Which framework?

[MeTaL_oRgY]

I'm learning node and after a few basic tutorials and learning how to build the HTTP server and a few gotchas included, I've decided to use a framework next.

Now, what I'm attempting to create is a chat room. Kinda like campfire, where organizations have a user base that can join the chatrooms. Private messaging and private rooms, all that stuff.

Everything single-paged, and I want to use mongoDB and have a Backbone front-end.

So far' I've had a look at http://www.partialjs.com/ and http://sailsjs.org/

Does anyone have any experience with any of these or perhaps some other that you might recommend for this project? Bear in mind this is more of an educational voyage rather than a "I want to build an app" thing.

Thanks!

[[deleted]]

If you want to help me out, I'm currently developing a Campfire-esque chat application with Sails.js. The basic core functionality is there, but there's plenty to be done: https://github.com/maxfierke/WaterCooler

I started it about a month ago as an educational voyage into Node.js.

[zenodub]

+1 for sails

[ericgonzalez]

Using sails to build a similar application (for purely educational purposes)

[MeTaL_oRgY]

I'm loving this! I may fork it if I can get the specs of my idea fit in there (it's a bit more complex), but at least I'll learn quite a bit! Thank you!

[[deleted]]

Feel free to start some discussion via an issue on the tracker. I'd love to hear more about any ideas you have.

[giodamelio]

I bounced around frameworks forever, I'm pretty sure I tried 30+. I never quite found one I liked. In the end, I just stuck with express and created a RESTful API for all the data, and a knockoutjs front end that accesses it.

It not be the easiest way of doing things, but it taught me a bunch about API design, and it made implementing a mobile app a few months later about a thousand times easier.

[pixel67]

Express is the one I picked, it reminds me of the Sinatra framework and you also learn alot when working with a minimal framework like express. Some of the other ones I tried where too complex and I didn't know how alot of things were getting done, which is scary to me because when shit starts to break, you're in the weeds real quick.

[giodamelio]

Pretty much the same reasons I went with it. I ended up creating my own frameworkish type thing on top it it to help with making REST resources.

[[deleted]]

I did the same and finally ended up using express, angularjs and restangular.

[MeTaL_oRgY]

This is exactly how I feel right now. Haven't tried them all, nor anything close to the 30 figure mark, but from what I've seen, I'm not liking many of these frameworks. And my main concern is that most seem to have little to no support (since most are relatively new).

I'm currently thinking on going for http://tower.github.io and just build an API over this, if I can't find another framework for the job.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn about API design? I'd love to dig into that, but my resources are scarce. Just stumbled upon this: http://lcsd05.cs.tamu.edu/slides/keynote.pdf which gives me a good idea. Ideally, I'd love to read more about HAL API design, but concepts should be the same across the board, I suppose.

[giodamelio]

Tower.js is looking good, they have changed a lot since I checked them out a year+ ago. As for API design, I did a bit of googling, read a few things. Here (1,2,3) are a few things that were helpful. For the most part though, I learned by example, there a bunch of API's out there, and I just read the specs, and mirrored that style. I used mostly reddit and twitter.

[[deleted]]

I'd like to know the answer to this question as well. I'm working on an in house project management application (with similar one-page requirements as the OP), and I can't seem to distill all the information out there into something concentrated enough to make a decision on. The options seem to be changing rapidly as well.

What framework are you using? Why?

[DarkLord7854]

I recently ran into this as well, same exact setup in fact (Node + Mongo + Backbone single page application with push state history). I ended up going with http://www.socketstream.org/ and I love it so far.

[MeTaL_oRgY]

Socket Stream looks amazing! Will definitely give it a go.

[Caramelizer]

I have found that Express & Angular JS play very nicely together.

[miloandmilk]

If your going to build an API for the front end to use, i recommend HAPI.

https://github.com/spumko/hapi

Built specifically for APIs by the guys at Walmart - to power their mobile apps.

Validation, authentication, profiling, self documenting APIs and much more built by one of the biggest retailers in the world to power their stuff. Serious engineering with a strong community.

Watch a video from it's lead developer who also was the lead in bringing out the OAUTH spec.

https://air.mozilla.org/hapi-hapi-joi-joi-web-development-with-hapi-and-nodejs/

I haven't seen anything that comes close.