A Quick Overview
Have you wondered why everyone in the tech industry is going gaga over the Node technology? Right from Netflix to Uber, LinkedIn, everyone is striving hard to succeed using the same Node technology. The open-source Chrome JavaScript runtime environment has been known for invoking trust among numerous upcoming and growing firms by assisting in creating highly robust, scalable web applications in the most effortless manner. Technically speaking, the Node environment is built on top of Google Chrome’s JavaScript Engine V8, featuring a non-blocking I/O model, event-driven, making it a perfect choice to develop lightweight, data-intensive real-time applications.
So those who bet on whether Node technology is a programming language or a framework, all I can say it is a much-needed solid environment. In addition, the tech has been called the ultimate epitome of developing highly customizable and scalable apps in the ever-evolving market.
Node was developed by Ryan Dahl, a reputable American software engineer, back in 2009. The tech runs on the V8 engine, which assists in translating JavaScript into machine code. So Node is a C++ application which seamlessly takes JavaScript in terms of input and then successfully executes it. The tech enables developers to use a single JavaScript language in such a manner that it becomes easy to write code on both the client side as well as the server side. No wonder Node technology is known for developing real-time event-based applications. Moreover, the tech ensures irrespective of the operating systems, whether it is Linux, OS X and Windows.
The tech offers a wide range of benefits, such as high flexibility, ease of use, ability to handle real-time apps, support cross-platform development, backed by a large and active community, but one of its uncanny strengths or advantages to consider is high support for developing REST APIs. Yes, developing and deploying APIs in Node.js is no longer a concern due to the ever-growing ecosystem of libraries and frameworks.
What is a REST API? A REST (REpresentational State Transfer) API is a web service which seamlessly follows the principles of the pre-determined REST architecture. Why this is usually done? It is done to conduct seamless interaction among clients and servers over HTTP.
Here, standard HTTP methods are considered, which is GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on resources, and data is typically transferred in JSON or XML format.
REST APIs are built on mainly six fundamental principles; these principles are meant to define their core architecture as well as functionality.
Statelessness - Now, as we all know, here ample of requests are made and each one which is offered from the client to the server shouldn’t be vague. On the contrary, it must feature all types of relevant information, and no matter how surprising this seems, but there is no such rule for storing session-related data.
Client-server architecture - Usually, the client and server are separate entities; by doing so, you will be able to conduct development on an independent basis, as well as achieve higher scalability.
Uniform interface - If you are willing to access resources by using standardised HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Cacheability - different responses is what the server offers, and all of them should be able to offer solutions in regards to improve performance.
Layered system - Here, high support for multiple layers is offered, ranging from load balancers, authentication servers, and data storage. Fortunately, this has nothing to do with the client-side interaction.
Code on Demand (Optional) - The server can send executable code, such as JavaScript. This step is usually taken to enhance functionality.
Why consider Node.js to develop a REST API?
Here, it is possible to use a single language (JavaScript) for both client-side and server-side development.
Possible to conduct fast and powerful performance, which means developers can successfully run multiple requests at the same time in a parallel manner.
Middleware and Routing capabilities are considered which leads to API development in pretty quick and easy manner.
Lastly, you will find a large and active community of developers at your service who are happy to assist whenever and wherever in need. These professionals have made insane contributions to the ever-evolving ecosystem.
So here comes the big question: how to pick an ideal Node.js REST API framework? Well, for that, first you need to learn about the top frameworks, what they are.
Top Node.js REST API frameworks
1. Express.js
Express.js is one of the most popular and widely used frameworks used to developing REST APIs with Node.js technology. This particular framework offers a simple and minimal interface considered for developing REST APIs; no wonder that with Express, things are pretty easy to get started. The Express framework is highly modular, enabling developers to add new features and functionalities with a little help from middleware and plugins. No matter how big, medium or small size your project is, whether you are simply practising using the Node technology or developing large-scale enterprise apps, the framework is definitely worth betting on.
Top Benefits of Considering Express
- Open source framework
- Simple and easy to use
- Dynamic rendering of HTML pages
- Links to databases like MySQL, MongoDB, etc
- Asynchronous
- Widely accepted, adopted and well-documented
- Large and active community
- Highly modular and customizable
The only concern is that if you pick the Express framework as the RESTful API, it can become complex, especially if you are conducting large development projects. And developers might find the minimalist approach too limiting.
For example;
import express from 'express';
const app = express();
const PORT = 3000;
app.get('/', (req, res) => res.send('Hello World!'));
app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server is running on port ${PORT}`));
2. Featherjs
The next JavaScript framework considered among the top REST API frameworks is FeatherJS. It is said that if you are willing to develop highly responsive real-time apps, this is it! There is no denying the fact that JavaScript development has been growing every now and then; still, Feather is one such Node.js REST API framework which simplifies things to a great extent. The framework allows developers to have absolute control over data through RESTful resources. This means one no longer needs an external data store or database.
Here, developers are able to create REST APIs with different Feather Commands, which means it becomes super easy for the developed web application to communicate with relevant third-party applications as well as services such as Twilio or Stripe. And do you know what the best part is to consider here? It is possible to integrate the RESTful API framework into different JavaScript frameworks as well.
Top Benefits of using FeatherJS
- Real-time API support
- Well-written and accurate documentation for the development process
- Supports both JavaScript and TypeScript programming languages
- CLI scaffolding tool
- Supports Relational and non-relational databases
The only concern can be, the framework uses PassportJS, which means it doesn’t support SAML authentication out of the box and in addition, developing large-scale, real-time applications using the NodeJS framework can result in WebSocket issues.
3. Koa.JS
The next interesting Node framework to pick to support REST API is Koa. Over the past few years, this one in particular seems to have gained lots and lots of traction. Now you might not know this, but Koa is built by the same team which has developed Express.js. The key difference here is that this one takes quite a modern approach to middleware handling. Koa uses async/await functions instead of callbacks, which makes it way easier to write even the most asynchronous code. In comparison to Express, Koa has a smaller footprint, so if you ask me to explain it in simple words, it means Koa has the ability to handle more requests per second. If you are willing to conduct fast and highly scalable RESTful APIs, Koa turns out to be the absolute choice to consider.
import Koa from 'koa';
const app = new Koa();
const PORT = 3000;
app.use(async ctx => {
ctx.body = 'Hello, World!';
});
app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`));
Top Benefits of using Koa
- The framework is lightweight, and it offers a strong foundation
- It leverages modern ES6+ features like async/await
- Koa enhances error handling by using middleware
- It is possible to create reusable, modular functions to handle different tasks.
- It uses a ctx (context) object
- Performance optimization
- Enhances the developer’s workflow
The only concern here is that Koa is less popular or has a smaller community in comparison to Express, and it doesn’t come with built-in middleware for common tasks like routing, body parsing, etc.
4. Nest.js
Another amazing framework considered for developing modern Node apps featuring high-performance architecture is Nest. Some of the most interesting features are progressive JavaScript (TypeScript), functional programming principles, and reactive programming.
Nest features object-oriented programming and functional reactive programming approaches. So here, hands down! You are getting the best of the best, and you can pick your preferences.
Top Benefits of Nest.js
- Nest features a built-in Direct Injection container, which makes sure you are able to create a code which is modular and readable.
- By using this REST API framework, it is possible to develop software solutions which need no strong coupling.
- The use of modular structures simplifies everything. It helps to use external libraries in a project.
- Easy to write simple API endpoints
The only concern is that developers won’t have any idea regarding what is happening around, since it is a complicated development process; here, debugging turns out to be trickier and takes longer than usual. And in addition, the framework might lack in features in comparison to different languages such as Spring in Java or .NET in C#.
5. Hapi.js
Another significant Node framework to consider for developing RESTful APIs is Hapi. The framework is widely known for its amazing plugin system, so adding new functionality to your existing app is not such a big deal. One of the most striking features of this REST API framework is that it offers built-in support for authentication, input validation, and caching; no wonder lots and lots of time and effort is saved, especially when developing an API. Moreover, using Hapi means you can have a strong focus on security, and thus makes this one an absolute choice for developing APIs which can seamlessly handle sensitive data.
import Hapi from '@hapi/hapi';
const PORT = 3000;
const init = async () => {
const server = Hapi.server({
port: PORT,
host: 'localhost',
});
server.route({
method: 'GET',
path: '/',
handler: () => 'Hello, World!',
});
await server.start();
console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`);
};
init();
Conclusion
It is a safe bet to say that Node has gone through a meteoric growth over a span of a few years; no wonder it is one of the best programming languages found on the web. There is no denying the fact that JavaScript technology is full of options, and of course, there are some legit perks of considering some of the most popular and prominent Node.js frameworks mentioned above. Each one of these has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, so choose wisely!
I hope you did find the following post worth taking into account. In case if you have any further doubts or queries, feel free to mention them in the comment section below. Conducting a development project might seem like an easy job since everyone around is doing it, but the tricky part is how to do it in the right way. Fortunately, you will find several relevant and reputable development companies that are highly knowledgeable and experienced in delivering the best possible outcomes from their doorsteps. So good luck with your upcoming development project, and I am sure it will be a massive success.
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