Fastify vs Sails.js: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between Fastify and Sails.js

1. Fastify: Fastify is a web framework for Node.js that focuses on speed and low overhead. It is specifically designed to handle high performance requirements and can handle a large volume of concurrent connections efficiently.

2. Sails.js: Sails.js, on the other hand, is a full-featured MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework for Node.js. It is based on Express.js and provides a more traditional web development approach, offering features like data-driven APIs, real-time functionality, and automatic generation of RESTful routes.

3. Scalability: Fastify is known for its scalability and ability to handle a large number of incoming requests. It achieves this by using an asynchronous architecture and taking advantage of modern JavaScript features like async/await. Sails.js also provides scalability options but may not be as efficient as Fastify in handling high traffic loads.

4. Performance: Fastify boasts faster performance compared to Sails.js. It achieves this by focusing on optimizing speed and reducing overhead. Fastify leverages features like HTTP2, efficient serialization, and use of low-level APIs, resulting in a significant improvement in performance when compared to Sails.js.

5. Flexibility: Fastify is highly extensible and allows developers to easily customize and add their own plugins. It provides a lightweight and modular architecture that enables developers to pick and choose the required features, resulting in a more tailored and efficient application. Sails.js, on the other hand, follows a convention-over-configuration approach and provides a set structure, making it less flexible for customization.

6. Development Philosophy: Fastify focuses on providing a minimalist and straightforward API design, allowing developers to quickly build applications without any unnecessary complexity. Sails.js, on the other hand, emphasizes a full-stack development approach and offers a more opinionated structure, providing a complete solution for creating web applications.

In Summary, Fastify is a highly scalable and performant web framework that prioritizes speed and low overhead, while Sails.js is a full-featured MVC framework that offers a more traditional web development approach with data-driven APIs and real-time functionality.