I’ve used Express.js for years. It’s simple, flexible, and gets the job done. But as projects grow, the cracks start to show. I recently tried Elysiajs, and the difference was clear.
Things I genuinely liked about Elysia.js:
• Less boilerplate
No req, res, next everywhere. You return the response directly. Code feels cleaner and easier to read.
• Built-in validation
Request validation is part of the framework. No extra setup, no repeated schemas, no guessing if types match.
• Strong type safety
Types actually mean something. Context, params, body — everything is inferred correctly. Fewer runtime bugs.
• Better performance by default
It’s fast without trying too hard, especially with Bun. Express works, but you need effort to optimize it.
• Cleaner middleware lifecycle
Instead of one long middleware chain, Elysia gives clear hooks for each stage. Easier to reason about.
• Plugins without side effects
In Express, middleware leaks everywhere if you’re not careful. Elysia scopes things properly. Debugging becomes simpler.
• File upload and cookies built in
No need for extra libraries like multer or cookie-parser. Less dependency mess.
• OpenAPI from one source of truth
Schemas handle validation, types, and API docs together. No duplicate work.
• Testing feels natural
It uses Web Standard APIs, so testing is straightforward and clean.
Express is still solid and widely used — no hate there.
But if you care about clean code, type safety, and long-term maintainability, Elysia.js is worth a serious look.
I’ve also integrated it with Next.js, and the experience has been smooth so far.
Curious to see how far this ecosystem goes.
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