foreword
Node.js was created in 2009 by Ryan Dahl. It is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment for developing server-side and web applications, built on the Google Chrome V8 JavaScript engine. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model to be lightweight and efficient, making it ideal for running data-intensive real-time applications on distributed devices. You can do whatever you want with Ruby or PHP by running JavaScript in Node.js.
Node.js is trusted by Netflix, Groupon, PayPal, LinkedIn, Uber, eBay and other companies because of its features that it can easily build fast response and easy-to-expand network applications, which further promotes the development of Node.js.
It is also the first choice for actual combat development because of its fast response and easy expansion. Developers love Node.js because it combines the ease of use of a scripting language (JavaScript) with the power of Unix network programming with a variety of frameworks to choose from.
Node Features
1. Fast: V8 Google Engine empowers Node.js to provide a fast release cycle. This makes reading and writing super fast for network connections, file systems and databases.
2. Real-time: The power of the websocket protocol allows easy and fast communication between the client and the server. It is instant and ideal for real-time applications such as chat or games.
3. Flexible: Developers can use the same language (which can be executed simultaneously) for client, server, back-end and front-end applications, and it provides an end-to-end solution.
4. Cross-platform support: Node.js can run virtually on any operating system. This means that Node.js is portable, so applications can support a wide audience of users.
5. Single thread: Node.js can still process tasks in parallel without adding additional threads - Node.js is single-threaded. It implements parallel operations through event loops, and we should take full advantage of this - avoid blocking operations as much as possible, and use non-blocking operations instead.
6. Event Loop: Node.js uses an event loop instead of processes or threads for scalability. The server automatically enters the event loop at the end of the callback definition.
7. Community: Node.js has a strong, diverse, active and rapidly expanding community behind it. Developers use Github to share work, make feature requests, upload packages, or make bug fixes.
Popular Open Source Node.js Framework
A brief introduction to several popular open source frameworks, without going into depth.
Actionhero
This is a fast, lightweight and multi-transport API server for Node.js, ideal for creating an easy-to-use toolkit for making reusable and extensible APIs.
Available to http sockets, tcp sockets and web sockets. actionHero.js provides a toolkit for creating easy-to-use, reusable and scalable APIs. Clients connect to the actionHero.js server to use APIs, consume static content and communicate with each other.
The actionHero.js server can handle requests and tasks (delayed actions such as send e-mail or background tasks).
Github stars: 1,499
Github contributors: 67
Loopback
This is a highly extensible API framework created by IBM that allows the creation of dynamic end-to-end REST APIs with very little coding. It complements the Express framework by providing developers with a simple API tool.
The Loopback API can connect devices and integrate with Android, iOS and AngularJS SDKs to create client-side applications. For the graphical version of the app, Loopback uses StrongLoop Arc.
Github stars: 7,817
Github contributors: 80
Restify
This is a lightweight framework created for REST API, it is a server-side framework that provides data through API. Restify focuses on debugging and profiling to optimize the server.
Github stars: 5,966
Github contributors: 142
Socket.io
The purpose of this framework is to support real-time web applications (eg document collaboration and data exchange). Socket.io allows event-driven communication between web clients and servers. socket.io is a cross-platform, automatic switching of various connection methods, which is very convenient for instant messaging development, and can be well combined with the traditional request method provided by expressjs, that is, it can provide two services on the same domain name and the same port. Various connection methods: request/response, websocket (flashsocket, ajax…).
Github stars: 28,887
Github contributors: 123
Full Stack
The following frameworks focus on full stack support, they cover every step of application development, from middleware and UI to API and database integration.
Meteor
Meteor is a Model View Controller (MVC) framework for building real-time web applications that is constantly synchronized with a server. It is a built-in set of pre-written self-contained modules that support application coding.
Applications built with Meteor can run on OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems.
Github stars: 36,081
Github contributors: 321
Keystone
This framework is ideal for database-driven web applications and APIs, where Express, MongoDB, and Mongoose are key components of the Node stack.
Github stars: 8,352
Github contributors: 181
Sinatra-Like
The following are lightweight frameworks that function similarly to Sinatra.
Express
Express is a fast, open and minimal web development framework based on the Node.js platform. Express is one of the most important node frameworks and is ideal for building web/mobile applications and APIs. Express is not a secondary abstraction of the existing features of Node.js, but only extends the basic functions required by web applications on top of it.
Github stars: 28,683
Github contributors: 192
Also
This is a callback-free, lightweight middleware framework that allows writing web applications and REST APIs, also adding new features and customizing what's in the path, it supports ES6 and latest JavaScript versions.
This is not an ideal first choice for beginners in Node.js.
Github stars: 12,779
Github contributors: 91
Step
The Hapi framework is ideal for quick builds and API testing, as well as building complete websites with Hapi. It has a very nice collection of plugins that allow it to work only locally without breaking the rest of the codebase, which is very useful for team projects.
Since Hapi was created by Walmart developers, it offers enterprise-grade features.
Github stars: 7,015
Github contributors: 151
In the past few years, due to the many advantages of Node.js, it has been welcomed by enterprises and developers, and has gradually developed into a mature development platform, attracting many developers, and further promoting the development of large front-end and rapid mobile framework development.