Comparison
Master vs Express
Express is a minimal, unopinionated HTTP layer — you assemble structure, an ORM, validation, and a frontend yourself. Master gives you all of it, integrated, while keeping the Node you know.
At a glance
Feature by feature
| Feature | Master | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Batteries-included, convention-first | Minimal, assemble-your-own |
| Project structure | Generated & conventional | You design it |
| Built-in ORM | MasterRecord | |
| Code generators | ||
| Migrations | ||
| Frontend included | Next.js | |
| Routing | Declarative routes + resources | Imperative app.get/post |
| Security defaults | CSRF, rate-limit, HSTS, headers | Add middleware yourself |
| WebSockets | Built-in socket controllers | Add ws/socket.io yourself |
| Ecosystem | npm | npm (largest middleware set) |
Show me the code
The same task, side by side
Master
Master
// One route + a JSON action, ORM-backed
router.route('/posts', 'posts#index', 'get');
export default class PostsController {
async index() {
const data = await db.Post.toList();
this.returnJson({ data });
}
}Express
Express
// Express: wire the router, parser, and a DB client by hand
import express from 'express';
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
app.get('/posts', async (req, res) => {
const posts = await pool.query('SELECT * FROM posts'); // your ORM/driver
res.json({ data: posts.rows });
});The verdict
Which should you choose?
Choose Master if you want structure, an ORM, generators, and a frontend out of the box — without wiring them together.
Choose Express if you want the thinnest possible layer and prefer to hand-pick every dependency for a small service.