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The omnipresence of JavaScript and quickness of Node, have made each other match up well and propelled latter in terms of the installed base. The JavaScript + Node combo provides an opportunity for the developers to develop an entire n-tier application by making use of a single language. Like many other web frameworks, Node provides the essentials for an application like request and response objects, methods to manipulate HTTP requests, etc. Core Node applications are speedy, but they still lack the middleware, routing, and plugins that essentially reduce the amount of code that is required for modern web applications. This is why web frameworks are required.
A framework (irrespective of the underlying architecture and programming languages (front-end + backend) used, is simply some kind of abstract design, that is built out of web development technology like Node.js, thus embodying the control flow of the given framework design. It is fundamentally the skeleton of the program whereby the customized codes form the core of the program. There is a generic implementation for every Node.js function that is unique to that particular framework and which would then require the user to follow the lead of the framework by adding more codes to define its use case.
Node.js is an open source extension to JavaScript and is used popularly as a cross-platform run-time environment that executed JavaScript code outside the browser. JavaScript is embedded in a websites HTML page and run on the browser on client-side. This JavaScript can be used by Node.js to write command line tools. This combination can be used to render pages at the server-side as well.
It is speedy, supports data streaming, works in real time, handles database well, coding Node.js is easy, is open source and works across platforms, is in charge of the proxy server, is highly productive and competent with Sync problems, it comes with extensive documentation and is user-friendly.
There are many factors that define the popularity of a framework and GitHub stars cannot alone be considered as a basis of selection:
Source: bestofjs.org/projects/hapi
Source: bestofjs.org/projects/express
The decision to select a framework depends upon project and business requirements besides the popularity and previous customer response. Other factors to be considered include speed, coding structure, learning curve, flexibility, configuration and many more. Node.js frameworks have all the required features and functions to build a strong and error-free application.
With more points in favor and in common, both frameworks share very few differences. While most of the differences might sound philosophical, both are almost similar in capabilities and extensibility. Overhead comparison – Node.js vs Express, from web application design and development point of view:
Points of Difference | Hapi (Http +API) Framework | Express Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and Usage | It is relatively new. | It is the experienced and more established framework. |
| Handling Data | It can handle any task internally without the support of any middleware. E.g. Processing of forms. | It often needs middleware to perform a task. |
| Data Parsing | It parses data and exposes it on the request object. | Express needs a body-parser middleware to parse and expose data. |
| Similarity with Node | It provides more abstraction from Node. | It is more similar to Node. |
| Plugins | Makes use of plugins to extend its capabilities like routing, authentication, logging, and more. These plugins are configured at runtime through code. | Makes use of middleware to enable developers access request/response objects. Each component has an independent job to do and remained isolated until the task is complete. Middleware is chained together to act according to the command’s requests and responses. |
| Verbosity | Hapi applications center on the server object whose properties can be set to define the nature of the application. Nodejs Hapi framework essentially exposes a server. route collection. | Express applications generally have app.get to enroute the requests around client-server. |
| Handling Cookies | It has an inbuilt system to handle cookies. No plugin is required to set and read cookies. | In Express cookies are configured by making use of the server. state properties and then read and written in the GET handler for the /route. |
| Example | Print Hello World: | Print Hello World:
|
Web developers have extensively switched towards JavaScript to build web applications. This has enabled quick prototyping and build scalable server-side web applications, notwithstanding the fact that the usage of this framework is not limited to the applicability of event-driven non-blocking input/output model, single-threaded asynchronous programming amongst others. From fast and furious to slow and sanguine, the web development with Node.js ranges from gradual to complex and has thus arguably become one of the best frameworks for web development in current times. Does the app have to be good or good enough? Make a choice from lucrative NodeJS Development Companies India and get started with Nodejs Hapi vs. Express framework or alternatives for your next big project.
Neeti Kotia is a technology journalist who seeks to analyze the advancements and developments in technology that affect our everyday lives. Her articles primarily focus upon the business, social, cultural, and entertainment side of the technology sector.
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