@nestjs/core is the core module of the NestJS framework, a progressive Node.js framework for building efficient, reliable, and scalable server-side applications. It provides a solid architectural design based on Angular principles, allowing developers to easily create modular and testable code. @nestjs/core offers features like dependency injection, middleware support, decorators for defining routes and controllers, and built-in support for WebSockets and GraphQL.
Restify is a Node.js web service framework optimized for building RESTful APIs. It is designed to be fast, efficient, and lightweight, making it ideal for creating scalable server-side applications. Restify provides built-in support for features like routing, request parsing, response formatting, and error handling, simplifying the process of building robust APIs.
NestJS is a popular and widely adopted framework for building server-side applications in Node.js, while Restify is also popular but not as widely used as NestJS. NestJS has a large community and active development, making it more popular and offering more resources and support.
Architecture
NestJS follows a modular and opinionated architectural pattern based on Dependency Injection and Decorators, which allows for better code organization and scalability. Restify, on the other hand, is a simpler framework focused on building RESTful APIs. NestJS provides a more complete and feature-rich application framework compared to Restify.
Performance
Both NestJS and Restify provide good performance. However, NestJS offers more advanced features like caching, database integration, and support for various transport layers, which can impact performance depending on the use case. Restify is a lightweight framework designed specifically for building REST APIs, which allows it to have a smaller memory footprint and potentially better performance for simple API servers.
Developer Experience
NestJS provides a great developer experience with its built-in support for TypeScript, powerful CLI tooling, and extensive documentation. It enforces best practices and provides a structured and intuitive development workflow. Restify also offers a good developer experience but with fewer built-in features and conventions compared to NestJS.
Middleware and Plugins
NestJS has a robust middleware system that allows for executing code before or after each request, enabling features like authentication, logging, and error handling. It also has a wide range of built-in modules and support for third-party plugins. Restify, being a simpler framework, has a less extensive middleware system but still provides the necessary functionality for building REST APIs.
Community and Ecosystem
NestJS has a thriving community and a rich ecosystem of libraries, plugins, and integrations with other technologies. It benefits from being built on top of Express.js, which is one of the most popular Node.js frameworks. Restify, while not as widely adopted, still has an active community and decent ecosystem support for building RESTful APIs.
