Survey: Which Node.js Frameworks Are Used in Production in 2025

Survey: Which Node.js frameworks are used in production in 2025

The Node.js ecosystem continues to actively develop. Every year new tools appear, and old leaders either strengthen their positions or give way to more performant and convenient alternatives. We conducted a survey among developers to find out which JavaScript (Node.js) frameworks are used in real production projects today. More than 500 backend and fullstack developers from Russia and the CIS took part in the survey.

Rating leaders: who is in the top?

The first place is confidently held by Express.js — it is used by 63% of respondents. Despite its age (the framework appeared in 2010), it remains the standard for creating REST APIs and microservices. The main reasons are a huge community, thousands of ready-made middleware, and a minimal entry threshold.

In second place is Fastify with a result of 22%. This framework is rapidly gaining popularity due to its high performance (2–3 times faster than Express) and built-in support for JSON Schema validation schemas. Many respondents noted that they are migrating to Fastify precisely because of its speed and low memory consumption.

The top three is rounded out by NestJS (19%). This framework is chosen for large corporate projects where strict architecture (modularity, dependency injection) and built-in TypeScript support are important. NestJS is especially popular in teams transitioning from Java/C# to Node.js.

Mid-range and niche solutions

• Koa.js (8%) — a lightweight framework from the creators of Express, offering a more modern approach to middleware (async/await). It is most often used in small startups and experimental projects.
• Hapi.js (4%) — chosen for building reliable APIs with complex configuration, especially in fintech and healthcare.
• AdonisJS (3%) — a full analog of Laravel or Django for Node.js. It is gaining popularity among developers accustomed to MVC frameworks.
• Sails.js (1%) — used in legacy projects and for rapid prototyping.

Trends and forecasts

The main conclusion of the survey is that the Node.js framework market is becoming more mature. Developers have stopped choosing tools "because everyone else does" and are increasingly focusing on specific metrics: speed, memory consumption, and ease of maintenance.

There is also a noticeable increase in interest in full-stack frameworks (NestJS, AdonisJS). This is due to the increasing complexity of projects and the need to implement best practices (Dependency Injection, ORM, validation) from the start.

What should a beginner use?

If you are just starting to learn Node.js — start with Express.js. This is the foundation everyone needs to know. For production projects, take a closer look at Fastify (if speed is important) or NestJS (if the project will grow and scale).

And which framework do you use? Share your opinion in the comments!