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1
A comparison of
Node.js server
frameworks
joseph-norman
@joemismatch
http://joseph-norman.github.io/
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2
JavaScript developer @ Bede Gaming
Who am I?
Main project - dev & support for large scale API facade (in Hapi.js)
Rewriting a slots game engine server (currently in Hapi.js)
(Rarely) client side JS adding new features & bug fixes to slots games
(Backbone.Marionette, Phaser, Pixi.js)
Side projects
An (in-progress) pluralsight author for upcoming course, "RESTful API
design and implementation using Hapi.js"
Writing 'Knots' - An interactive localised JavaScript / Node.js compiler
/ debugger / static analysis tool (think IDE debugger but in Sublime
Text!)
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3
Servers
What is node.js?
Why node.js?
require('http');
Express & Koa
Hapi.js
Sails (MVC)
Conclusion
Questions?
What's covered today
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4
Moving from Frontend -> Backend Coding
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5
Servers - the relationship between client & server
All content you access from a
browser is 'served'
Actions like grabbing data,
logging in, updating data, etc.
Are all part of this process.
More often this process needs
to be dynamic i.e in single
page applications.
A good analogy is the idea of a
restaurant
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6
Introduction to Node.js
Localised JavaScript runtime, utilising (currently) the
Google V8 Engine.
Runtime = your code executor
Includes a REPL (Read Eval Print Loop)
Ships with a great library, and its own package manager
(npm)
Has had an explosion in popularity
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7
Why node.js?
The event based server execution (a.k.a the 'event loop')
No waiting for I/O blockers (file reading, accessing
external web services, external device reads, anything
considered blocking).
Uses Google's lightning fast V8 Engine (also used in
Chrome), will also have the option for Microsoft's IoT
Chakra engine in the near future.
Tremendous global popularity.
Support everywhere!
Transferable knowledge from frontend JavaScript
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8
"To use the HTTP server and client one
must require('http')." - Mr Node.js
Node HTTP module
Basic client / server model based loosely off the Python
SimpleHTTPServer library
Provides minimal functionality to create a web server
Effective when writing simple applications
Cumbersome when writing complex stuff
Get right down to the 'nitty gritty' of things
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9
HTTP - Basic Example
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10
Http - some drawbacks
Perfect for basic usage; nightmare for anything complex
or nontrivial.
Lacks native request routing, middle-ware integration
(authentication, logging, caching)
High entry level for writing servers (need to understand
Node.js buffers, MIME types, content encoding, ...)
Really not built for complex server applications!
Which brings us on to...
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11 . 1
Express.js
"Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework
for Node.js"
Powerful, widely supported framework.
Built on top of an existing library called 'connect'.
By far the most popular Node.js framework currently in
existence.
Provides tons of functionality via 'middleware' (plugins),
such as routing, authentication, request parsing, etc.
First real, serious framework for Node.js that caused an
explosion of popularity.
Now is part of Node's incubator program
Passes control through routes and middleware via 'next'
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11 . 2
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Slide 13
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12
Express - A (very) basic example
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Slide 14
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13
Express - the cons
Surprisingly large footprint for it being minimal.
No built-in error handling.
YAMS (yet another middleware syndrome).
Now is part of Node's incubator program (yes that's also a
pro!).
Gradually losing support and popularity.
Lots of people have moved onto its successor.
And the successor is...
Slide 15
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14 . 1
Koa
"Next generation web framework for Node.js"
'Next step' in the express team, who designed it.
Tiny footprint in comparison to its predecessor!
Provides 'true' middleware cascading in a stack-like
manner.
Very similar setup to express, so no framework
overhead if you're moving from express to koa.
Manages this and more through the concept
of generators.
Slide 16
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14 . 2
Generators & Koa - an overview
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What's going on in this code?
Slide 17
Slide 17 text
15
Koa- A (very) basic example
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Slide 18
Slide 18 text
16
Koa- the cons
EVERYTHING is a plugin for Koa (including serving static
content & routing, which were both native in Express).
Nowhere near as popular as other contenders (Express,
Hapi, ...).
Forces developers to understand a difficult concept just
to do some basic API creation (Generators).
Lack of support for Node versions < 0.12
Which leads us to (definitely not my favourite)...
Slide 19
Slide 19 text
17 . 1
Hapi.js
Developed in-house at Walmart Labs, then released open
source. Provides a 'configuration over code' design ethic
to writing servers and applications.
Easiest maintainability for when your applications get
complex.
Incredible plugin ecosystem for enterprise and
production-ready application development.
Active community, active change history, active
everywhere.
'Battle-tested' on black friday using a seriously small
stack
100% code coverage!
"A rich framework for building applications and services"
Slide 20
Slide 20 text
17 . 2
Routing
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Slide 21
Slide 21 text
18
A basic Hapi.js example
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Slide 22
Slide 22 text
19
Hapi - the cons
Breaking changes everywhere! Hapi upgrades major
versions far too often.
Preferred functionality is using the ecosystem's plugins;
they're awesome, but limiting.
New versions keep cutting out core functionality (such as
query parameter parsing - vital for APIs!)
And finally...
Slide 23
Slide 23 text
20
Sails.js
Traditional, MVC style 'Convention over Code' server
framework (adopts heavily from Ruby on Rails).
Comes as standard with a native ORM called Waterline,
which is database agnostic!
Data-driven at its core via 'data modelling and named
associations'
Native WebSocket support
Great generators for all major components of your app
Has a configurable asset pipeline (via Grunt)
Also has the ability to auto-generate REST APIs (namely
the CRUD of it).
All driven by commands until you're really wanting to
customise it
Slide 24
Slide 24 text
21
Show me the code!
Slide 25
Slide 25 text
22
Sails - the cons
As a framework, its slowly dying.
Doesn't like you doing custom things (everything
is generated for you).
Very steep learning curve for when you actually want to
tailor it to fit your needs - especially if you haven't used
rails before.
Number of bugs that have been stale and are yet to be
fixed.
Slide 26
Slide 26 text
23 . 1
Conclusion
Node comes with a number of dynamic and powerful
server frameworks (and has a decent native 'http'
module)
Express - Most popular, part of incubator node.js pattern,
however core developer has left project (there's a need
for the incubator!)
Koa - 'the next step' for express-like applications,
generator learning curve and low(ish) popularity.
Hapi - Best for defining large scale & complex APIs down
to its 'configuration over code' philosophy. Worst for
simple server applications with single business logic calls
i.e. a gaming server.
Sails / MVC - Fully featured, sluggish patching & core
team is effectively dead.
Slide 27
Slide 27 text
23 . 2
Frameworks to look out for & honourable mentions
Adonis - (MVC style)
Nodal - (more MVC)
Loopback - (enterprise, IBM style
express!)
Flatiron - (core development express
style)
Feathers - (new and shiny http and
websockets framework)
Trails - (the next step for
Sails?)
http://www.adonisjs.com/
http://www.nodaljs.com/
http://loopback.io/
http://flatironjs.org/
http://feathersjs.com/
https://github.com/trailsjs/trails
Slide 28
Slide 28 text
24
Questions?
joseph-norman
@joemismatch
http://joseph-norman.github.io/