@turf/turf is a comprehensive geospatial analysis library for JavaScript. It provides a wide range of functions for manipulating and analyzing geographic data, making it a popular choice for developers working with maps and spatial data. Turf.js is designed to work seamlessly with GeoJSON, allowing users to perform various operations such as calculating distances, creating buffers, and performing spatial joins. Its modular architecture means that you can include only the functions you need, keeping your application lightweight and efficient.

While Turf.js is a powerful tool for geospatial analysis, there are alternative packages within the Turf ecosystem that serve specific purposes:

• @turf/helpers is a utility library that provides helper functions for creating and manipulating GeoJSON features and geometries. It simplifies the process of constructing GeoJSON objects, making it easier to work with geographic data in your applications. If you need to create or modify GeoJSON data structures, @turf/helpers is an essential companion to the main Turf.js library.

• @turf/invariant focuses on providing invariant checks and validation for GeoJSON data. It ensures that the data you are working with adheres to the GeoJSON specification, helping to prevent errors and inconsistencies in your geospatial analyses. If your application relies heavily on the integrity of GeoJSON data, using @turf/invariant can enhance the reliability of your spatial computations.

• @turf/meta offers functions for iterating over GeoJSON features and collections. It provides utilities for working with multiple features at once, allowing you to perform batch operations and analyses on collections of geographic data. If you frequently need to process or analyze multiple GeoJSON features together, @turf/meta can streamline your workflow.

To see how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing @turf/helpers vs @turf/invariant vs @turf/meta vs @turf/turf.