ZinTrust: a TypeScript backend framework for structure without decorators

#typescript #node #backend #opensource

ZinTrust: structure without the ceremony (and without decorators)

If you’ve built TypeScript APIs for a while, you’ve probably felt the pull in two directions:

Super flexible stacks where structure can drift over time.
Highly opinionated frameworks where decorators/DI patterns can feel heavy (depending on your team).

I wanted a middle ground—clear structure, explicit wiring, and a minimal core.

So I’ve been building ZinTrust: a production-grade TypeScript backend framework with no Express/Fastify as the core, plus adapters you add when you need them.

Docs: https://zintrust.com
Repo: https://github.com/ZinTrust/ZinTrust
X: https://x.com/zintrustjs

What “minimal core” means (in practice)

For me it’s about:

Explicit wiring you can trace when debugging.
Composability (add what you need; avoid pulling in the world by default).
Type-first ergonomics without leaning on magic.

A tiny routing example

Here’s the style of routing / grouping:

import { Router, type IRouter } from '@zintrust/core';

export function registerRoutes(router: IRouter): void {
  Router.group(router, '/api/v1', (r) => {
    Router.resource(r, '/users', { index, show, store, update, destroy });
  });
}

Quickstart

If you want to kick the tires quickly:

npm i -g @zintrust/core
zin new my-app
cd my-app
zin start

The feedback I want (seriously)

This is the phase where docs and onboarding matter more than “features”. If you try it, I’d love blunt feedback on:

Where do you get stuck in the quickstart?
Which concepts feel unclear (routing, structure, ORM, config, etc.)?
What would make you confident this is production-ready?

Reply here, open an issue, or join the community:

If you only look at one thing

If you only have 2 minutes, check the docs and tell me what’s confusing:

https://zintrust.com

Thanks for reading—and if you try it, thank you even more for the critique.

DEV Community