What Is Fastify? And Why You Should Be Using It

Are you sick of slow, bloated web frameworks? Do you want to create web apps that load pages instantly and can process a lot of requests at once? You need look no further than Fastify, the Node.js web framework that will rule the developer world in 2023.

Fastify promises to be up to 100 times quicker than its rivals based on excellent benchmark results. Features like HTTP2 compatibility, streaming, and a routing engine that has been improved help to reach this performance. Not only that, but Fastify is also very modular, making it simple to add plugins and ideal for creating complicated applications where modularity is essential.

If you often deal with Express, you might be curious to know how Fastify stacks up. In any case, Fastify features a simpler and more

What is Fastify?

Fastify is a web framework for Node.js that is designed to be highly performant. It boasts some impressive benchmark results, with claims of being up to 100 times faster than some of its competitors. This speed is achieved through the use of innovative features such as HTTP2 support, streaming, and a highly optimized routing engine.

Fastify is also highly modular, which means that it can be easily extended with plugins to add functionality as required. This makes it an excellent choice for building complex, high-performance web applications.

Why should you be using Fastify in 2023?

There are several reasons why Fastify is a great choice for developers in 2023. Here are some of the most compelling:

1. Performance As mentioned earlier, Fastify is incredibly fast. This is important for modern web applications, where users expect a fast and responsive experience. With Fastify, you can build applications that can handle a high volume of requests without slowing down.

2. Modularity Fastify's modular architecture makes it easy to extend with plugins. This means that you can add functionality as required, without having to modify the core framework. This makes it an excellent choice for building complex applications where modularity is important.

3. Developer Experience Fastify has an excellent developer experience. Its APIs are simple and intuitive, and it has excellent documentation. This makes it easy for developers to get up and running quickly, and to build applications that are easy to maintain.

4. Community Fastify has a growing community of developers who are contributing plugins, tools, and documentation to the project. This means that there is a wealth of resources available for developers who are using Fastify.

Getting started with Fastify

Getting started with Fastify is easy. Here are the steps you need to follow:

• Install Node.js if you haven't already done so.
• Create a new Node.js project.
• Install Fastify using npm.

npm install fastify --save

Create a new Fastify instance.

Copycopy code to clipboard
const fastify = require('fastify')()

fastify.get('/', async (request, reply) => {
	return { hello: 'world' }
})

fastify.listen(3000, (err, address) => {
	if (err) {
		fastify.log.error(err)
		process.exit(1)
	}
	console.log(`Server listening on ${address}`)
})

Server in Express

Copycopy code to clipboard
// Express
const express = require('express')
const app = express()

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
	res.send('Hello World!')
})

app.listen(3000, () => {
	console.log('Express app listening on port 3000!')
})

As you can see, with Fastify, there is no need to call the send method or create a separate callback function for the server to listen on. Fastify's APIs are simple and intuitive, with excellent documentation, making it easy for developers to get up and running quickly.

In addition to its speed, Fastify is also highly modular, making it easy to extend with plugins and perfect for building complex applications where modularity is key. Fastify's growing community also means that there are plenty of resources available for developers who are using the framework.

If you're used to working with Express, switching to Fastify might take some time to adjust to, but the performance gains and developer experience improvements are definitely worth it. In conclusion, if you want to build fast and efficient web applications with a great developer experience, then Fastify is the framework for you. So why not give it a try and see the difference for yourself?