Expressjs? Nestjs?... or both?
Tags: webdev, javascript, programming, node
Published: 2023-03-22 00:08:05

Nodejs is becoming more popular by the day and backend developers are jumping ship faster than ever. Nodejs has quickly become the favorite amongst backend developers; but nodejs isn't a framework, it's basically a run time environment that allows developers to run javascript outside of the browser.

Nodejs has multiple frameworks, and the two major ones being express and nest. A lot of developers have been debating which framework should be the favorite, and as with most things in tech, there is no "best" it all depends on use cases, so let's discuss.

## Expressjs
Express is a nodejs web application framework that provides an extensive set of features for building web and mobile applications. It's used to handle server-side processes of a web application.

Express allows developers to make API calls with such fluidity; it's time efficient, and extremely fast. If you understand express to a very professional level it can be very customizable, and it supports MySQL and MongoDB.

Oh, and it's utilized by pretty much every software company, including Fortune 500 companies like Netflix, IBM, eBay, and Uber.

## Nest.js
Let's talk Nest, Nestjs is a nodejs framework that emphasizes on giving devs the ability to create dynamic and scalable applications. Nest prides itself with the extensive amounts of libraries that it has, which further backs their point of enabling developers to build multilayered applications.

Its target audience are people who are looking to create more enterprise focused application, by offering modular code structures that puts a stop to code structure and code organization problems.

Nestjs deeply integrates Typescript into its core, so if you know Typescript this will be an advantage to you, and don't worry about adoption. A lot of huge companies also adopts this framework like Adidas, and decathlon.

## So now that we know the basics...
Let's go back to the main question, which should you choose as a nodejs developer? Well let's look at a few facts.

Express still stands as the most popular framework for nodejs, and as a beginner you should use express to start out your journey. There's a huge community and online resource that can help you get the ball rolling. My advice? Starting out, use express to get some personal projects done and get yourself to a mid-level seniority with it.

For more professional developers, you should definitely go nest your time... get it? never mind. 

My point is Nestjs mainly has an advantage when it's used on an enterprise level, and as a professional you should start using Nestjs since major companies are adopting it very quickly.

## Why not both?
Yes, why can't you just decide to use the two? well eventually you will know how to use the two along the line in your web development career, but the only group of devs suitable to pick up Nestjs, are the people who already at least know expressjs. I'm not talking to you beginners, you guys should definitely start with express then work your way to Nest.

Does this mean that Nest is way complex than Express? No, not necessarily. Their differences comes with the use cases, not the complexity or difficulty. They should have the same difficulty when it comes to learning, you can even argue Nestjs is easier to learn.

Here's where we are going to put a lid on the article, if this article helped, I'd like to connect with you on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/tiseysoft). Thanks, and later!