistakes to avoid
- Treating a shortlist as a popularity ranking. The 2025 survey reflects respondents and the frameworks it included; it does not prove a universal top 20.
- Comparing unlike categories. A content platform, a type-safe API layer, and an HTTP router do not provide the same architectural role.
- Choosing from benchmark headlines. Published microbenchmarks do not replace testing the application workload.
- Ignoring runtime and team constraints. Verify deployment support and account for the experience and maintenance capacity of the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a single best JavaScript framework for every API?
No. The right choice depends on the service architecture, runtime, desired conventions, integrations, and the team supporting it.
Are all 20 options JavaScript HTTP frameworks?
No. The list deliberately includes microservice frameworks, server engines, content and data platforms, an API layer, and a full-stack platform alongside focused HTTP frameworks.
Does the 2025 State of JavaScript survey prove Express is the most-used backend framework worldwide?
No. It reports Express as the usage leader among frameworks represented in that respondent survey, not a universal market-share result.
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