Home

mervine.net

Lessons learned, code written, hacks, etc.

Node.js Hello Framework

https://github.com/jmervine/node-hello-framework

A far from complete collection of Hello World examples for various Node.js web frameworks.

This was started using the following post as a spring board and I'm still in the progress of adding everything in there.

http://www.queness.com/post/16219/29-nodejs-frameworks-for-fast-javascript-development

Please feel free to submit pull requests with additional framework examples following the template I've used:

  • runs on port 3000
  • make tasks
    • <framework>
    • node_modules/<framework npm>
    • clean/<framework>

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/jmervine/node-hello-framework.git
              cd node-hello-framework
              make <framework>
              
              # example:
              #
              # $ make express

Development

# this take quite a while
              make test
              
              # this is better
              make test/<framework>_test.sh

Frameworks:

Framework Notes

Along with a short description, included are notes on extra steps -- aside from the <framework>/index.js example file, if any.

Node.js

This isn't a framework. This is a slightly expanded "Hello World" example where I created a simple http server which loads static files from a public directory if they exist and otherwise returns a message via the response. I wanted to be a pure node example, without any npm installed, as such I didn't include template rendering, but the addition of such wouldn't be difficult. I've included a commented out example of how to easily add jade templating to this example.

Compound.js

Compound's formula is Express + structure + extensions. Where structure is the standard layout of directories, and extensions are node modules adding functionality to the framework. Compound's goal is to provide an obvious and well-organized interface for express compatible application development. This means that everything that works with express will work with compound.

Additional Notes

To setup compound, as it's a generated framework, I did the following...

npm install compound
              ./node_modules/.bin/compound init compound.js
              cd compound
              npm install
              npm install --save compound # because I installed compound locally

I then...

  • Removed public/index.html to allow for the routing to work.
  • Added app/controllers/hello_controller.js to send the hello message.
  • Added app/views/hello/index.ejs to display the hello message.
  • Updated config/routes.js to point the main location to the hello controller.

Once complete, I...

node server.js

Connect

Connect is a middleware framework for node, shipping with over 18 bundled middleware and a rich selection of 3rd-party middleware.

Express

A Sinatra like router for node, which includes a connect, as simple node middleware implementation.

Flatiron

An adaptable framework for building modern web applications.

Additional Notes

I addtion to the flatiron module, I also had to install the union module to get the example to work.

Geddy.js

A simple, structured web framework for Node

Additional Notes

To setup geddy, as it's a generated framework, I did the following...

npm install geddy
              ./node_modules/.bin/geddy gen app geddy
              cd geddy

Once complete, I...

../node_modules/.bin/geddy

Hapi

A rich framework for building web applications and services. hapi is a simple to use configuration-centric framework with built-in support for input validation, caching, authentication, and other essential facilities. hapi enables developers to focus on writing reusable application logic instead of spending time building infrastructure. The framework supports a powerful plugin architecture for pain-free and scalable extensibility.

Locomotive.js

Locomotive is a web framework for Node.js. Locomotive supports MVC patterns, RESTful routes, and convention over configuration, while integrating seamlessly with any database and template engine. Locomotive builds on Express, preserving the power and simplicity you've come to expect from Node.

Additional Notes

To setup geddy, as it's a generated framework, I did the following...

npm install locomotive
              ./node_modules/.bin/lcm create locomotive
              cd locomotive
              npm install

Once complete, I...

./node_modules/.bin/lcm server

Ni

Ni a minimalistic Node framework that makes setting up an MVC project a breeze. Ni helps you set up a well-organized project, with a file structure separated into models, views, controllers, libraries and helpers. It's intuitive and simple to use, and doesn't get in the way of using other modules and Node plugins in your project.

Additional Notes

Ni needs to be installed via Github.

npm install "git+https://github.com/chetan51/ni.git#master"

Nombo

Nombo is a Node.js framework for building scalable realtime single-page apps.

Additional Notes

npm install nombo
              ./node_modules/.bin/nombo create --force nombo
                  # ^ WARNING: this will overwrite existing node_modules
              node nombo/server.node 3000

PartialJS

Free web application framework for building Web sites and Web applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. From web developer for web developers.

Restify

Restify is a node.js module built specifically to enable you to build correct REST web services. It intentionally borrows heavily from express as that is more or less the de facto API for writing web applications on top of node.js.

Sails.js

Sails.js make it easy to build custom, enterprise-grade Node.js apps. It is designed to mimic the MVC pattern of frameworks like Ruby on Rails, but with support for the requirements of modern apps: data-driven APIs with scalable, service-oriented architecture. It's especially good for building chat, realtime dashboards, or multiplayer games.

Additional Notes

To setup sail.js, as it's a generated framework, I did the following...

npm install sails
              ./node_modules/.bin/compound init sails.js
              cd sails.js
              npm install
              ../node_modules/.bin/sails generate hello

I then...

  • Added views/hello/index.ejs to display the hello message.
  • Updated api/controllers/HelloController.js to send the hello message.
  • Updated config/routes.js to point the main location to the hello controller.
  • Updated config/local.js to use port 3000 by default.

Once complete, I...

../node_modules/.bin/sails lift

SocketStream

A fast, modular Node.js web framework dedicated to building realtime single-page apps.

Additional Notes

npm install socketstream
              ./node_modules/.bin/socketstream -m new socketstream
              cd socketstream
              npm install
              node app.js

SocketIO

Socket.IO aims to make realtime apps possible in every browser and mobile device, blurring the differences between the different transport mechanisms. It's care-free realtime 100% in JavaScript.

Spine

Spine is a lightweight framework for building JavaScript web applications. Spine gives you an MVC structure and then gets out of your way, allowing you to concentrate on the fun stuff, building awesome web applications.

Additional Notes

As Spine is a client side framework, I simply downloaded and extracted the spine zip file. I then removed all contents not used for this example.

TotalJS

Free server framework for building Web sites and Web applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

Stapes

Stapes.js is designed to be agnostic about your setup and style of coding. Like to code using models, views and controllers? Or just with modules? Use jQuery? Zepto? React? Rivets? Whatever you fancy, Stapes gives you the necessary building blocks to build a kick-ass app. Class creation, custom events, and data methods. That's all it does. Even a lightweight framework like Backbone has more than 75 methods, Stapes has just 20. Because of its size (just 2kb minified and gzipped) Stapes is ideal to use in a mobile site. At just around 600 lines of codes, it's easy to debug and see how it works under the hood.

Additional Notes

As Stapes is a client side framework, I simply downloaded stapes.min.js from Github.

TotalJS

Free server framework for building Web sites and Web applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS.

WebJS

WebJS makes your websites' and web apps' server-side script simplier, faster, more stable and more readable.

In Flux

This is a list of frameworks, which either have been implemented or partly implement, but aren't considered active or working to do some special circumstance.

Koa

Koa is a new web framework designed by the team behind Express, which aims to be a smaller, more expressive, and more robust foundation for web applications and APIs. Through leveraging generators Koa allows you to ditch callbacks and greatly increase error-handling. Koa does not bundle any middleware within core, and provides an elegant suite of methods that make writing servers fast and enjoyable.

Sample code exists but is disabled as it's un-tested at this time due to it's node >=0.11 requirement.

Tower

Small components for building apps, manipulating data, and automating a distributed infrastructure.

Sample code exists but is disabled as it's un-tested at this time due to it's node >=0.11 requirement.

Omitted

Here's a list of frameworks that were omitted for various reason.

Bone.io

Bone.io is a lightweight framework for building high performance Realtime Single Page HTML5 Apps.

Bone.io has been omitted at this time, as I found it's documentation to be so unclear, that I after about an hour, I gave up on getting a simple example working.

Coke

"COKE is a lightweight node.js MVC framework that speeds up your web development. It's simple, it's modularized, it's somking fast!"

Coke has been omitted at this time, as a pure npm install is either unsupported, it requires MongoDB.

Kiss.js

Object-oriented web framework on Node.js, written in CoffeeScript.

Kiss.js has been omitted at this time, as it doesn't work without [coffescript], which I don't consider real node, and therefore am not supporting here in this repo.

Derby

MVC framework making it easy to write realtime, collaborative applications that run in both Node.js and browsers.

Derby has been omitted at this time, as a pure npm install is either unsupported, it requires MongoDB.

Meteor

Meteor is an open-source platform for building top-quality web apps in a fraction of the time, whether you're an expert developer or just getting started.

Meteor has been omitted at this time, as a pure npm install is either unsupported or broken.

Opa

Opa is a full-stack open source web development framework for JavaScript that lets you write secure and scalable web applications.

Opa has been omitted at this time, as a pure npm install is either unsupported or broken.


Joshua P. Mervine

Twitter Linkedin Github Gittip