Node.js is one of the hottest back-end technologies of the moment and it will be the go-to framework for modern web applications for enterprises in 2019. Some of the main reasons behind its popularity are the lightweight design and the fast speed for web application development. In fact, Node.js was a true revolution in the web development realm, as it became the first-ever environment where JavaScript code could be executed server-side. Other benefits of its architecture are the use of JavaScript event loops, making it an attractive choice for those building event-based, data-driven applications that may be single-page, and/or real-time.

Due to its share of attention, constant efforts are made to enhance and improve its functionalities. In order to make Node.js more streamlined, a lot of different frameworks have been created. They can be integrated into several categories: MVC Node.js frameworks, Full-Stack Node.js Frameworks, API Node.js frameworks, Server Side Node.js Frameworks, Client Side Node.js Frameworks, Testing Node.js Frameworks.

From the multitude of Node.js frameworks available, we have selected four frameworks with which we successfully worked on our clients’ projects and that we anticipate that will be the most popular Node.js frameworks in 2019 for large and enterprise applications. We highlighted each one’s most important features and how can that influence your software project’s development.

1. Mean.io

The arrival of Node.js enabled full-stack JavaScript development as a single language both for the back-end and front-end web development. From this, the process and the result benefited greatly. Node.js is part of a ”golden trio” mix of core JavaScript technologies for enterprise software development: Node.js (back-end) + Express (Node.js framework) + MongoDB (database) + AngularJS/React.js (front-end). This is known as the Mean.io, ”the fun and the friendly full-stack javascript framework” and it’s just packed everything you need to ease your configuration process.

This mix is extensively used, here at Clarisoft Technologies, while it best covers the needs of most of our clients. For a software project, this leads to better integration and compatibility, higher performance and a greater community of support for developers.  For business, this equivalates with high functionality and reliability for their software project.

2. Sails.js

Sails.js is an MVC framework used to build that makes easy to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js apps. It’s a tool suited best for large, enterprise-scale apps, and is used by well-known companies such as Verizon, Microsoft, and the Detroit Lions.

Sails.js is a perfect framework for applications handling large amounts of data, so it has gained popularity for the development of through the development of real-time chat applications, multiplayer games, custom dashboards and apps heavily dependant on the real-time performance. It is most famous for building data-driven APIs, something that most of the software projects require.

Sails.js is designed to close the gap between development and implementation, allowing development of practical, production-ready Node.js apps in a very short time.

The most important features of Sails.js

• Compatibility with multiple front-end frameworks, thus giving maximum flexibility in choosing the toolset for web application development. With Sails.js, you can develop the front-end with Angular, Backbone, iOS/ObjC, Windows Phone, etc.
• Automatic generation of RESTful JSON models supporting both WebSockets and HTTP
• Support of the common MVC architecture with other frameworks making the transition easier.
• Compatibility with multiple databases, such as MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and Redis.
• Flexible Asset Pipeline – support for SASS, LESS, CoffeeScript, Stylus, JST, Jade, Handlebars, and Dus
• Comes with plenty of professional support to ensure that your project hits the ground running and keeps moving forward

3. LoopBack.io

Loopback.io framework comes with a lot of built-in models and features, resulting in a 20-30% reduction in code development time for clients. Its extensive out-of-the-box structure allows adding custom code in an easy and consistent manner. LoopBack simplifies and speeds up the development with Node. LoopBack automatically generates a RESTful API that works as a CRUD for HTTP resources (learn more about HTTP Request Methods). LoopBack allows you to access separately the modules that are mapped to a database (e.g. MySQL, MongoDB), what makes the entire project easier to manage. Models are generated automatically through a generator.  LoopBack is open source and supported by IBM (who purchased Strong Loop and now integrated Loopback in their Blumix platform). So, it is pretty clear that this framework will not go away anytime soon and will be further developed and updated. This is why we recommend LoopBack.io as a top Node.js framework to use o your software project in 2019.

The most important features of Loopback.io

• Support a full-stack development flow, like one developed by Clarisoft Technologies. It allows not only creating server-side components, but also connecting them with the client via code sharing
• Intuitive CLI wizard
• Built-in API documentation
• Uses Swagger CodeGen to generate SDK for Angular, Java (Android) and Objective-C/Swift (iOS) which allows developers to build APIs quicker and easier, simplifying the build process.

4. Socket.io

Socket.io is one of the most popular Node.js frameworks in 2019 for making real-time web applications. It’s great for developing applications that require near-instant communication – such as multi-player games, or real-time chat applications. It uses the server-side library for Node.js. and client-side library running in the browser, allowing bidirectional communication between web clients and servers. Its ability to work on any platform it provides speed and reliability to the end users. This is why leading businesses like Trello, Microsoft Office, Zendesk, hackathon winners, Yammer, etc. are using Socket.io.

The most important features of Socket.io

• Storing client-associated data, multiple underlying transports (WebSockets and long polling), able to deal with disparate browser capabilities and also able to detect and deal with disparate proxy capabilities, with seamless switching between transports
• Provides asynchronous data I/O, binary streaming, instant messaging
• Multiplexing of multiple namespaced streams down a single engine.io session.
• Encoding of messages as named JSON and/or binary events
• Acknowledgment callbacks per event
• Provides real-time analytics

How to choose the best Node.js Framework for your project in 2019

The best Node.js framework is ultimately the one that fits your enterprise project best. What you can do is to identify the main requirements of your application and choose the framework that can easily cover all of them. Also, you can look for these frameworks that accelerate the development of the project and can help you save time and money for your product and accelerate time to market.  In addition, you can also use the following criteria:

• Performance
• Availability of built-in features and modules
• Flexibility in the compatibility with other development tools
• Scalability
• Easiness of use
• Quality of documentation

If you need more info and consultancy regarding what Node.js framework would suit best your software project in 2019, don’t hesitate to CONTACT US.