@hapi/hapi vs koa
koa is downloaded 5.1× more often than @hapi/hapi (30,749,504 vs 6,014,914 per month), so it has the larger community and more answered questions online. Both projects are actively maintained.
| Metric | @hapi/hapi | koa |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly downloads | 1,448,062 | 7,366,089✓ |
| Monthly downloads | 6,014,914 | 30,749,504✓ |
| GitHub stars | 14,786 | 35,709✓ |
| Minified size | — | 358.3 kB |
| Minified + gzipped | — | 61.8 kB |
| Dependencies | — | 18 |
| Open issues | 61 | 32✓ |
| Last commit | 2026-05-06 | 2026-05-28✓ |
| Latest version | 21.4.9 | 3.2.1 |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
When to choose which
@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
koa
A lightweight, modern core by the Express team.
Choose it when: You want a tiny async/await middleware core and to assemble the rest yourself.
- + Modern async middleware
- + Tiny core
- + Clean design
- - Assemble everything yourself
- - Smaller ecosystem
Feature comparison
| Feature | @hapi/hapi | koa |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Config-driven | Minimal |
| TypeScript-first | Partial | Partial |
| Performance | Moderate | High |
| Built-in features | Validation, auth, cache | Minimal |
| Ecosystem | Medium | Medium |
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[](https://devcompare.dev/compare/hapi-hapi-vs-koa)Data from npm, Bundlephobia and GitHub. Last updated 2026-06-02.