Node.js in Production: Results of the 2024 Survey on the Most Popular Frameworks

Node.js in Production: Results of the 2024 Survey on the Most Popular Frameworks

The Node.js ecosystem continues to develop rapidly, and choosing the right framework for a production project is becoming a critically important decision. Our editorial survey, conducted among practicing developers using JavaScript (Node.js), revealed interesting trends. We surveyed 350 participants from commercial companies and startups to find out which tools truly dominate in real-world conditions.

The results were only partially predictable. Industry veterans hold their positions, but young contenders are rapidly gaining ground. Below are the key findings of the survey.

Top 5 Frameworks in Production

• Express.js (89% of respondents) — the perennial leader. Simplicity, minimalism, and a huge community make it the "default" choice for REST APIs and microservices. However, many note that in large projects, Express requires organizing the architecture independently.
• NestJS (67%) — the main "upstart" of recent years. Thanks to built-in modularity, decorators, and TypeScript support, NestJS is actively displacing Express in enterprise solutions. Respondents praise it for "batteries included" and ease of testing.
• Fastify (43%) — a framework for those chasing speed. High performance and low memory consumption have made it a favorite in high-load systems. It is often used alongside Express for latency-critical endpoints.
• Koa.js (21%) — the "little brother" of Express by creator TJ Holowaychuk. Valued for its asynchronicity and lightweight nature, but lags in popularity due to fewer ready-made plugins.
• AdonisJS (12%) — an MVC framework inspired by Laravel. Gaining popularity in web applications with rich UIs where a full stack (ORM, templating engine, built-in authorization) is important.

What else did the survey show?

Interestingly, 72% of developers use 2 or more frameworks simultaneously. A typical combination: Express for public APIs and NestJS for internal services or admin panels. Also, 38% of respondents are adopting Fastify as a replacement for Express in new microservices, while leaving old projects on Express.

Among the "up-and-coming" frameworks (used by less than 10%): Hapi.js, Sails.js, Meteor. They remain niche solutions for specific tasks — for example, real-time applications (Meteor) or enterprise integrations (Hapi).

Why is this important?

For PythonLib, as an educational platform, this data serves as a guide for creating courses. If you are learning Node.js, we recommend starting with Express (basics), then delving into NestJS (architecture) and Fastify (optimization). This track covers 90% of production tasks. Avoid wasting time on outdated frameworks — the survey showed that Sails.js and LoopBack have lost ground (less than 5% usage).

We thank all survey participants and will continue to monitor the dynamics. Which framework do you use? Share in the comments!