Top 10 C++ Frameworks for Web Development in 2024

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Introduction

Despite the fact that C++ is rarely associated with web development, this language has enormous potential for creating high-load server applications. Modern C++ frameworks offer performance close to bare metal, while providing convenient abstractions for working with HTTP, WebSocket, and REST APIs.

In this article, we will look at the top 10 C++ frameworks for web development that are actively supported by the community and are suitable for both microservices and large enterprise projects.

1. Drogon — asynchronous giant

Drogon is the most popular modern web framework in C++. It is built on an asynchronous input/output model (based on libuv) and supports HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, WebSocket, as well as working with databases via ORM.

Key features:

High performance (up to 1 million requests/sec on simple routes)
Built-in support for JSON, SSL, WebSocket
Automatic generation of OpenAPI documentation
Support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite

Example of a simple server on Drogon:

#include <drogon/drogon.h>

int main() {    app().registerHandler("/hello",        [](const HttpRequestPtr& req,           std::function<void (const HttpResponsePtr&)> &&callback) {            auto resp = HttpResponse::newHttpJsonResponse(                Json::Value("Hello, World!")            );            callback(resp);        });    app().addListener("0.0.0.0", 8080).run();}

2. Crow — minimalism and speed

Crow is a lightweight micro-framework inspired by Python Flask. It is ideal for creating simple REST APIs and microservices without unnecessary dependencies.

Advantages:

Minimal binary file size
Support for C++14/17
Built-in routing and middleware
Ease of integration with existing projects

Example route in Crow:

#include "crow.h"

int main() {    crow::SimpleApp app;    CROW_ROUTE(app, "/api/status")    ([]() {        return crow::response(200, "{\\"status\\": \\"ok\\"}");    });    app.port(8080).multithreaded().run();}

3. Boost.Beast — the power of Boost

Boost.Beast is a library based on Boost.Asio that provides low-level tools for working with HTTP, WebSocket, and WebTransport. It is not a full-fledged framework, but rather a building material for creating your own servers.

When to choose:

Maximum control over the network stack is required
The project already uses Boost
Support for custom protocols is needed

Basic HTTP server:

#include <boost/beast/http.hpp>#include <boost/asio.hpp>namespace http = boost::beast::http;

int main() {    boost::asio::io_context ioc;    // ... setting up acceptor and request handling    ioc.run();}

4. Pistache — elegance and simplicity

Pistache is a framework focused on ease of use. It provides a clean API for creating REST services with support for asynchronous operations.

Support for HTTP/1.0 and HTTP/1.1
Built-in request parser
Support for SSL/TLS
Convenient work with query parameters

5. Wt — C++ Web Toolkit

Wt (Witty) is a unique framework that allows you to create full-fledged web applications with a GUI, similar to Qt. It generates JavaScript on the client side automatically.