@faker-js/faker vs randexp vs faker vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs
JavaScript Data Generation Libraries Comparison
3 Years
@faker-js/fakerrandexpfakerchancelorem-ipsumcasualmockjsSimilar Packages:
What's JavaScript Data Generation Libraries?

These libraries are designed to generate fake data for testing and development purposes. They help developers create realistic data structures without the need for real user data, which can be sensitive or unavailable. By using these libraries, developers can easily populate databases, create mock APIs, and test applications with various data scenarios, ensuring robustness and reliability in their code without compromising user privacy.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
@faker-js/faker8,736,917
14,3034.39 MB12217 days agoMIT
randexp4,941,063
1,859-137 years agoMIT
faker2,125,121
-10.1 MB--MIT
chance1,850,118
6,5412.13 MB1764 months agoMIT
lorem-ipsum254,378
295133 kB7-ISC
casual187,588
3,016-426 years agoMIT
mockjs63,558
19,641-3426 years ago-
Feature Comparison: @faker-js/faker vs randexp vs faker vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs

Data Variety

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker provides a rich set of data types, including names, addresses, dates, and even images. It supports multiple locales, allowing for culturally relevant data generation, which is essential for international applications.

  • randexp:

    Randexp focuses on generating random strings that match specified regular expressions, providing a unique approach to data generation that is useful for testing input validation scenarios.

  • faker:

    Faker is known for its extensive variety of data types, similar to @faker-js/faker. However, it may lack some of the latest features and updates found in the newer library.

  • chance:

    Chance excels in providing a diverse range of data types, including random integers, floating-point numbers, and even custom data types. Its flexibility allows developers to generate data tailored to specific needs.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Lorem-ipsum is specialized in generating placeholder text, offering various text lengths and formats. It is ideal for UI design and testing where text content is needed without specific meaning.

  • casual:

    Casual offers a limited but straightforward set of data types, focusing on simplicity. It includes names, addresses, and other basic types, making it suitable for quick data generation without the need for extensive configuration.

  • mockjs:

    Mockjs allows for the creation of complex data structures and nested objects, making it suitable for simulating realistic API responses. It enables developers to define the shape and content of the data returned from mock endpoints.

Ease of Use

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker is designed with a user-friendly API that makes it easy to generate data with minimal setup. Its documentation is clear, providing examples for quick reference.

  • randexp:

    Randexp has a simple API for generating strings based on regex patterns, but understanding regular expressions is necessary for effective use. This may pose a challenge for those unfamiliar with regex.

  • faker:

    Faker has a more complex API compared to others, which might require a learning curve. However, its extensive documentation helps users navigate its features effectively.

  • chance:

    Chance offers a balance between functionality and usability, with a clear API that is easy to understand. It provides a good amount of flexibility while remaining accessible to developers of all skill levels.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Lorem-ipsum is extremely easy to use, requiring only a few parameters to generate text. Its focused purpose makes it straightforward for generating placeholder content.

  • casual:

    Casual stands out for its simplicity, allowing developers to generate random data with just a few lines of code. Its straightforward API is ideal for beginners or quick tasks.

  • mockjs:

    Mockjs has a slightly steeper learning curve due to its ability to define complex data structures. However, once understood, it provides powerful capabilities for simulating API responses.

Customization

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker allows for extensive customization of data generation, including the ability to create custom data types and formats, making it highly adaptable to specific project needs.

  • randexp:

    Randexp allows for customization through regular expressions, enabling developers to generate strings that meet specific patterns. This is particularly useful for testing scenarios.

  • faker:

    Faker allows for some customization, but it may not be as flexible as @faker-js/faker in terms of creating new data types or formats. It is still useful for generating a wide variety of data.

  • chance:

    Chance provides a good level of customization, allowing developers to specify ranges for numbers and formats for strings, making it versatile for various use cases.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Lorem-ipsum is not customizable in terms of content but allows for customization of text length and format, making it useful for specific design needs.

  • casual:

    Casual offers limited customization options, focusing on ease of use rather than flexibility. It is best suited for straightforward data generation without the need for complex configurations.

  • mockjs:

    Mockjs excels in customization, allowing developers to define the structure of the mock data and responses in detail. This makes it ideal for simulating complex API behaviors.

Community and Support

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker has a growing community and is actively maintained, ensuring that users receive updates and support. Its documentation is comprehensive, making it easier to find help.

  • randexp:

    Randexp has a smaller community, but it is well-documented for its specific purpose. Users may need to rely on general regex resources for more complex use cases.

  • faker:

    Faker has a large user base and extensive documentation, but it is less actively maintained than newer alternatives. Users may encounter issues that are not addressed promptly.

  • chance:

    Chance has a moderate community with reasonable support. It is well-documented, but users may find fewer resources compared to more popular libraries.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Lorem-ipsum has a niche community focused on placeholder text generation. It is simple enough that most users won't require extensive support, but resources may be limited.

  • casual:

    Casual has a smaller community, which may result in less frequent updates. However, its simplicity means that most users can quickly get started without needing extensive support.

  • mockjs:

    Mockjs has a dedicated community, particularly among frontend developers. It is well-documented, and users can find examples and support for common use cases.

Performance

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker is optimized for performance, allowing for fast data generation even with large datasets. It efficiently handles multiple locales and data types without significant overhead.

  • randexp:

    Randexp performs well for generating strings based on regex patterns, but complex patterns may lead to slower performance. Users should balance complexity with performance needs.

  • faker:

    Faker may experience performance issues with very large datasets due to its older architecture. Users should be cautious when generating extensive data to avoid slowdowns.

  • chance:

    Chance is designed for performance, providing efficient data generation without excessive resource consumption. It is suitable for applications that require large volumes of random data.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Lorem-ipsum performs exceptionally well for generating text, as it focuses solely on placeholder content. It is optimized for speed, making it ideal for UI mockups.

  • casual:

    Casual is lightweight and performs well for small to medium data generation tasks. Its simplicity contributes to quick execution times, making it suitable for rapid prototyping.

  • mockjs:

    Mockjs is efficient in generating mock data for APIs, but performance may vary based on the complexity of the defined data structures. Users should optimize their mock definitions for better performance.

How to Choose: @faker-js/faker vs randexp vs faker vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs
  • @faker-js/faker:

    Choose @faker-js/faker if you need a comprehensive and actively maintained library with a wide range of data types and localization support. It is a modern fork of the original Faker library, ensuring better performance and community support.

  • randexp:

    Select randexp if you require a library that generates random strings based on regular expressions. This is particularly useful for testing input validation and ensuring that your application can handle various string formats.

  • faker:

    Use faker if you are looking for a well-established library with a large user base and extensive documentation. It provides a rich set of features but may not be actively maintained, so consider the project's longevity.

  • chance:

    Select chance if you require a library that offers a variety of random data generation options, including random numbers, strings, and even unique IDs. It is particularly useful for generating data in a more controlled manner, such as ensuring uniqueness.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Choose lorem-ipsum if your primary need is to generate placeholder text. It is specifically designed for creating dummy text, making it ideal for UI mockups and design prototypes.

  • casual:

    Opt for casual if you prefer a simpler API and need to generate random data quickly without extensive configuration. It is lightweight and easy to use, making it suitable for small projects or quick prototypes.

  • mockjs:

    Pick mockjs if you need to create mock APIs for frontend development. It allows you to define data structures and responses, making it easier to simulate server interactions without a backend.

README for @faker-js/faker

Faker

Generate massive amounts of fake (but realistic) data for testing and development.

npm version npm downloads Continuous Integration codecov Chat on Discord Open Collective sponsor

⚡️ Try it Online

Open in StackBlitz

📙 API Documentation

🚀 Features

  • 🧍 Person - Generate Names, Genders, Bios, Job titles, and more.
  • 📍 Location - Generate Addresses, Zip Codes, Street Names, States, and Countries!
  • ⏰ Date - Past, present, future, recent, soon... whenever!
  • 💸 Finance - Create stubbed out Account Details, Transactions, and Crypto Addresses.
  • 👠 Commerce - Generate Prices, Product Names, Adjectives, and Descriptions.
  • 👾 Hacker - “Try to reboot the SQL bus, maybe it will bypass the virtual application!”
  • 🔢 Number and String - Of course, we can also generate random numbers and strings.
  • 🌏 Localization - Pick from over 70 locales to generate realistic looking Names, Addresses, and Phone Numbers.

Note: Faker tries to generate realistic data and not obvious fake data. The generated names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and/or other data might be coincidentally valid information. Please do not send any of your messages/calls to them from your test setup.

📦 Install

npm install --save-dev @faker-js/faker

🪄 Usage

// ESM
import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker';

// CJS
const { faker } = require('@faker-js/faker');

export function createRandomUser() {
  return {
    userId: faker.string.uuid(),
    username: faker.internet.username(),
    email: faker.internet.email(),
    avatar: faker.image.avatar(),
    password: faker.internet.password(),
    birthdate: faker.date.birthdate(),
    registeredAt: faker.date.past(),
  };
}

export const users = faker.helpers.multiple(createRandomUser, {
  count: 5,
});

💎 Modules

An in-depth overview of the API methods is available in the documentation for v10 (stable) and v10.* (next).

Templates

Faker contains a generator method faker.helpers.fake for combining faker API methods using a mustache string format.

console.log(
  faker.helpers.fake(
    'Hello {{person.prefix}} {{person.lastName}}, how are you today?'
  )
);

🌏 Localization

Faker has support for multiple locales.

The main faker instance uses the English locale. But you can also import instances using other locales.

// ESM
import { fakerDE as faker } from '@faker-js/faker';

// CJS
const { fakerDE: faker } = require('@faker-js/faker');

See our documentation for a list of provided languages.

Please note: Not every locale provides data for every module. In our pre-made faker instances, we fall back to English in such a case as this is the most complete and most commonly used language. If you don't want that or prefer a different fallback, you can also build your own instances.

import { de, de_CH, Faker } from '@faker-js/faker';

export const faker = new Faker({
  locale: [de_CH, de],
});

⚙️ Setting a randomness seed

If you want consistent results, you can set your own seed:

faker.seed(123);

const firstRandom = faker.number.int();

// Setting the seed again resets the sequence.
faker.seed(123);

const secondRandom = faker.number.int();

console.log(firstRandom === secondRandom);

🤝 Sponsors

Faker is an MIT-licensed open source project with its ongoing development made possible entirely by the support of these awesome backers

Sponsors

Backers

✨ Contributing

Please make sure to read the Contributing Guide before making a pull request.

📘 Credits

Thanks to all the people who already contributed to Faker!

The fakerjs.dev website is generously hosted by Netlify, with search functionality powered by Algolia.

📝 Changelog

Detailed changes for each release are documented in the release notes.

📜 What happened to the original faker.js?

Read the team update (January 14th, 2022).

🔑 License

MIT