Vapor
A web framework for building websites and APIs in the Swift programming language.
- Stars
- 26.2k
- Forks
- 1.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Swift
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Vapor is an HTTP web framework for Swift, the language Apple created. It gives developers a foundation for building websites, APIs, and cloud services that run on the server rather than on a user's device. The README describes it as aiming to be expressive and easy to use.
- Build a JSON API backend for a mobile app written in Swift
- Serve a website or web application over HTTP
- Create cloud services that handle HTTP requests and responses
Great for
- Swift developers who want to build backend services in the same language as their iOS or macOS apps
- Teams building JSON APIs or web backends who already work in Swift
- Developers interested in server-side Swift who want a widely used, community-backed framework
Not ideal for
- People with no Swift experience, since the framework assumes Swift knowledge
- Teams that need the latest stable release, because the newest listed release is a beta (5.0.0-beta.4)
- Projects that depend on a mature ecosystem of libraries in another language, such as Python or JavaScript
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Swift 6.0+
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/vapor/vapor.git - 2
Run it
- Install Swift 6.0 or newer
- Clone the repository and open it in a Swift-capable environment
- Read the documentation at docs.vapor.codes to set up a first project
- Ask questions in the Vapor Discord if you get stuck
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the official documentation at docs.vapor.codes for guided setup and examples
- Browse the awesome-vapor community list to see projects built with the framework
- Join the Discord community to get help from other developers
- Check the GitHub issues page before reporting a bug or proposing a feature
Downloads
Strengths
- Open source under the MIT license, free to use and modify
- Actively maintained, with a recent push and a large star count on GitHub
- Has an official Discord community and documentation site linked from the README
Trade-offs
- The README lists Swift 6.0+ as a requirement, so older Swift setups will not work
- The latest release is a beta, so the API may still change before a stable version
- The README is truncated and does not show detailed setup steps, so the entry relies on limited install information
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vapor (this) | 26.2k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Swift developers who want to build backend services in the same language as their iOS or macOS apps |
| elysia | 19.3k | Framework | intermediate | 8 days ago | TypeScript developers building HTTP APIs or web servers |
| warp | 10.4k | Library | intermediate | 3 months ago | Rust developers building HTTP APIs or web servers |
| echo | 32.8k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Go developers building REST APIs or backend services |
| core | 19.2k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers who want a structured, batteries-included framework on Node.js |
| gin | 89.5k | Library | intermediate | 27 days ago | Go developers building REST APIs |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.