My Experience with NestJS: Still Worth It?
Hey everyone! I'm Roberto Hernando, a web developer, and today I want to share my experience after three intense years using NestJS. When I started, back in 2022, Node.js was okay, but I felt like something was missing. I needed a structure, a framework that would help me scale my applications and keep the code organized. That's when I discovered NestJS and, honestly, I fell in love!
The Initial Crush: Organization and Typescript
The first thing that attracted me to NestJS was its architecture inspired by Angular. I came from the frontend, so the concept of modules, controllers, services… felt very familiar. Plus, the adoption of Typescript was a game changer. Goodbye to silly runtime errors and hello to more robust and easier-to-maintain code. I remember one particular project, an API for a mobile application, where NestJS saved our lives. With pure Node.js, it would have taken us twice as long, and the result probably wouldn't have been as good. Having the clear structure from the beginning allowed us to work as a team much more efficiently.
Not Everything is Rosy: The Learning Curve and Verbosity
But, of course, nothing is perfect. At first, NestJS has a learning curve. You have to understand how decorators work, dependency injection… And, sometimes, the verbosity can be a bit frustrating. To do something relatively simple, you have to write a lot of code. However, over time, you realize that this verbosity has its reason: it forces you to think about the application's architecture and write more modular and testable code. I also remember struggling a bit with the configuration of unit tests. It's not that it's difficult, but it requires a little love to get them working correctly.
Why Am I Still Using NestJS in 2025?
After three years and several projects, do I still think NestJS is worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. The productivity it offers me, the ease of maintaining the code, and the robustness of the applications I build far outweigh the small disadvantages. Also, the community is amazing. There's always someone willing to help you on Stack Overflow or the official Discord. And the framework continues to evolve, with new features and constant improvements.
Ideal (and Not-So-Ideal) Use Cases
In my experience, NestJS shines especially in building complex RESTful APIs, microservices, and real-time applications. I've used it successfully in e-commerce projects, content management systems, and streaming platforms. However, for very small and simple projects, it may be excessive. In those cases, a lighter framework like Express.js might be a better option. For example, for a simple automation script, using NestJS would be overkill.
What I've Learned: Architecture, Typescript, and the Importance of Good Practices
NestJS has taught me to think about the architecture of applications from the beginning. It has forced me to use Typescript more efficiently and to adopt good development practices, such as dependency injection and unit testing. I have also learned to value the importance of documentation. Well-documented code is code that can be maintained and scaled. And, of course, I've learned to be patient. Problems always arise, but with a little research and the help of the community, solutions are always found.
Final Thoughts: The Future of NestJS and My Role as a Developer
I think NestJS has a bright future. The adoption of Typescript is increasing, and the demand for robust and scalable architectures continues to grow. As a developer, my goal is to continue learning and improving my skills with NestJS. I want to explore new features of the framework, contribute to the community, and help other developers discover the power of NestJS. Maybe in the future, I'll venture into Deno and its Typescript compatibility, but for now, NestJS is still my go-to framework. And, who knows, maybe in three years, I'll write another article telling you about my experience with NestJS version 15!
And you, have you tried NestJS? What's your favorite backend framework? Leave me a comment and tell me about your experience!