express vs @hapi/hapi
express is downloaded 70.7× more often than @hapi/hapi (425,540,092 vs 6,014,914 per month), so it has the larger community and more answered questions online. Both projects are actively maintained.
| Metric | express | @hapi/hapi |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly downloads | 102,441,526✓ | 1,448,062 |
| Monthly downloads | 425,540,092✓ | 6,014,914 |
| GitHub stars | 69,072✓ | 14,786 |
| Minified size | 586.4 kB | — |
| Minified + gzipped | 236.1 kB | — |
| Dependencies | 28 | — |
| Open issues | 214 | 61✓ |
| Last commit | 2026-05-17✓ | 2026-05-06 |
| Latest version | 5.2.1 | 21.4.9 |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
When to choose which
express
The minimal, ubiquitous Node.js web framework.
Choose it when: The safe default — simplest model and the largest middleware ecosystem; ideal for small to mid APIs and learning.
- + Simplest to learn
- + Huge middleware ecosystem
- + Everywhere
- - No built-in TS / async error handling
- - Dated callback style
@hapi/hapi
A configuration-centric framework with built-in validation.
Choose it when: Config-driven apps that want validation, auth and caching as first-class, built-in concepts.
- + Built-in validation & auth
- + Config over code
- + Stable
- - Smaller community now
- - More verbose
Feature comparison
| Feature | express | @hapi/hapi |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Minimal | Config-driven |
| TypeScript-first | ✗ No | Partial |
| Performance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Built-in features | Minimal | Validation, auth, cache |
| Ecosystem | Huge | Medium |
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[](https://devcompare.dev/compare/express-vs-hapi-hapi)Data from npm, Bundlephobia and GitHub. Last updated 2026-06-02.