I often notice that many folks disagree on considering JavaScript/TypeScript a good choice for the backend, which makes sense when we compare it with other languages like C#, Java, Python, and so on. All these languages have their own full-fledged, batteries-included frameworks dedicated to backend-related tasks, and JavaScript/TypeScript was lacking in this regard. Yes, JavaScript has some of the best full-stack frameworks like Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt, Astro, Remix, Qwik but none of them focuses on the core aspects of the backend, as they mainly focus on the complexity of the frontend.
I know many of you will mention that JavaScript/TypeScript has great backend frameworks too, like Express, Fastify, etc. But, to be honest, if you compare these frameworks with frameworks in other languages like Spring Boot, .NET, Laravel, Django, Ruby on Rails, they don't offer much in terms of ease of development. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but if you have to do mostly everything from scratch, then using a framework doesn't make much sense.
But wait, the bashing ends, but the story doesn't end here because...
We actually have great backend frameworks in JavaScript/TypeScript like Nest.js, AdonisJs, and Sail.js. So, why do so many people (even in the JS/TS community) not know about them? It's because they are not backed by good marketing agencies. The only skill they have is to write great code; they don't know how to market themselves. For me, that's the only reason many people don't know about them yet. If you analyze the capabilities of these frameworks and how much you can achieve with them, even expanding their functionalities if required, in an organized way while keeping your code testable, scalable, and in good architecture, they are on par with other languages' well-recognized frameworks.
Moving on, I want to tell you about one more disappointing point: even in the State of JavaScript Survey (which is one of the most valuable surveys in the JS/TS community), there isn't any category dedicated to backend frameworks. But hold on, be positive because that's going to change in 2024, as the State of JavaScript 2024 will have a dedicated backend category from 2024.
Mark my words, in 1 to a maximum of 2 years, JavaScript/TypeScript is going to dominate the backend space too. It's not arguable to say that the community is gradually shifting its focus to the backend more in recent years. What makes me even happier is seeing the dedication of the Nest.js community and their contributions to the JS/TS community in the backend space. Every language just needs one well-recognized and enterprise-level framework to shine.
Java has Spring Boot,
C# has .NET,
Python has Django and FastAPI,
Ruby has Ruby on Rails,
PHP has Laravel and WordPress,
and ...
JavaScript/TypeScript has Next.js, Angular, and Nest.js.
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