Fastify Basics

Q: Is Fastify compatible with Express middleware?

Via @fastify/express or middie, but prefer native Fastify plugins. Express middleware loses schema validation benefits.

Q: Does Fastify support ESM?

Yes. Fastify 5 is ESM-first. Use import Fastify from "fastify".

Q: How do I handle TypeScript types for schemas?

Use fastify-type-provider-zod or @fastify/type-provider-typebox for inferred types from schemas.

Q: Can NestJS use Fastify?

Yes. NestFactory.create(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter()). See NestJS Basics.

10 examples to build your first Fastify 5 API - 7 basic and 3 intermediate.

Prerequisites

mkdir fastify-api && cd fastify-api
npm init -y
npm pkg set type=module
npm install fastify@5
npm install -D typescript@5.6 tsx

For schema validation and plugin patterns, see JSON Schema Validation and Fastify Plugins.

Basic Examples

1. Hello World Server

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
 
app.get("/", async () => {
  return { message: "Hello from Fastify 5" };
});
 
await app.listen({ port: 3000, host: "0.0.0.0" });

Return objects from handlers; Fastify serializes to JSON automatically
logger: true enables Pino with sensible defaults
Use await app.listen() (Fastify 5 async listen)

2. Route with Schema

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.get("/users/:id", {
  schema: {
    params: {
      type: "object",
      properties: { id: { type: "string", format: "uuid" } },
      required: ["id"],
    },
    response: {
      200: {
        type: "object",
        properties: { id: { type: "string" }, name: { type: "string" } },
      },
    },
  },
}, async (req) => {
  return { id: req.params.id, name: "Ada Lovelace" };
});

Schema validates request and compiles response serialization
Invalid requests return 400 automatically
See JSON Schema Validation for depth

3. POST with Body Schema

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.post("/users", {
  schema: {
    body: {
      type: "object",
      required: ["name", "email"],
      properties: {
        name: { type: "string", minLength: 1 },
        email: { type: "string", format: "email" },
      },
    },
  },
}, async (req, reply) => {
  const { name, email } = req.body as { name: string; email: string };
  return reply.status(201).send({ id: "1", name, email });
});

reply.status(201).send() for explicit status codes
Body is validated before the handler runs
TypeScript: use schema-to-type tools or assertion at boundary

4. Plugin Encapsulation

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.register(async function userRoutes(fastify) {
  fastify.get("/", async () => [{ id: 1, name: "Ada" }]);
  fastify.get("/:id", async (req) => ({ id: (req.params as { id: string }).id }));
}, { prefix: "/users" });

register creates an encapsulated scope
Decorators and hooks inside a plugin do not leak to siblings
prefix mounts all routes under /users

5. Lifecycle Hooks

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
 
app.addHook("onRequest", async (req) => {
  req.headers["x-request-start"] = String(Date.now());
});
 
app.addHook("onResponse", async (req, reply) => {
  const start = Number(req.headers["x-request-start"]);
  req.log.info({ duration: Date.now() - start, status: reply.statusCode });
});
 
app.get("/health", async () => ({ ok: true }));

Hooks run at defined lifecycle stages
onRequest runs before routing; preHandler runs before the handler
Use hooks for logging, auth, and timing

6. Error Handling

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.setErrorHandler((err, _req, reply) => {
  const status = err.statusCode ?? 500;
  reply.status(status).send({
    error: status === 500 ? "Internal server error" : err.message,
  });
});
 
app.get("/fail", async () => {
  throw Object.assign(new Error("Not found"), { statusCode: 404 });
});

setErrorHandler is the centralized error handler
Attach statusCode to errors for operational errors
Validation errors from schemas have statusCode: 400

7. Logging with Pino

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({
  logger: {
    level: process.env.LOG_LEVEL ?? "info",
    transport: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development"
      ? { target: "pino-pretty" }
      : undefined,
  },
});
 
app.get("/users", async (req) => {
  req.log.info({ action: "list_users" });
  return [];
});

req.log is a child logger with request context
Production: JSON logs to stdout; ship to your log aggregator
See Logging with Pino

Intermediate Examples

8. Breaking Encapsulation with fastify-plugin

import Fastify from "fastify";
import fp from "fastify-plugin";
 
const authPlugin = fp(async (fastify) => {
  fastify.decorate("authenticate", async (req: { headers: { authorization?: string } }) => {
    if (!req.headers.authorization) throw Object.assign(new Error("Unauthorized"), { statusCode: 401 });
  });
});
 
const app = Fastify();
await app.register(authPlugin);
// authenticate is available in all scopes

Without fastify-plugin, decorators are scoped to the registering plugin
Use fp for shared auth, database connections, and config

9. Testing with inject()

import Fastify from "fastify";
import { test } from "node:test";
import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 
const app = Fastify();
app.get("/health", async () => ({ ok: true }));
 
test("GET /health", async () => {
  const res = await app.inject({ method: "GET", url: "/health" });
  assert.equal(res.statusCode, 200);
  assert.deepEqual(res.json(), { ok: true });
});

inject() simulates HTTP without network I/O
Orders of magnitude faster than supertest with port binding
See Testing Fastify Apps

10. Server Timeout Tuning

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
await app.listen({ port: 3000 });
 
const server = app.server;
server.keepAliveTimeout = 65_000;
server.headersTimeout = 66_000;
server.requestTimeout = 30_000;

Access underlying Node server via app.server after listen
Align with reverse proxy timeouts
See Keep-Alive & Connection Limits

FAQs

Is Fastify compatible with Express middleware?

Via @fastify/express or middie, but prefer native Fastify plugins. Express middleware loses schema validation benefits.

Fastify vs Express for new projects?

Fastify for performance and schema-first APIs. Express for maximum ecosystem and team familiarity. See Fastify vs Express ADR.

Does Fastify support ESM?

Yes. Fastify 5 is ESM-first. Use import Fastify from "fastify".

How do I handle TypeScript types for schemas?

Use fastify-type-provider-zod or @fastify/type-provider-typebox for inferred types from schemas.

Can NestJS use Fastify?

Yes. NestFactory.create(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter()). See NestJS Basics.

JSON Schema Validation - request/response schemas
Fastify Plugins - autoload and encapsulation
Logging with Pino - structured logging
Express Basics - alternative framework
Fastify Best Practices - section checklist

Fastify - High-performance web framework docs.
Node.js Best Practices (GitHub) - Curated production best practices.
Node.js API Documentation - Complete reference for core modules and APIs.
Node.js Design Patterns, 4th Edition - Production-grade application patterns.
Node.js Cookbook, 5th Edition - Practical server-side recipes.

Stack versions: This page was written for Node.js 24.18.0 (Active LTS), npm 10+, TypeScript 5.6+, Express 5, Fastify 5, and NestJS 11.

Prerequisites

mkdir fastify-api && cd fastify-api
npm init -y
npm pkg set type=module
npm install fastify@5
npm install -D typescript@5.6 tsx

For schema validation and plugin patterns, see JSON Schema Validation and Fastify Plugins.

Basic Examples

1. Hello World Server

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
 
app.get("/", async () => {
  return { message: "Hello from Fastify 5" };
});
 
await app.listen({ port: 3000, host: "0.0.0.0" });

Return objects from handlers; Fastify serializes to JSON automatically
logger: true enables Pino with sensible defaults
Use await app.listen() (Fastify 5 async listen)

2. Route with Schema

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.get("/users/:id", {
  schema: {
    params: {
      type: "object",
      properties: { id: { type: "string", format: "uuid" } },
      required: ["id"],
    },
    response: {
      200: {
        type: "object",
        properties: { id: { type: "string" }, name: { type: "string" } },
      },
    },
  },
}, async (req) => {
  return { id: req.params.id, name: "Ada Lovelace" };
});

Schema validates request and compiles response serialization
Invalid requests return 400 automatically
See JSON Schema Validation for depth

3. POST with Body Schema

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.post("/users", {
  schema: {
    body: {
      type: "object",
      required: ["name", "email"],
      properties: {
        name: { type: "string", minLength: 1 },
        email: { type: "string", format: "email" },
      },
    },
  },
}, async (req, reply) => {
  const { name, email } = req.body as { name: string; email: string };
  return reply.status(201).send({ id: "1", name, email });
});

reply.status(201).send() for explicit status codes
Body is validated before the handler runs
TypeScript: use schema-to-type tools or assertion at boundary

4. Plugin Encapsulation

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.register(async function userRoutes(fastify) {
  fastify.get("/", async () => [{ id: 1, name: "Ada" }]);
  fastify.get("/:id", async (req) => ({ id: (req.params as { id: string }).id }));
}, { prefix: "/users" });

register creates an encapsulated scope
Decorators and hooks inside a plugin do not leak to siblings
prefix mounts all routes under /users

5. Lifecycle Hooks

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({ logger: true });
 
app.addHook("onRequest", async (req) => {
  req.headers["x-request-start"] = String(Date.now());
});
 
app.addHook("onResponse", async (req, reply) => {
  const start = Number(req.headers["x-request-start"]);
  req.log.info({ duration: Date.now() - start, status: reply.statusCode });
});
 
app.get("/health", async () => ({ ok: true }));

Hooks run at defined lifecycle stages
onRequest runs before routing; preHandler runs before the handler
Use hooks for logging, auth, and timing

6. Error Handling

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
app.setErrorHandler((err, _req, reply) => {
  const status = err.statusCode ?? 500;
  reply.status(status).send({
    error: status === 500 ? "Internal server error" : err.message,
  });
});
 
app.get("/fail", async () => {
  throw Object.assign(new Error("Not found"), { statusCode: 404 });
});

setErrorHandler is the centralized error handler
Attach statusCode to errors for operational errors
Validation errors from schemas have statusCode: 400

7. Logging with Pino

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify({
  logger: {
    level: process.env.LOG_LEVEL ?? "info",
    transport: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development"
      ? { target: "pino-pretty" }
      : undefined,
  },
});
 
app.get("/users", async (req) => {
  req.log.info({ action: "list_users" });
  return [];
});

req.log is a child logger with request context
Production: JSON logs to stdout; ship to your log aggregator
See Logging with Pino

Intermediate Examples

8. Breaking Encapsulation with fastify-plugin

import Fastify from "fastify";
import fp from "fastify-plugin";
 
const authPlugin = fp(async (fastify) => {
  fastify.decorate("authenticate", async (req: { headers: { authorization?: string } }) => {
    if (!req.headers.authorization) throw Object.assign(new Error("Unauthorized"), { statusCode: 401 });
  });
});
 
const app = Fastify();
await app.register(authPlugin);
// authenticate is available in all scopes

Without fastify-plugin, decorators are scoped to the registering plugin
Use fp for shared auth, database connections, and config

9. Testing with inject()

import Fastify from "fastify";
import { test } from "node:test";
import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 
const app = Fastify();
app.get("/health", async () => ({ ok: true }));
 
test("GET /health", async () => {
  const res = await app.inject({ method: "GET", url: "/health" });
  assert.equal(res.statusCode, 200);
  assert.deepEqual(res.json(), { ok: true });
});

inject() simulates HTTP without network I/O
Orders of magnitude faster than supertest with port binding
See Testing Fastify Apps

10. Server Timeout Tuning

import Fastify from "fastify";
 
const app = Fastify();
 
await app.listen({ port: 3000 });
 
const server = app.server;
server.keepAliveTimeout = 65_000;
server.headersTimeout = 66_000;
server.requestTimeout = 30_000;

Access underlying Node server via app.server after listen
Align with reverse proxy timeouts
See Keep-Alive & Connection Limits

FAQs

Is Fastify compatible with Express middleware?

Via @fastify/express or middie, but prefer native Fastify plugins. Express middleware loses schema validation benefits.

Fastify vs Express for new projects?

Fastify for performance and schema-first APIs. Express for maximum ecosystem and team familiarity. See Fastify vs Express ADR.

Does Fastify support ESM?

Yes. Fastify 5 is ESM-first. Use import Fastify from "fastify".

How do I handle TypeScript types for schemas?

Use fastify-type-provider-zod or @fastify/type-provider-typebox for inferred types from schemas.

Can NestJS use Fastify?

Yes. NestFactory.create(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter()). See NestJS Basics.

JSON Schema Validation - request/response schemas
Fastify Plugins - autoload and encapsulation
Logging with Pino - structured logging
Express Basics - alternative framework
Fastify Best Practices - section checklist

Fastify - High-performance web framework docs.
Node.js Best Practices (GitHub) - Curated production best practices.
Node.js API Documentation - Complete reference for core modules and APIs.
Node.js Design Patterns, 4th Edition - Production-grade application patterns.
Node.js Cookbook, 5th Edition - Practical server-side recipes.

Stack versions: This page was written for Node.js 24.18.0 (Active LTS), npm 10+, TypeScript 5.6+, Express 5, Fastify 5, and NestJS 11.

Fastify Basics

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