I may suggest .Net for new WebAPI development (minimalist or otherwise), typically with a deployment target of containers and or Linux. It is a strong web back-end language in a similar way to Java but with Linq support, async/await, and a better primary programming language (C#). It has strong integrations into corporate software and all popular DBMS. But, frankly, Linq is the magic that makes .Net special.
Otherwise, for new development, I'd pick something else for creating user interfaces. Like Electron on the desktop and a popular TypeScript based JavaScript framework De jure on the web (utilizing WebAPI in .Net behind the scenes).