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Category: nodejs

express js alternatives

Published on 19 May 2026

Explanation

Koa is a lightweight Node.js framework created by the Express team. It provides better async/await support and cleaner middleware handling.

Code:

const Koa = require('koa');
const app = new Koa();

app.use(async ctx => {
  ctx.body = 'Hello from Koa';
});

app.listen(3000);

Explanation

Fastify is a high-performance Node.js framework designed for speed and low overhead.

Code:

const fastify = require('fastify')();

fastify.get('/', async (request, reply) => {
  return { message: 'Hello from Fastify' };
});

fastify.listen({ port: 3000 });

Explanation

NestJS is a scalable backend framework built with TypeScript and inspired by Angular architecture.

Code:

@Controller()
export class AppController {
  @Get()
  getHello(): string {
    return 'Hello from NestJS';
  }
}

Explanation

Hapi is a powerful Node.js framework focused on configuration-driven development and security.

Code:

const Hapi = require('@hapi/hapi');

const init = async () => {
  const server = Hapi.server({
    port: 3000,
    host: 'localhost'
  });

  server.route({
    method: 'GET',
    path: '/',
    handler: () => 'Hello from Hapi'
  });

  await server.start();
};

init();

Explanation

Sails.js is an MVC framework for building data-driven APIs and real-time applications.

Code:

module.exports.routes = {
  '/': {
    view: 'pages/homepage'
  }
};

Explanation

AdonisJS is a full-featured Node.js MVC framework with authentication, ORM, and validation support.

Code:

Route.get('/', async () => {
  return 'Hello from AdonisJS';
});

Explanation

Restify is a Node.js framework optimized for building REST APIs.

Code:

const restify = require('restify');
const server = restify.createServer();

server.get('/', (req, res, next) => {
  res.send('Hello from Restify');
  next();
});

server.listen(3000);

Explanation

LoopBack is a Node.js framework for quickly creating APIs connected to databases.

Code:

module.exports = function(app) {
  app.get('/', function(req, res) {
    res.send('Hello from LoopBack');
  });
};

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