When to use these Nodejs frameworks? Express, Koa, Nest, Socket.io, Meteor.js

Tags: javascript, webdev, node, webperf
Published: 2020-08-28 04:51:33

According to the Node.js web survey report 2018, Node.js has increased developer productivity by 68%, reduced development costs, and enhanced app performance to a great extent. This is a result of the successful adoption and deployment of node.js frameworks. 

We love node.js frameworks, right from the flexibility of Express.js, to the performance of koa.js. Node.js framework today plays a significant role in developing modern web applications. 

However, recently while searching for Node.js frameworks, it took me a lot of effort to find practical implications of some of the most popular frameworks. The web is cluttered, and understanding use cases where you can use node.js frameworks is not easy information to find. Therefore, in this article, I explore the direct application of the top 5 most popular Node.js frameworks. 

To know in detail about Nodejs frameworks in 2020, we have covered this topic in detail: [10 Best Nodejs frameworks for Web Apps in 2020] (https://www.simform.com/best-nodejs-frameworks/). 


**Express.js**

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/6hdz2wnv2qi6dutuu6q8.jpeg)

You can develop web apps faster with the framework since it has almost readily available API generation grounds. You can use it for any enterprise-grade or browser-based app because of its robust routing, templating, security features, and error handling provisions. 

It’s quite suitable for almost any kind of web and mobile application development from small to large scale. For development teams at beginner levels, Express is the best choice since there’s outstanding community support available for this framework.

The following framework is- Koa.js. It’s being hailed as the next generation Node.js framework, so let’s see what it offers for modern-application development. 

**Koa.js** 

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/2f308wmhbaowje8sydqi.jpeg)

When performance is a critical demand from your web application, Koa is what you need. Especially for a big project, the framework can build extensive apps with large and experienced development teams. Under certain circumstances, Koa has proven to be a faster framework than Express.

However, it may seem to be a difficult choice for beginners because it’s still in the community's growth stages and is less popular as a result. 

**Nest.js**

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/6urodvp90efpyw961qwb.jpeg)

Nest.js builds efficient and scalable web applications. And since it’s written with TypeScript, much like Angular, the framework solves Node.js' main problem.

It organizes the architecture pattern and keeps it clean and modularized, helping developers build more scalable and easily maintainable applications. 

**Socket.io**

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/axfg9jyrmj6ca3bjyxnd.jpeg)

Socket.io develops real-time applications like chat room applications, video conferencing apps, multiplayer games, and others, where servers are required to push the data without being requested from the client-side. For example, live video calling apps like Zoom need to communicate real-time bidirectional data to several participants, and Socket could come in handy with similar apps.

**Meteor.js**

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/malkxv5s93hlvacrbm3a.jpeg)

If your development team is good to go with Javascript, Meteor.js is a splendid choice. It is effortless to learn and super fun to program in. You can use it to build apps in no time since the framework allows you to use the same code written for a web app or mobile app. With Meteor, you can also deploy live updates even on the installed apps without disrupting an on-going user session. 

Also, did I mention? The framework builds real-time applications with its built-in core. Without a doubt, it’s a perfect solution for collaboration with real-time app projects, short deadlines, and cross-platform products.

**Conclusion**

This post doesn’t only talk about Nodejs frameworks. Instead, it lists where & how these frameworks can be used. It helps software development teams remove from second-guessing the exact use case of these Nodejs frameworks and pick up the most appropriate tool when building a project from scratch. 

So which Nodejs framework do you prefer for your next project? Or is there any other framework you have used or are going to use? Let us know in the comments below.