Fastify: Modern Express.js Alternative

Both are web frameworks for Node.js, but Fastify is designed from the ground up to be:

🔥 Faster, Lighter, and More Scalable than Express

Feature	Fastify	Express.js
🚀 Performance	Much faster (measured benchmarks)	Slower due to older architecture
🧱 Built-in Schema	Yes (JSON Schema validation)	No (manual validation or middleware)
💡 Plugin system	Modular and encapsulated	Global app-level plugins
📦 TypeScript	First-class support	Partial, needs community types
🧪 Testing	Lightweight and fast	Works well, but slower in comparison
⚙️ Routing	Similar to Express (easy switch)	Very established and mature

💬 Use Fastify if:

You care about speed or scalability
You want better TypeScript support
You're building microservices or modern APIs

🛠️ Example: Express vs Fastify

Express:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();

app.get('/ping', (req, res) => {
  res.send('pong');
});

app.listen(3000);

Fastify:

const Fastify = require('fastify');
const app = Fastify();

app.get('/ping', async (req, reply) => {
  return 'pong';
});

app.listen({ port: 3000 });

So yeah — Fastify can replace Express in most modern apps, and is especially great when you're building high-performance real-time services like your chat microservice.

Fastify is a modern alternative to Express.js.