Node.js is one of the more groundbreaking additions to the web development landscape, offering an environment that enables full-stack JavaScript applications for the first time ever. Prior to Node.js, JavaScript was limited to client-side scripting, but Node transformed the script into a cross-over language, capable of writing software that’s portable between the front and back ends.
JavaScript brought its speed and cross-platform compatibility to back-end development, along with its devoted community of JavaScript programmers. In its 2015 developer survey, Stack Overflow found that JavaScript was the most popular programming language—even among back-end developers.
This soaring popularity, along with Node’s expansion into an entire development ecosystem, has fueled the creation of numerous Node.js frameworks that both extend and add to Node.js’s existing features.
The result? These JavaScript evangelists are building exciting new JavaScript frameworks that help to streamline and speed up Node development.
These range from lightweight and flexible modules to full-stack and highly opinionated frameworks. The resulting applications have varying strengths and advantages, but all share one main advantage: they’re written in JavaScript, so they’re compatible across browsers, devices, and operating systems.
Developers will love one framework over another for various reasons (and various projects), but all are guaranteed to boost the power of Node.js and speed up development cycles. If you’re developing an app with the MEAN stack or another Node-based back end, here are some frameworks to keep an eye out for when planning your software stack.
LIGHTER-WIGHT MVC SERVER FRAMEWORK WITH SOLID CONFIGURATION BUT A LITTLE LESS “OPTION” THAN OTHERS.
Why would you opt for one of the following lightweight frameworks? To do a lot more with a lot less effort. If you’re building a single-page, multi-page, or hybrid mobile app and want it to be maintainable for longer (and write less code while building it), these feature-rich middleware frameworks are for you.
Think of middleware frameworks as the plumbing of your app, handling requests and responses between the server and the user interface. Having solid, well-built middleware early on ensures