Best Node.js web frameworks
Server frameworks for building APIs and web back ends. express leads with about 196M real installs a week, followed by hono with about 103M.
| package | real installs / week | npm / week | noise | last release | confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. expressFast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework | 196M | 196,349,991 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 2. honoWeb framework built on Web Standards | 103M | 103,334,097 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 3. h3Minimal H(TTP) framework built for high performance and portability. | 36.5M | 36,467,702 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
| 4. @nestjs/coreThe core of NestJS, a TypeScript framework for Node.js backends: modules, dependency injection and the request pipeline… | 23.6M–23.7M | 23,657,109 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 5. fastifyFast and low overhead web framework, for Node.js | 22.3M | 22,276,024 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 6. koaKoa web app framework | 9.77M–9.78M | 9,776,880 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 7. @hapi/hapiHTTP Server framework | 2.03M | 2,029,471 | under 1% | Nov 2026 | high |
| 8. restifyREST framework | 130K | 130,463 | under 1% | Oct 2026 | high |
Ranked by real installs. That measures use, not quality: read the notes below before choosing. Mirror spikes and crawlers removed. CI and dependency installs still count, so this is not a head count. Noise: the share of npm's count that mirror spikes and crawlers account for. What remains still includes CI and dependency installs. Rows are refreshed in rotation, the oldest here on Nov 6, 2026.
How do they differ?
Express is the long-time default with the most middleware. Fastify adds schema-based validation and a focus on performance. Hono runs on Node, Bun, Deno and edge runtimes. NestJS adds an opinionated structure on top of Express or Fastify, and Koa stays minimal.