html2canvas vs canvg vs svg.js vs svg2png
SVG and Canvas Manipulation Libraries Comparison
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What's SVG and Canvas Manipulation Libraries?

These libraries are designed to facilitate the manipulation, rendering, and conversion of SVG and canvas elements in web applications. They provide developers with tools to convert vector graphics into raster images, render SVG on canvas, and capture HTML elements as images. The main benefits of using these libraries include improved performance in rendering graphics, the ability to export graphics in various formats, and enhanced control over graphical elements, which can be crucial for applications that require dynamic visual content or image generation.

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html2canvas3,344,73931,3103.38 MB1,030-MIT
canvg2,499,9623,7511.29 MB1313 months agoMIT
svg.js717,11611,420-137 years agoMIT
svg2png18,959597-368 years agoWTFPL
Feature Comparison: html2canvas vs canvg vs svg.js vs svg2png

Rendering Capability

  • html2canvas:

    html2canvas captures the visual representation of HTML elements, including SVGs, and renders them onto a canvas. It is particularly useful for creating screenshots of web pages or specific sections, capturing the exact look of the elements as they appear in the browser.

  • canvg:

    Canvg excels at rendering SVG graphics onto HTML5 canvas elements. It interprets SVG markup and draws it on the canvas, allowing for high-performance graphics rendering, especially for applications that require real-time updates.

  • svg.js:

    SVG.js provides a comprehensive API for creating and manipulating SVG elements directly in the DOM. It allows for easy rendering of SVG graphics and supports animations, making it ideal for interactive graphics and visualizations.

  • svg2png:

    svg2png focuses on converting SVG files into PNG format. It does not render SVGs but rather transforms them into raster images, which is useful for applications that need to export graphics in a widely supported format.

Use Cases

  • html2canvas:

    html2canvas is ideal for applications that require taking screenshots of web pages or specific elements, such as reporting tools, social media sharing, or generating visual content for emails.

  • canvg:

    Canvg is best suited for applications that need to render SVG graphics dynamically on a canvas, such as games or interactive visualizations where performance is critical.

  • svg.js:

    SVG.js is perfect for projects that involve creating complex SVG graphics, animations, or interactive visualizations, such as data dashboards or infographics.

  • svg2png:

    svg2png is essential for applications that need to export SVG graphics as PNG images for use in environments that do not support SVG, such as certain email clients or older browsers.

Performance

  • html2canvas:

    html2canvas may have performance limitations when capturing large or complex web pages, as it processes the entire DOM and styles. Performance can vary based on the complexity of the elements being captured.

  • canvg:

    Canvg is optimized for rendering performance, making it suitable for applications that require fast and efficient rendering of SVG graphics on canvas. It minimizes overhead and allows for real-time updates without significant lag.

  • svg.js:

    SVG.js is lightweight and efficient for manipulating SVG elements, providing smooth animations and interactions without significant performance overhead, making it suitable for high-performance applications.

  • svg2png:

    svg2png is efficient in converting SVG to PNG, but the performance may depend on the complexity of the SVG being processed. It is generally fast for most use cases.

Learning Curve

  • html2canvas:

    html2canvas is relatively easy to use, with a straightforward API for capturing elements. Developers can quickly implement it without extensive prior knowledge of canvas or SVG.

  • canvg:

    Canvg has a moderate learning curve, especially for developers familiar with SVG and canvas concepts. Understanding how to manipulate SVGs and render them effectively may require some initial investment in learning.

  • svg.js:

    SVG.js is designed to be user-friendly, with a simple and intuitive API. Developers can quickly get started with creating and manipulating SVG elements, making it accessible for beginners.

  • svg2png:

    svg2png has a minimal learning curve, as it primarily focuses on the conversion process. Developers can easily integrate it into their projects without needing deep knowledge of SVG.

Extensibility

  • html2canvas:

    html2canvas can be extended with custom options and configurations, enabling developers to tailor the screenshot capturing process to their specific needs.

  • canvg:

    Canvg can be extended with custom rendering functions and supports various SVG features, allowing developers to customize how SVGs are rendered on canvas.

  • svg.js:

    SVG.js is highly extensible, allowing developers to create plugins and custom functionalities to enhance the library's capabilities for specific use cases.

  • svg2png:

    svg2png is less extensible compared to the other libraries, as it primarily focuses on the conversion process. However, it can be integrated into larger workflows for image processing.

How to Choose: html2canvas vs canvg vs svg.js vs svg2png
  • html2canvas:

    Choose html2canvas if you want to capture and convert HTML elements (including SVGs) into canvas images. This library is ideal for creating screenshots of web pages or specific elements, allowing for easy sharing or saving of visual content as images.

  • canvg:

    Choose Canvg if you need to render SVG directly onto a canvas element for performance optimization or if you want to manipulate SVG graphics using JavaScript. It is particularly useful for applications that require dynamic rendering of SVGs in real-time.

  • svg.js:

    Choose SVG.js if you need a lightweight library for creating, manipulating, and animating SVG elements. It provides a simple API for working with SVG graphics and is particularly useful for applications that require complex SVG manipulations or animations.

  • svg2png:

    Choose svg2png if your primary goal is to convert SVG files into PNG format. This library is essential for applications that need to export SVG graphics as raster images for compatibility with various platforms or to ensure consistent rendering across different browsers.

Similar Npm Packages to html2canvas

html2canvas is a popular JavaScript library that allows developers to take "screenshots" of web pages or specific elements by rendering them to a canvas element. This library is particularly useful for generating images from HTML content, making it a valuable tool for applications that require visual representations of web content, such as reporting tools, dashboards, or social media sharing features. By converting HTML to canvas, html2canvas enables developers to capture and manipulate web content in a flexible way.

While html2canvas is a powerful tool, there are alternatives that provide similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy options:

  • dom-to-image is a library that allows you to convert DOM nodes into images. It can generate PNG or JPEG images from HTML elements, similar to html2canvas, but with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. dom-to-image is particularly useful for applications that need to create images from specific parts of the DOM without the overhead of rendering the entire page. It also supports options for customizing the output, such as adding background colors or specifying image quality.
  • puppeteer is a headless Chrome Node.js API that provides a more comprehensive solution for web scraping, automated testing, and rendering web pages. While it is not specifically designed for converting DOM elements to images, puppeteer can take full-page screenshots or capture specific elements by rendering them in a headless browser environment. This makes it a powerful alternative for developers who need more control over the rendering process and want to leverage the full capabilities of a browser.

To see how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing dom-to-image vs html2canvas vs puppeteer.

Similar Npm Packages to canvg

canvg is a JavaScript library that allows you to render SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) content onto an HTML canvas element. This is particularly useful for applications that need to convert SVG images into raster formats or manipulate them within a canvas context. With canvg, developers can easily integrate SVG rendering capabilities into their web applications, enabling dynamic graphics and visualizations.

While canvg is a powerful tool for working with SVGs, there are several alternatives that also provide functionality for handling graphics and images. Here are a few notable options:

  • html2canvas is a popular library that allows you to take "screenshots" of web pages or specific elements by rendering them onto a canvas. It converts HTML and CSS into a canvas representation, which can then be exported as an image. This library is particularly useful for applications that need to capture the visual state of a webpage, including SVG elements, and save it as an image file. If your project requires capturing the visual output of web pages, html2canvas is a great choice.

  • svg.js is a lightweight library for manipulating and animating SVG content in the browser. It provides an easy-to-use API for creating, modifying, and animating SVG elements, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to build interactive graphics and visualizations. While svg.js does not directly convert SVG to canvas, it allows for extensive manipulation of SVG elements, which can then be rendered or exported as needed.

  • svg2png is a utility that converts SVG images into PNG format. This library is particularly useful when you need to export SVG graphics as raster images for compatibility with various platforms or applications that do not support SVG. If your primary goal is to convert SVG files to PNG, svg2png is a straightforward solution that focuses solely on this functionality.

To explore how canvg compares with html2canvas, svg.js, and svg2png, check out the comparison: Comparing canvg vs html2canvas vs svg.js vs svg2png.

Similar Npm Packages to svg.js

svg.js is a lightweight JavaScript library for manipulating and animating SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) elements. It provides a simple and intuitive API that allows developers to create, modify, and animate SVG graphics easily. With its focus on performance and ease of use, svg.js is a popular choice for developers looking to incorporate SVG graphics into their web applications. However, there are several alternatives in the ecosystem that also provide powerful capabilities for working with SVG and graphics. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:

  • d3 is a robust JavaScript library for producing dynamic, interactive data visualizations in web browsers. D3 (Data-Driven Documents) allows developers to bind data to the DOM and apply data-driven transformations to the document. While it is more complex than svg.js, D3 offers extensive capabilities for creating sophisticated visualizations and handling large datasets. If you need to create complex visualizations or work with data-driven graphics, D3 is an excellent choice, as it provides a vast range of features and flexibility.
  • raphael is another library that simplifies working with vector graphics in web applications. It provides an easy-to-use API for creating and manipulating vector graphics, supporting both SVG and VML (Vector Markup Language) for compatibility with older browsers. Raphael is particularly useful for developers who want to create simple graphics and animations without diving deep into the complexities of SVG. If your project requires basic vector graphics and cross-browser support, Raphael can be a suitable alternative.

To see how svg.js compares with d3 and raphael, check out the comparison: Comparing svg.js vs d3 vs raphael.

README for html2canvas

html2canvas

Homepage | Downloads | Questions

Gitter CI NPM Downloads NPM Version

JavaScript HTML renderer

The script allows you to take "screenshots" of webpages or parts of it, directly on the users browser. The screenshot is based on the DOM and as such may not be 100% accurate to the real representation as it does not make an actual screenshot, but builds the screenshot based on the information available on the page.

How does it work?

The script renders the current page as a canvas image, by reading the DOM and the different styles applied to the elements.

It does not require any rendering from the server, as the whole image is created on the client's browser. However, as it is heavily dependent on the browser, this library is not suitable to be used in nodejs. It doesn't magically circumvent any browser content policy restrictions either, so rendering cross-origin content will require a proxy to get the content to the same origin.

The script is still in a very experimental state, so I don't recommend using it in a production environment nor start building applications with it yet, as there will be still major changes made.

Browser compatibility

The library should work fine on the following browsers (with Promise polyfill):

  • Firefox 3.5+
  • Google Chrome
  • Opera 12+
  • IE9+
  • Safari 6+

As each CSS property needs to be manually built to be supported, there are a number of properties that are not yet supported.

Usage

The html2canvas library utilizes Promises and expects them to be available in the global context. If you wish to support older browsers that do not natively support Promises, please include a polyfill such as es6-promise before including html2canvas.

To render an element with html2canvas, simply call: html2canvas(element[, options]);

The function returns a Promise containing the <canvas> element. Simply add a promise fulfillment handler to the promise using then:

html2canvas(document.body).then(function(canvas) {
    document.body.appendChild(canvas);
});

Building

You can download ready builds here.

Clone git repository:

$ git clone git://github.com/niklasvh/html2canvas.git

Install dependencies:

$ npm install

Build browser bundle

$ npm run build

Examples

For more information and examples, please visit the homepage or try the test console.

Contributing

If you wish to contribute to the project, please send the pull requests to the develop branch. Before submitting any changes, try and test that the changes work with all the support browsers. If some CSS property isn't supported or is incomplete, please create appropriate tests for it as well before submitting any code changes.

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