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Cookiecutter VS Nest.js

Compare Cookiecutter VS Nest.js and see what are their differences

Cookiecutter logo Cookiecutter

A command-line utility that creates projects from cookiecutters (project templates), e.g.

Nest.js logo Nest.js

A progressive Node.js framework for building efficient, reliable and scalable server-side applications.
  • Cookiecutter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23
  • Nest.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-26

Cookiecutter features and specs

  • Time Saving
    Cookiecutter automates the setup of new projects by providing pre-defined templates, which reduces the time developers need to spend on configuring projects manually.
  • Consistency
    Using standardized templates helps maintain consistency across multiple projects, ensuring that projects follow similar structures and coding conventions.
  • Flexibility
    Cookiecutter templates can be customized to suit specific project needs, allowing developers to adapt templates while still benefiting from a predefined structure.
  • Community Support
    There is a wide range of community-contributed templates available, covering various languages and frameworks, which developers can use or build upon.
  • Easy to Use
    Cookiecutter is user-friendly and requires minimal setup, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.

Possible disadvantages of Cookiecutter

  • Learning Curve
    While basic usage is straightforward, understanding how to create and maintain advanced custom templates can be challenging for beginners.
  • Template Maintenance
    Once a project is created from a template, keeping the project updated if there are changes in the template can be difficult and require manual adjustments.
  • Overhead
    For very simple or one-off projects, using Cookiecutter might introduce unnecessary overhead in terms of setup and configuration.
  • Complexity with Customization
    Highly customized templates can become complex, leading to potential difficulties in debugging and reproducing configurations across different environments.
  • Dependency on Templates
    Projects heavily reliant on custom or third-party templates can face issues if those templates are no longer maintained or updated to reflect best practices.

Nest.js features and specs

  • Modular Architecture
    Nest.js uses a modular architecture which is highly organized and maintainable. This allows for better separation of concerns and makes it easier to manage large-scale applications by dividing them into smaller, reusable modules.
  • TypeScript Support
    Nest.js is built with TypeScript, providing strong typing and compile-time checks. This leads to fewer runtime errors and improved code readability and maintainability.
  • Dependency Injection
    The framework includes a powerful dependency injection system, which enables better testability and easier management of application components.
  • Built-in Middleware
    Nest.js supports middleware out of the box, allowing developers to easily add additional request-processing logic at different points in the request lifecycle.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Nest.js offers comprehensive and detailed documentation, which helps developers quickly get up to speed and resolve issues more efficiently.
  • Scalability
    The framework is designed to be scalable, making it suitable for projects of varying sizes—from small applications to large enterprise-level systems.
  • Integration with Modern Libraries
    Nest.js seamlessly integrates with modern libraries and frameworks such as GraphQL, WebSockets, and TypeORM, extending its capabilities and allowing for versatile development options.
  • Active Community
    An active and growing community around Nest.js means there are plenty of resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available to assist with development.

Possible disadvantages of Nest.js

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its rich feature set and use of TypeScript, Nest.js can have a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with these technologies.
  • Overhead
    The reliance on the decorators and classes can introduce additional overhead, potentially making simple projects more complex than necessary.
  • Limited Flexibility
    Nest.js follows an opinionated architecture pattern, which can be restrictive for developers who prefer a more flexible or unstructured approach.
  • Performance
    While Nest.js is generally performant, the abstraction layers and TypeScript compile steps can introduce slight performance overhead compared to more lightweight alternatives.
  • Dependency on TypeScript
    The heavy reliance on TypeScript can be a drawback for developers who prefer to use plain JavaScript, or who are not familiar with TypeScript.
  • Community Compared to Mainstream Frameworks
    Although the Nest.js community is active and growing, it is still smaller compared to more established frameworks like Express.js or Koa, potentially limiting the amount of shared knowledge and third-party packages available.

Cookiecutter videos

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Nest.js videos

Why I chose Nest.js over Express.js in 2020

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cookiecutter and Nest.js)
Web Application Bundler
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100
JS Build Tools
100 100%
0% 0
JavaScript Framework
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100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cookiecutter and Nest.js

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Nest.js Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks in 2025
Nest (NestJS) is a framework for building efficient and scalable server-side backend applications using Node.Js. Internally, it actually makes use of JavaScript Back-end frameworks like Express (which is the default, and optionally Fastify can be configured to use as well!
Source: solguruz.com
10 Best Next.js Alternatives to Consider Today
For TypeScript aficionados seeking a framework with a modular, scalable architecture, NestJS stands out. Built on top of Node.js, NestJS offers a powerful set of abstractions for building server-side applications. Its modular structure facilitates the creation of scalable and maintainable codebases, making it a preferred choice for enterprise-level applications where a...
The 20 Best Laravel Alternatives for Web Development
NestJS is a Node.js framework that’s inspired by Angular, and guess what? It’s written in TypeScript. Building with Typescript is like you’re navigating with the stars. It’s all about sturdy architecture, a server-side framework that enjoys the scripting superness while piling on extra sturdiness.
Top 10 Best Node. Js Frameworks to Improve Web Development
It is a structure, which is used for making expert, versatile Node.js applications on the server-side. It employs powerful JavaScript plus designed with TypeScript. Working with TypeScript indicates Nest brings uninterrupted writing and incorporates elements like the following
Top 14 Node.JS Frameworks: Which Will Rule in 2020?
Nest utilizes Express.JS and provides an unusual app architecture that allows for the easy development of easily maintainable, loosely paired and highly scalable and testable apps. Developers can use Nest CLI for developing NestJS apps with different features.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Nest.js should be more popular than Cookiecutter. It has been mentiond 217 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cookiecutter mentions (40)

  • Crafting a Custom SAM Template for Your AWS Lambda Function, Resource, and Operations
    AWS SAM is the native tools that help manage and handle serverless components and resources with predefined template powered by Cloudformation and cookiecutter that allow you to quickstart project with templates base on different use-case Before going to craft with custom template on your own I will show you how to get start working with aws predefined template first. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Converging project boilerplates with copier
    If you are coming from python like I am then you may already be familiar with cookiecutter. I have been in the situation a few times where it might have made sense to use it, but every time it was a matter of balancing out the timeline and trying to stay away from over engineering. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Ask HN: How do you bootstrap your software projects?
    Sometimes I use this to abstract boilerplate https://github.com/cookiecutter/cookiecutter It can use a repo as a template. It supports some interactive questions to choose options but mostly it is jinja templates. Having libraries would be another option. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • FastStream: Python's framework for Efficient Message Queue Handling
    Install the cookiecutter package using the following command:. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Template for Django Projects
    Consider taking a look at cookiecutter to generate projects from templates. There is also cookiecutter-django. As for your environment variables you should have an example .env file containing all the environment variables required by your project (without setting them) that can be safely pushed into your repository for you and other developers to copy into the actual .env file that'll be used by your project (add... Source: almost 2 years ago
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Nest.js mentions (217)

  • Next.js vs Nest.js: Understanding the Difference
    Read more about Next.js here and Nest.js here. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Secure Your REST API Using Keycloak Role-Based Access Control
    In this article, we will walk through a step-by-step process to secure a Nest.js RESTful API using Keycloak. This includes setting up an application client and configuring authentication and RBAC for your API endpoints. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Next.js vs Nest.js: What to Choose in 2025?
    The rapid evolution of web development in 2025 makes it imperative to choose a framework that truly fits your project. Whether this involves a dynamic web application, scalable API, or high-performance SaaS product, the decision to select Next.js or Nest.js becomes all the more key. While both do their thing really well, in this sense, they don't do the same thing. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Why Ruby on Rails still matters
    Ok, you're right. I was referring to the usual ones (Next, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix, etc). Joytick looks cool. Besides this there's also NestJS https://nestjs.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Secure Your NestJS App: Implementing Authentication with Auth0
    Basic knowledge of NestJS and Javascript/Typescript. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cookiecutter and Nest.js, you can also consider the following products

Yeoman - To do so, we provide a generator ecosystem. A generator is basically a plugin that can be run with the `yo` command to scaffold complete projects or useful parts. Through our official Generators, we promote the "Yeoman workflow".

ExpressJS - Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple

Copier - Copier is a CLI app and a library for rendering project templates.

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

cookiedough - Graphical frontend to cookiecutter, which comes with an easily searchable list of templates, and simplifies unpacking with a compact placeholder form.

Adonis JS - AdonisJs is a Node.js web framework with breath of fresh air and drizzle of elegant syntax on top of it