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| Why Fastify Is Not as Popular as Other Web Frameworks |
Fastify is a powerful web framework for Node.js, known for its focus on speed and low overhead. Despite these advantages, it remains less popular compared to other frameworks like Express.js or NestJS. But why is Fastify not as widely adopted, even though it offers impressive performance benefits? In this article, we’ll explore the key reasons behind Fastify’s relative lack of popularity in the web development community and whether it might still be a great option for your next project.
What is Fastify?
Fastify is a web framework for Node.js that aims to provide high performance with minimal overhead. Built with developer experience in mind, Fastify is designed to handle a large number of requests per second while offering extensive features like schema-based validation, a plugin architecture, and support for async/await. Many developers recognize its potential, yet it hasn’t achieved the same level of widespread use as other frameworks.
1. Strong Competition from Established Frameworks
One of the primary reasons Fastify is not as popular is the stiff competition from Express.js, NestJS, and other well-established frameworks in the Node.js ecosystem.
- Express.js: Often considered the de facto framework for Node.js, Express has been around since 2010. It’s incredibly flexible, simple to use, and has a massive community of developers and plugins. The fact that it’s widely taught and used in tutorials further cements its dominance.
- NestJS: Another competitor, NestJS, builds on top of Express (and optionally Fastify) but introduces a highly organized structure inspired by Angular. Nest is favored for its scalability and ability to handle enterprise-level applications, giving it a solid place in the Node.js ecosystem.
Because of the long-standing presence and familiarity of these frameworks, many developers and companies stick with what they know, making it harder for newer frameworks like Fastify to break into the mainstream.
2. Lesser Community Support and Ecosystem
Fastify has a smaller community compared to its competitors. While the framework is actively maintained and has an excellent core team, its relative newness means there are fewer third-party plugins, packages, and community-driven resources such as tutorials, guides, and StackOverflow answers. For example:
- Express has a massive plugin ecosystem and more extensive documentation available, both official and user-generated.
- NestJS has a rapidly growing community, making it easy to find solutions to problems or even hire developers with Nest experience.
This lack of a robust ecosystem can make developers hesitate to adopt Fastify for larger projects where they may need to rely on community support for various use cases.
3. Learning Curve and Documentation
While Fastify prides itself on being user-friendly, its schema-based validation and somewhat opinionated design can be off-putting for newcomers. Express.js, in contrast, is considered more intuitive and flexible. Fastify’s approach to validation and its focus on performance optimizations may feel more rigid to developers who are used to Express’s minimalist philosophy.
Furthermore, while Fastify’s documentation is thorough, it doesn’t have the breadth of external resources available that Express or NestJS do. For developers who prioritize learning from community-driven content like blogs, courses, or YouTube videos, Fastify can seem less accessible.
4. Perception of Being a Niche Framework
Fastify is often viewed as a niche framework for developers who prioritize extreme performance. While Fastify offers remarkable speed and a low memory footprint, many projects don’t require the performance benefits it provides. For small to medium-sized applications or even enterprise apps, the performance differences between Fastify and Express might be negligible in real-world scenarios.
As a result, many developers opt for more widely used frameworks that are "good enough" in terms of performance but offer stronger community support, more libraries, and simpler onboarding.
5. Lower Awareness and Marketing
Another factor contributing to Fastify’s lack of popularity is its lower visibility in the developer community. Compared to frameworks like Express or NestJS, Fastify has had less marketing and promotion. This can affect adoption rates, as developers often discover frameworks through social media, blogs, conferences, or word-of-mouth recommendations.
Fastify hasn’t seen the same level of promotion from major tech companies or high-profile influencers in the development community, which can limit its reach. On the other hand, Express and NestJS have enjoyed significant visibility, with Nest even gaining support from enterprise-level applications.
6. Lack of Enterprise-Level Adoption
For any framework to become mainstream, it often requires enterprise-level adoption to show its reliability and scalability. While Fastify is undoubtedly capable of handling large-scale applications, it hasn’t yet been adopted by major corporations or tech giants in a way that would help boost its credibility and appeal. Express.js, by contrast, is used in countless production environments, from small startups to large enterprises.
Developers working for larger companies tend to favor frameworks with a proven track record, making Fastify a less common choice in these contexts.
7. Optionality in Full-Stack Development
Fastify’s primary focus is on being a fast backend framework, but many developers prefer a more comprehensive full-stack solution. For example, NestJS offers a complete structure for backend development with support for modules, decorators, and a built-in dependency injection system, making it a more attractive option for teams building large-scale, full-stack applications.
Fastify is more suitable for those who want a lightweight, high-performance backend framework, which may limit its adoption for full-stack use cases where developers prefer frameworks with more out-of-the-box functionality.
Should You Use Fastify?
Even though Fastify isn’t as popular, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth considering for certain types of projects. If your application demands high performance and minimal overhead, Fastify might be the perfect choice. It’s particularly well-suited for microservices, APIs, or any project where speed and scalability are critical factors.
Additionally, Fastify’s plugin system and out-of-the-box support for schema-based validation, async/await, and logging make it an attractive option for developers who prioritize performance and structure.
Conclusion
Fastify’s lower popularity can be attributed to strong competition, smaller community support, a steeper learning curve, and a perception of being niche. Despite these challenges, Fastify remains a highly efficient framework with impressive speed and scalability advantages. If you’re looking to optimize for performance and are comfortable with its more structured approach, Fastify can still be a fantastic choice for your next Node.js project.
Ultimately, Fastify’s future success may depend on increasing awareness, expanding its community, and gaining broader adoption from enterprises. For now, it remains a valuable, albeit underappreciated, tool in the Node.js ecosystem.