Skip to content
Get packs

Martini

A small Go web framework for building modular web apps and services; no longer maintained.

GitHub Download v1.0
Stars
11.6k
Forks
1.1k
Licence
MIT
Language
Go
Last update
4.6 years ago
Type
Library

No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.

What it is

Martini is a Go package for writing web applications and services. You register handler functions for URL routes, and Martini supplies the arguments they need (such as the request or a URL parameter) through dependency injection. The README says the framework is no longer maintained, so it is best understood as a mature but frozen project.

  • Define GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and OPTIONS routes with simple handler functions
  • Group routes under a shared path prefix and attach middleware to the group
  • Serve static files and return plain text or a status code with a response
  • Map shared services, such as a database handle, so any handler can receive them

Great for

  • Go developers who want a small, simple way to define HTTP routes and handlers
  • Developers reading or maintaining existing Martini codebases
  • People learning how middleware and dependency injection work in a Go web framework

Not ideal for

  • New production projects, because the README states the framework is no longer maintained
  • Teams that need active security fixes or new Go version support, since the last push was 2022-03-29
  • Developers who want a framework with a large current ecosystem of recent releases
Step-by-step guide: how to use MartiniInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    You'll need: Go 1.1 or greater (per the README)

    Install the Martini package

    go get github.com/go-martini/martini

    Run the example server

    go run server.go
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Install Go and set up your GOPATH as described in the README
    • Create a file named server.go containing the hello-world example
    • Run go get github.com/go-martini/martini to install the package
    • Run go run server.go and open localhost:3000
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use martini.Classic() to get logging, panic recovery, static file serving and routing with defaults
    • Use m.Group with middleware to share authentication across a set of routes
    • Map services with m.Map or c.MapTo to inject shared objects like a database into handlers
    • Check the martini-contrib organization for additional middleware, as linked in the README

Downloads

Source code (.zip)master branch · straight from GitHubRelease v1.0Release notes and sourceOfficial website & docsmartini.codegangsta.io

Strengths

  • Very simple API, as shown by the short hello-world example in the README
  • Handlers are plain Go functions, so it fits with the standard net/http interface
  • Modular: middleware and services can be added or removed easily

Trade-offs

  • The README states the framework is no longer maintained, so no future fixes are expected
  • The latest release is v1.0 with no binaries, and the last push was in March 2022
  • Uses reflection for handler invocation, which the README describes as a design choice with trade-offs it does not detail

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
martini (this)11.6kLibrarybeginner4.6 years agoGo developers who want a small, simple way to define HTTP routes and handlers
gin89.5kLibraryintermediate27 days agoGo developers building REST APIs
echo32.8kLibraryintermediate7 days agoGo developers building REST APIs or backend services
chi23kLibraryintermediate19 days agoGo developers building REST API services

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.