Fastify (TypeScript) - Production Backend Framework

Overview

Fastify is a high-performance Node.js web framework built around JSON schema validation, encapsulated plugins, and great developer ergonomics. In TypeScript, pair Fastify with a type provider (Zod or TypeBox) to keep runtime validation and static types aligned.

Quick Start

Minimal server

✅ Correct: basic server with typed response

import Fastify from "fastify";

const app = Fastify({ logger: true });

app.get("/health", async () => ({ status: "ok" as const }));

await app.listen({ host: "0.0.0.0", port: 3000 });

❌ Wrong: start server without awaiting listen

app.listen({ port: 3000 });
console.log("started"); // races startup and hides bind failures

Schema Validation + Type Providers

Fastify validates requests/responses via JSON schema. Use a type provider to avoid duplicating types.

Zod provider (recommended for full-stack TypeScript)

✅ Correct: Zod schema drives validation + types

import Fastify from "fastify";
import { z } from "zod";
import { ZodTypeProvider } from "fastify-type-provider-zod";

const app = Fastify({ logger: true }).withTypeProvider<ZodTypeProvider>();

const Query = z.object({ q: z.string().min(1) });

app.get(
  "/search",
  { schema: { querystring: Query } },
  async (req) => {
    return { q: req.query.q };
  },
);

await app.listen({ port: 3000 });

TypeBox provider (recommended for OpenAPI + performance)

✅ Correct: TypeBox schema

import Fastify from "fastify";
import { Type } from "@sinclair/typebox";
import { TypeBoxTypeProvider } from "@fastify/type-provider-typebox";

const app = Fastify({ logger: true }).withTypeProvider<TypeBoxTypeProvider>();

const Params = Type.Object({ id: Type.String({ minLength: 1 }) });
const Reply = Type.Object({ id: Type.String() });

app.get(
  "/users/:id",
  { schema: { params: Params, response: { 200: Reply } } },
  async (req) => ({ id: req.params.id }),
);

await app.listen({ port: 3000 });

Plugin Architecture (Encapsulation)

Use plugins to keep concerns isolated and testable (auth, db, routes).

✅ Correct: route plugin

import type { FastifyPluginAsync } from "fastify";

export const usersRoutes: FastifyPluginAsync = async (app) => {
  app.get("/", async () => [{ id: "1" }]);
  app.get("/:id", async (req) => ({ id: (req.params as any).id }));
};

✅ Correct: register with a prefix

app.register(usersRoutes, { prefix: "/api/v1/users" });

Error Handling

Centralize unexpected failures and return stable error shapes.

✅ Correct: setErrorHandler

app.setErrorHandler((err, req, reply) => {
  req.log.error({ err }, "request failed");
  reply.status(500).send({ error: "internal" as const });
});

Security Hardening (Baseline)

Add standard security plugins and enforce payload limits.

✅ Correct: Helmet + CORS + rate limiting

import helmet from "@fastify/helmet";
import cors from "@fastify/cors";
import rateLimit from "@fastify/rate-limit";

await app.register(helmet);
await app.register(cors, { origin: false });
await app.register(rateLimit, { max: 100, timeWindow: "1 minute" });

Graceful Shutdown

Close HTTP server and downstream clients (DB, queues) on SIGINT/SIGTERM.

✅ Correct: close on signals

const close = async (signal: string) => {
  app.log.info({ signal }, "shutting down");
  await app.close();
  process.exit(0);
};

process.on("SIGINT", () => void close("SIGINT"));
process.on("SIGTERM"
how to use fastify
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use fastify on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add fastify
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills --skill fastifycopy
The skills CLI fetches fastify from GitHub repository bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/fastify
Reload or restart Cursor to activate fastify. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /fastify) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?