# dart-frog-dev/dart_frog

A fast, minimalistic backend framework for Dart 🎯

Repository: https://github.com/dart-frog-dev/dart_frog
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dart_frog
Homepage: http://dart-frog.dev
Language: Dart
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: backend, backend-framework, dart, server, backend-server, dart-library, hot-reload, dart-frog
Last push: 2026-08-01T18:44:17+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 89/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 95, release rhythm 76, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1584, "days_push": 32, "days_rel": 163, "gap_med": 1, "n_releases_24m": 34}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2268, forks 181 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:32.928766+00:00)

## What it is
Dart Frog is a fast, minimalistic backend framework for Dart built on top of shelf and mason, inspired by tools like remix.run, next.js, and express.js. It provides a small API surface for routing, middleware, authentication, WebSockets, and hot-reload dev servers, letting Dart/Flutter developers build backends with a unified tech stack.

## Use cases
- build a REST API backend in Dart
- create a backend server for a Flutter app
- set up WebSocket endpoints for real-time features
- add authentication middleware to Dart routes
- scaffold a new backend project with hot reload during development
- aggregate and normalize data from multiple sources in a Dart backend

## When to choose
- you are a Dart/Flutter developer wanting a unified language across frontend and backend
- you need a lightweight, fast backend framework with a small learning curve
- you want built-in hot reload and CLI tooling for rapid backend development

## When to avoid
- your team primarily works in JavaScript/TypeScript or Python ecosystems
- you need a batteries-included framework with a large ecosystem of plugins
- you require features beyond Dart's ecosystem or Dart SDK >=3.0.0 <4.0.0

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: active
- function: web-framework, http-server, routing, middleware, websocket, auth, cli, templating
- domain: backend, web-development, apis, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, cli
- tags: dart, hot-reload, backend-framework, shelf, flutter-friendly, minimalistic, web-server

## Member repositories
- dart-frog-dev/dart_frog (main) score 89

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:32.928766+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:42:01.928583+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dart-frog-dev/dart_frog (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:32.928766+00:00, sha d80afdc8af3a)
  - homepage: http://dart-frog.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T10:22:25.852751+00:00, sha 8e83f3a2ce14)
  - site_page: http://dart-frog.dev/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T10:22:25.861712+00:00, sha ebf864019c47)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.