Posted on Sep 22, 2021 • Updated on Dec 30, 2021 • Originally published at raftlabs.co

Most Popular Backend Framework of 2021

Frameworks are considered as a vital part of any web development process for constructing interactive web applications. While the frontend takes care of the user experience, the backend is what facilitates an application to function.

Backend frameworks are the libraries of server-side languages that aids in building the server configuration of any website. It is essential to use the right technology for developing websites or you can seriously affect your application usage.

1.‍ Express.js

Express.js, also known as Express, is a Node.js web application framework and open-source software available under the MIT license. It is used for building APIs and web applications and is considered a standard Node.js server framework.

Express is a MEAN stack back-end component along with the AngularJS frontend framework and MongoDB databases. Express is viewed as one of the best web application development frameworks.

Developer(s): TJ Holowaychuk, Strongloop and others‍

Numbers/metrics/info:

Initial release: November 16, 2010
GitHub stars: 53896 (github.com)
1626 companies use express.js (stackshare.io)

Pros:

Easy learning curve
Utilizes full-stack JS features
Provide high performance
Fast server side programming
Routing
Debugging‍

Cons:

No security
Not opinionated
Error messages are hard to understand‍
Top companies using Express.js:
Twitter
Stack.com
Accenture
Paytm.com
Myntra
Wix.com

Top companies using Express.js:

2. ‍Django

Django is a leading open-source backend framework based on the Python programming language. It follows the model view controller (MVC) pattern. Django is suitable for the development of sophisticated and feature-rich database-driven websites. Django is considered one of the best backend web development frameworks.

This back end framework facilitates optimal pluggability, reduced coding, greater reusability, and faster development. It uses Python for all its operations and provides an optional admin interface to help create, read, update, and delete operations. Django is utilized by many renowned websites such as Disqus, Mozilla, and The Washington Times.

Developer(s): Adrian Holovaty, Simon Willson, Software Foundation‍

Numbers/metrics/info:
Initial release:21 July 2005
GitHub stars: 57069 (github.com)
2329 companies use Django (stackshare.io)

Pros:

Feature rich
Fast framework
Optimal security
High scalability
Versatile framework
Open-source
Naming system- Django features its own making system for all tools and features. it also has an easy to use admin panel in comparison to Yii and Laravel.
Simple syntax‍

Cons:

Django is too monolithic.
Everything is based on Django ORM.
Components get deployed together.
Knowledge of full system is required to work.‍
Top companies using Django:
Pinterest
Instagram
Udemy
Indeed
Coursera

Top companies using Django:

3. ‍Laravel

Laravel is an open-source PHP web framework for developing Symfony-based web applications that follow the Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. It offers a modular packaging system equipped with a dedicated dependency manager. Laravel is rated as one of the best web frameworks.

Laravel also provides its users with multiple ways of accessing relational databases along with application maintenance and deployment utilities. Laravel has an MIT license and has a source code hosted on GitHub.

Developer(s): Taylor Otwell‍

Numbers/metrics/info:
Initial release: June 2011
GitHub stars: 63100+ (github.com)
3131 companies use Laravel (stackshare.io)‍

Pros:

Authentication-implementing authentication is simple with
Laravel
Simple API
Cache Backends
Logs-A Laravel project has a pre-configured exception and error handling. Laravel also has Monolog logging library integration and offers support for multiple log handlers.
Testing: Laravel is test-friendly and offers PHP Unit support along with a ready-to-use phpunit.xml file for applications
Features a lightweight Template Engine
MVC Architecture Support
Eloquent Object Relational Mapping
Good Security‍

Cons:

The Composer is not strong enough.
Lack of continuation between versions. No transition from - Laravel 4 to 5 available.
Quality is mixed at times.
Some upgrades might be problematic.‍

Top Companies using Laravel:

4. ‍Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails also known as Rails, is a Ruby-based server-side web application framework with an MIT License. Rails is an MVC framework offering database default structures, web pages, and web services. Ruby on Rails is one of the best frameworks for web development.

Ruby on Rails promotes the use of web standards like XML or JSON for data transfers and CSS, JavaScript, and HTML for interfacing. Rails prioritize the use of software engineering patterns such as active record patterns, convention over configuration (CoC), and don’t repeat yourself (DRY).

Developer(s): David Heinmeier Hansson‍

Numbers/metrics/info:
Initial release: August 2004
GitHub stars: 47300+ (github.com)
3279 companies use ruby on Rails (stackshare.io)‍

Pros:

Time-efficiency
Consistency
Cost-effective
Scalability
MVC Architecture
Active Record — Ruby on Rails relies on a library known as an active record
Convention over Configuration
Testing is simple‍

Cons:

Runtime Speed and Performance. One of the most frequent arguments against RoR is its ‘slow’ runtime speed
Lack of Flexibility.‍
Top Companies using Ruby on Rails:
Airbnb
Shopify
Twitter
Instacart
Twitch
Accenture
Microsoft
GitHub‍

Top Companies using Ruby on Rails:

5. Flask

Flask is a Python-based micro web framework that does not require specific libraries and tools. This backend does not have form validation, a database abstraction layer, or components that require functions from external sources. Flask provides support for extensions that can add features in a manner that seems like they are implemented within Flask.

Developer(s): Armin Ronacher‍

Numbers/metrics/info:
Initial release: April 1, 2010
GitHub stars: 54708 (github.com)
980 companies use Flask (stackshare.io)‍

Pros: