Rapid development and easy to scale, high performance and robustness. The emergence of Node.js has made these dreams of all web application developers a reality. However, like other new development language technologies, using the most basic features of Node.js to write code to build applications from scratch is a very unpaid and time-consuming task. The solution to this problem is very simple and has stood the test of time: use a development framework that has been built in advance. Therefore, there are so many concepts of frameworks such as Express.js, Koa, Sails.js, etc. that are proposed and implemented.
The role of these development frameworks is very simple. It is to save time for application developers so that we don’t have to spend too much effort on unnecessary things. Once a framework can meet the developer's philosophy of "get the same output at the smallest cost", the framework can become popular.
There is no framework in today's Node.js world that can unify the world, although Express.js is still the most popular framework to date. But there are many other sects in the world today who are competing for the position of leader of the martial arts world. You can't say that you have many members of the Beggar Gang and others have to join you. Everyone is trying to learn self-defense techniques (quick development and other Node.js frameworks). Your Beggar Gang has the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing (Express.js), and others have Tai Chi (Sails.js, etc.).
Overall, you can attribute the Node.js development framework to two categories:
- Simplified framework
- Full stack frame
Let’s discuss these two frameworks below.
Simplified framework
A streamlined framework provides the most basic functions and APIs, which are themselves designed to improve the main aspects of the Node.js development process. However, these frameworks are mainly focused on providing basic MVC development framework features and improving coding experience, rather than supporting other features and technologies that Node.js itself does not have. Here are some of the popular streamlined Node.js frameworks today.
Express.js - The most popular framework
Express.js is undoubtedly the Node.js development framework that is most popular among web application developers today. As a flexible, lightweight, easy-to-use framework, Express.js can be used to develop pure JS or hybrid mobile applications that are easy to expand. If some data on the Internet is not groundless, there are 26,000 network and mobile applications in the world today that are developed using this framework. Some of these well-known user fans include MySpace, Countly, Yummly, Mozilla Persona, and Geekli.st. So, if you're a Node developer, maybe Express.js is the fast train you should take.
KOA - Node.js next generation development framework
As another Node.js development framework developed and maintained by the behind-the-scenes development team of Express.js framework, KOA is a network development framework that is popular and named Node.js. Because the framework evolved from Express.js, you can see many similarities between them, and of course, there must be differences. It provides some additional new features, and the framework's middleware will isolate these new features from other existing features. In addition, the framework also provides functional features such as efficient development and ease of use to simplify the process of starting servers and server-related functions.
Total.js - A modern web application development Node.js framework
Although Total.js can be considered a minimalist framework, it can still be used as a complement to the Node.js framework. The framework is targeted by developers who want to create applications with very powerful scalability. If you want to build a web application now, and the application may expand a lot in the future, Total.js may be a perfect choice.
Sails.js
As a framework that provides MVC development mode simulation functions like Ruby On Rails, Sails.js is actually a robust and extensible Node.js development framework. It itself is a service-driven architecture, and its API set is provided in a data-driven way. Its biggest use should be to create multi-user games, online chat, real-time interactive applications, and other Node.js applications for enterprise cries.
Full-stack Node.js development framework
The full-stack development framework is where NodeJS shines and heats. Most full-stack frameworks include the necessary application development basic library, complete template engine, network sockets, and persistent libraries to accelerate the construction of real-time scalable network and mobile applications. Here is the most popular full-stack Node.js framework today:
Meteor - Extremely simple application development environment
As a framework designed to integrate all MEAN development framework functions, Meteor is the integrator of a JavaScrtip framework. JavaScritp can be run in the client browser, and can also be run in the Meteeor server in a Node.js container on the server side. Additionally, it supports HTML code, CSS, and other useful static tools.
All these functions are organized very resiliently in the Meteor framework, and you can easily use them in a file directory tree request. Packaging and data transmission of each component on the client and server side are automatically completed by the Meteor framework.
Mean.IO - Complete MEAN stack JavaScript development framework
MEAN.IO is a complete JavaScript development framework designed to simplify and accelerate the development of MEAN stack-based network applications. The framework comes with tools that allow you to seamlessly combine the four technologies of the MEAN framework, such as MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, Node.js, and even other groundbreaking technologies such as Bootstrap. It also has a lot of HTML and CSS and other additional JavaScript code to greatly reduce your encoding time. However, the most eye-catching thing about this framework is its powerful MVC architecture. You can use it to create modular code and then use it as a tool to create sophisticated web or mobile applications. MEAN.IO packages are plug and play, so once new feature packages are released, you can get and use them just like using npm packages.
The MeanIO package system integrates all packages into the mean project, as if the code itself is part of the means itself. It also provides developers with all the necessary tools to integrate our packages into our projects.