Express.js is one of the most popular packages for Node.js. This is a web development application that will allow you to create and develop amazing applications. Express.js is fast, it is unopinionated and very easy to handle when you compare it with other web development applications that have been used for so many years now.
Over the years, the use of Express.js has been gaining popularity because it has so many features to offer, more than what other frameworks offer for both web and mobile applications. Creation of an API has also been said to be easy and fast when one is using Express.js.
There is also a newer version of Express.js, which seems to work better with improved features and services than what was previously there. Express.js 4 is what you should upgrade to if you want to get better services from Express.js today.
Some of the basics you should note about Express.js are:
a) It is the best framework for the creation of server-side web and mobile applications. It has great features, great speed and full support that web developers will need in any application creation.
b) Express.js is designed for the creation of all kinds of mobile and web applications, ranging between single-page, multiple page and hybrid. It is also perfect for the building of backend functions that are useful in the creation of web applications. It is also a perfect framework for the building of APIs
c) Express.js will come with two templating engines that will make data flow to and from a website structure easy and fast. These engines are EJS and Jade. Experience no delays as long as you are using these template engines.
d) Express.js does not support only one operating system; it is designed to work on all operating systems and this means that it is a framework designed for all users.
e) Through the help of Express generator, any web developer can easily create very complex applications faster than they would expect. Nothing is hard if you are using Express.js, therefore it is time to stop shying away from complex applications.
However, as the technology advances, so are the web development frameworks. In this case, developments have been made in order to give web developers better and alternative frameworks that they can choose to work with. This has led to the emergence of different Express.js frameworks that are working much better for different web developers. The choice that you will make on any of these frameworks will depend on the kinds of apps that you want to create. What you should bear in mind is that Express.js is still an amazing framework and its frameworks are great too, the only difference is in what they are offering.
Some of these frameworks are:
1) Koa.js
The same team that designed Express.js is the one that has designed Koa. Koa has been said to be the next generation web development framework for Node.js. Koa is much similar to Express.js but it is smaller in its scope and functionality. Its contributors are working very hard though in order to see to it that it is perfect and much better than any other web development framework out there. With time, Koa.js could be the framework that every web developer will be eying.
If you have been using Express.js and you want to switch to Koa, the transition is quite easy. The syntax used in Express is similar to the one that Koa uses and so, there is so much similarity in the two frameworks, making migration quite easy and fast. If you have Express modules, you can comfortably use them for Koa since most of these modules are designed in such a manner that they will work for Koa the same way they worked for Express. There is no great loss for anyone that will be migrating to Koa.js from Express.js.
2) Restify.js
This is one of the Express.js frameworks alternative that is designed mainly for web developers that want to create the best REST web services. Its development has mainly been influenced by Express.js, therefore the two frameworks are quite similar in structure and syntax. If you want to build and run an API service, this is the best framework to work with as it has all the necessary tools for this kind of development.
Restify.js has fewer features when compared to the other Express.js frameworks but this does not mean that it is not any better than them. Its features have greater power and are of better use to a web developer, therefore Restify.js is a great framework too, in its own way. Restify.js has total control over HTTP interactions, which helps it perform its duties well, which are to build and run API services. If you are using Express.js and you would want to try Restify.js, switching will not be a big deal, after all the two frameworks are quite similar and so, your migration will be like a walk in the park.
3) Hapi.js
Hapi.js has been said to be the rich network designed for creation of applications and services. Instead of spending so much time building the infrastructure, Hapi will help you write application logic that can be reused. Something good about Hapi.js is that it is a very stable framework that can create any Node.js application, making it ideal for a web developer that wants to challenge himself.
It is an extraordinary web framework that has captured the attention of so many web developers as it is mature and quite resilient. This is one framework that makes Node.js a super framework. A team of many web developers can comfortably use Hapi.js together and their concerns patterns will be separated very well. Hapi.js is a little different from Express.js and it can be a tough migration if you want to make such a change but if you want to migrate to Hapi.js, you will love it; it has a lot more to offer in a totally new perspective.
There are several packages you can choose for Node.js, though Express.js is highly popular and an excellent choice. Express frameworks are amongst the best that you can use for creating web and mobile applications, as well as in the creation of backend function and APIs.
