@faker-js/faker vs randexp vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs
Data Generation and Mocking Libraries Comparison
1 Year
@faker-js/fakerrandexpchancelorem-ipsumcasualmockjsSimilar Packages:
What's Data Generation and Mocking Libraries?

Data generation and mocking libraries in JavaScript are tools that help developers create fake data for testing, prototyping, or populating applications with sample content. These libraries can generate a wide range of data types, including names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, and even entire datasets, allowing for more realistic testing scenarios without the need for real user data. They are particularly useful in automated testing, front-end development, and any situation where placeholder data is needed.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
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Stat Detail
Package
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@faker-js/faker6,071,24013,4778.54 MB11411 days agoMIT
randexp4,180,3061,839-127 years agoMIT
chance1,749,4256,5102.13 MB1767 months agoMIT
lorem-ipsum230,926295133 kB7-ISC
casual188,0693,021-426 years agoMIT
mockjs63,17119,570-3405 years ago-
Feature Comparison: @faker-js/faker vs randexp vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs

Data Variety

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker provides a wide range of data categories, including names, addresses, dates, companies, and more. It supports internationalization, allowing for the generation of data in different languages and formats.

  • randexp:

    randexp focuses on generating random strings that match specific regular expression patterns. It does not generate a variety of data types but is specialized in creating data that adheres to defined patterns.

  • chance:

    chance is known for its rich variety of data types, including numbers, strings, booleans, and even complex types like arrays and objects. It also supports custom data types and generators, making it versatile for various use cases.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    lorem-ipsum specializes in generating placeholder text, specifically Lorem Ipsum. It is not designed for generating a wide variety of data types but excels in creating text for design and layout purposes.

  • casual:

    casual offers a limited variety of data types, including names, addresses, and simple random values. It is not as extensive as some other libraries but is sufficient for basic data generation needs.

  • mockjs:

    mockjs allows for the creation of complex data structures and supports nested objects, arrays, and custom data types. It is highly flexible and can generate data that matches specific schemas, making it suitable for more advanced use cases.

Customization

  • @faker-js/faker:

    @faker-js/faker allows for extensive customization, including the ability to create custom data generators and modify existing ones. It also supports localization, enabling developers to tailor the data generation to specific cultural contexts.

  • randexp:

    randexp allows for customization of the regular expression patterns used to generate data. Developers can define their own regex patterns to control the format of the generated strings, but the library does not support customization beyond this.

  • chance:

    chance offers a high level of customization, allowing developers to create their own random data generators, define custom distributions, and set constraints on the generated data. This makes it one of the most flexible libraries for random data generation.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    lorem-ipsum provides limited customization, mainly around the length and quantity of the generated text. It does not support extensive customization features, as it is focused on a specific type of data generation.

  • casual:

    casual supports basic customization, such as adding custom data generators, but it is relatively limited compared to more feature-rich libraries. It is designed to be simple and straightforward, with minimal configuration required.

  • mockjs:

    mockjs allows for significant customization of the generated data, including the ability to define data templates, use custom functions for data generation, and create reusable data structures. It is highly flexible and supports complex data modeling.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

  • @faker-js/faker:

    Generating Random User Data with @faker-js/faker

    import { faker } from '@faker-js/faker';
    
    const randomName = faker.name.findName(); // Generate a random name
    const randomEmail = faker.internet.email(); // Generate a random email
    const randomAddress = faker.address.streetAddress(); // Generate a random address
    
    console.log(`Name: ${randomName}`);
    console.log(`Email: ${randomEmail}`);
    console.log(`Address: ${randomAddress}`);
    
  • randexp:

    Generating Random Data with randexp

    const RandExp = require('randexp');
    
    const randomEmail = new RandExp(/[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+\.[a-z]{2,}/i).gen(); // Generate a random email
    const randomPhone = new RandExp(/\(\d{3}\) \d{3}-\d{4}/).gen(); // Generate a random phone number
    
    console.log(`Random Email: ${randomEmail}`);
    console.log(`Random Phone: ${randomPhone}`);
    
  • chance:

    Generating Random Data with chance

    const Chance = require('chance');
    const chance = new Chance();
    
    const randomName = chance.name(); // Generate a random name
    const randomEmail = chance.email(); // Generate a random email
    const randomNumber = chance.integer({ min: 1, max: 100 }); // Generate a random number
    
    console.log(`Name: ${randomName}`);
    console.log(`Email: ${randomEmail}`);
    console.log(`Number: ${randomNumber}`);
    
  • lorem-ipsum:

    Generating Lorem Ipsum Text with lorem-ipsum

    const { LoremIpsum } = require('lorem-ipsum');
    const lorem = new LoremIpsum();
    
    const randomParagraph = lorem.generateParagraphs(1); // Generate a random paragraph
    const randomSentence = lorem.generateSentences(2); // Generate random sentences
    
    console.log(`Paragraph: ${randomParagraph}`);
    console.log(`Sentence: ${randomSentence}`);
    
  • casual:

    Generating Random Data with casual

    const casual = require('casual');
    
    const randomName = casual.name; // Generate a random name
    const randomEmail = casual.email; // Generate a random email
    const randomCity = casual.city; // Generate a random city
    
    console.log(`Name: ${randomName}`);
    console.log(`Email: ${randomEmail}`);
    console.log(`City: ${randomCity}`);
    
  • mockjs:

    Generating Mock Data with mockjs

    const Mock = require('mockjs');
    
    const randomData = Mock.mock({
      'name': '@name',
      'age|18-60': 1,
      'email': '@EMAIL',
      'address': {
        'city': '@city',
        'street': '@street'
      }
    });
    
    console.log(randomData);
    
How to Choose: @faker-js/faker vs randexp vs chance vs lorem-ipsum vs casual vs mockjs
  • @faker-js/faker:

    Choose @faker-js/faker if you need a comprehensive and highly customizable solution for generating realistic fake data across a wide range of categories. It is ideal for applications that require diverse data types and supports internationalization.

  • randexp:

    Choose randexp if you need to generate random strings that match specific regular expression patterns. It is useful for testing applications that require data validation against regex.

  • chance:

    Choose chance if you need a feature-rich library that offers a wide variety of random data types and allows for more complex data generation. It is ideal for projects that require more control over the randomness and need to generate data with specific constraints.

  • lorem-ipsum:

    Choose lorem-ipsum if you specifically need to generate placeholder text for design and layout purposes. It is perfect for filling in text areas with Lorem Ipsum content and is very easy to use.

  • casual:

    Choose casual if you need a lightweight and easy-to-use library for generating simple random data quickly. It is suitable for projects that require basic data generation without the need for extensive features or customization.

  • mockjs:

    Choose mockjs if you need to create realistic mock data and APIs for testing and development. It is particularly useful for front-end developers who need to simulate API responses without relying on a back-end.

README for @faker-js/faker

Faker

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

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⚡️ 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 60 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(), // before version 9.1.0, use 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 v9 (stable) and v9.* (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