fiber vs echo
Two of the top projects in Backend and cloud templates, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
fiber
Express-style HTTP web framework for Go, built on fasthttp
echo
Minimalist Go web framework with a radix-tree router and middleware
Verdict
fiber ranks higher, 90 to 88. Of the 4 score parts we measure for both, fiber leads on 2, echo on 1 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionfiber leads by 5 points, 93 to 88.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenancefiber leads by 9 points, 97 to 88.
- Agent-readyecho leads by 25 points, 55 to 30: a wide gap.
Pick fiber if you are
Go developers building HTTP APIs and web backends
- Express-like routing, groups and middleware chain, familiar to Node.js developers
- Built-in middleware for static files, logger, CORS, rate limiter, plus WebSocket and SSE
Pick echo if you are
Go developers building HTTP APIs and backend services
- Built on net/http; interoperates via echo.WrapHandler and echo.WrapMiddleware
- Middleware at root, group or route level, with a single HTTPErrorHandler
| What we compare | fiber | echo |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 93, widely used | 88, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 97, healthy | 88, healthy |
| Agent-ready | 30, minimal | 55, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 40.3k | 32.8k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| Last release | Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Docker | No | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
fiber
Fiber is a Go web framework with an Express-like API for routing, middleware and handlers, running on top of fasthttp. It ships middleware for static files, logging, CORS and rate limiting, plus WebSocket, Socket.io and Server-Sent Events support, and can adapt net/http handlers. It is a general backend framework, not an AI project.
Who it is for: Go developers building HTTP APIs and web backends
Strengths
- Express-like routing, groups and middleware chain, familiar to Node.js developers
- Built-in middleware for static files, logger, CORS, rate limiter, plus WebSocket and SSE
- Runs net/http handlers directly and has an adaptor middleware for net/http middleware
- Zero-allocation design on fasthttp, with TechEmpower benchmark results published
Weaknesses
- fiber.Ctx values are reused across requests, so keeping references after the handler returns is unsafe
- Uses unsafe, so it may lag behind the newest Go releases
- Requires Go 1.26 or higher for v3
- Adapted net/http handlers lose fiber.Ctx features and add compatibility overhead
- Go
- Needs Go 1.26+, fasthttp
echo
Echo is a Go web framework built on net/http. It adds a radix-tree router, route groups, request binding for JSON, XML, form, query and path data, and centralized error handling. It ships middleware such as a log/slog request logger and panic recovery, and supports TLS, HTTP/2, autocert and graceful shutdown. It has no AI-specific features; the README lists NVIDIA's LLM API gateway among its users.
Who it is for: Go developers building HTTP APIs and backend services
Strengths
- Built on net/http; interoperates via echo.WrapHandler and echo.WrapMiddleware
- Middleware at root, group or route level, with a single HTTPErrorHandler
- Binding for JSON, XML, form, query and path parameters with pluggable validation
- v5 released 2026-01-18; v4 gets security fixes until 2027-12-31
Weaknesses
- No AI, model or agent features; it is a generic HTTP framework
- v5 changes the API from v4; upgrading requires following API_CHANGES_V5.md
- API key/JWT auth, tenant isolation and admin console are in paid Echo Pro
- Library only; no starter app or project scaffold included
- Go
- Needs Go
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