Features
- Minimalist routing and middleware architecture
- Massive middleware ecosystem
- Template engine support (EJS, Pug, Handlebars)
- HTTP utility methods and content negotiation
Pros
- Industry standard with the largest middleware ecosystem
- Extremely well documented with abundant learning resources
- Simple mental model — request in, response out
Cons
- No built-in TypeScript support or schema validation
- Callback-based error handling can be clunky
- Performance lags behind newer frameworks like Fastify and Hono
Overview
Express is the most widely used Node.js web framework, providing a thin layer of fundamental web application features on top of Node.js. Its minimalist approach gives developers full control over how they structure their applications, with a simple middleware pipeline as the core abstraction.
Created in 2010, Express has become the de facto standard for Node.js web development. Nearly every Node.js tutorial, course, and boilerplate starts with Express, making it the most familiar framework in the ecosystem. While newer alternatives offer better performance and developer experience, Express remains dominant in production.
When to Use
Express is the right choice when you need maximum compatibility with existing middleware and libraries, when your team is already familiar with it, or when following tutorials and guides that assume Express. For new projects, consider Fastify or Hono for better performance and TypeScript support.
Getting Started
npm init -y && npm install expressimport express from "express";
const app = express();
app.get("/", (req, res) => {
res.json({ message: "Hello from Express" });
});
app.listen(3000);