cli-table vs cli-table3 vs console-table-printer vs table vs text-table
Node.js Table Formatting Libraries
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Node.js Table Formatting Libraries

These libraries are designed to create and format tables in the command-line interface (CLI) for Node.js applications. They allow developers to display data in a structured and visually appealing way, enhancing the readability of output in terminal applications. Each library offers unique features and capabilities, catering to different use cases and preferences in table formatting.

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cli-table02,29317.3 kB185 years ago-
cli-table3063546.2 kB262 years agoMIT
console-table-printer022851.5 kB163 months agoMIT
table0973335 kB332 years agoBSD-3-Clause
text-table0---13 years agoMIT

Feature Comparison: cli-table vs cli-table3 vs console-table-printer vs table vs text-table

Ease of Use

  • cli-table:

    cli-table provides a very straightforward API that allows developers to create tables with minimal setup. It is designed for quick implementations and is easy to learn for beginners.

  • cli-table3:

    cli-table3 builds upon the simplicity of cli-table but adds more features while maintaining ease of use. It is still user-friendly, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.

  • console-table-printer:

    console-table-printer offers a simple API but includes more options for customization, which may require a slight learning curve. However, it is still relatively easy to use for most developers.

  • table:

    table is designed for quick and efficient table generation, making it very easy to use with a minimalistic approach. It is perfect for developers who want to get tables up and running quickly.

  • text-table:

    text-table is extremely easy to use, focusing on generating plain text tables without any complex configurations. It is ideal for those who want a straightforward solution.

Customization Options

  • cli-table:

    cli-table has limited customization options, focusing mainly on basic table formatting. It allows for some styling but lacks advanced features for customization.

  • cli-table3:

    cli-table3 offers enhanced customization options, including support for Unicode characters and more flexible column definitions, making it suitable for more complex table layouts.

  • console-table-printer:

    console-table-printer excels in customization, allowing developers to define colors, styles, and widths for columns, providing a rich visual output for CLI applications.

  • table:

    table offers basic customization options but is primarily focused on performance and simplicity, making it less flexible than some other libraries.

  • text-table:

    text-table is minimalistic and does not provide extensive customization options, focusing instead on generating simple text tables without additional styling.

Performance

  • cli-table:

    cli-table is lightweight and performs well for basic table generation, making it suitable for applications that require quick output without heavy processing.

  • cli-table3:

    cli-table3 maintains good performance while adding more features. It is optimized for modern usage and handles Unicode characters efficiently.

  • console-table-printer:

    console-table-printer may have slightly more overhead due to its advanced features, but it is still efficient for most use cases and provides a visually appealing output.

  • table:

    table is designed for high performance and is very efficient in generating tables, making it a great choice for applications that need to display large amounts of data quickly.

  • text-table:

    text-table is lightweight and performs well for generating simple text tables, making it suitable for applications that require minimal processing.

Output Formatting

  • cli-table:

    cli-table formats tables in a traditional style, which may be limited in terms of aesthetics but is functional for basic needs.

  • cli-table3:

    cli-table3 enhances output formatting with better support for Unicode, allowing for more visually appealing tables that can include various character sets.

  • console-table-printer:

    console-table-printer provides rich output formatting options, including colors and styles, making it ideal for applications that require a more polished presentation.

  • table:

    table focuses on straightforward output formatting, providing clear and concise tables without extensive styling options.

  • text-table:

    text-table generates plain text tables that are easy to read but lack advanced formatting options, making it suitable for simple use cases.

Community and Maintenance

  • cli-table:

    cli-table has a stable user base and is well-maintained, although it may not receive frequent updates due to its simplicity.

  • cli-table3:

    cli-table3 is actively maintained and has a growing community, providing regular updates and improvements over its predecessor.

  • console-table-printer:

    console-table-printer is actively developed with a focus on adding new features and enhancements, supported by a responsive community.

  • table:

    table is maintained with a focus on performance and simplicity, ensuring that it remains a reliable choice for developers.

  • text-table:

    text-table is a mature library that is stable and well-maintained, but it may not see frequent updates due to its straightforward nature.

How to Choose: cli-table vs cli-table3 vs console-table-printer vs table vs text-table

  • cli-table:

    Choose cli-table if you need a simple and straightforward solution for creating tables in the CLI. It is easy to use and suitable for basic table formatting without advanced features.

  • cli-table3:

    Select cli-table3 if you require a modernized version of cli-table with additional features and better support for Unicode characters. It is ideal for projects that need more flexibility and customization in table styling.

  • console-table-printer:

    Opt for console-table-printer if you want a library that supports advanced features like colorized output and customizable column widths. It is perfect for applications that need enhanced visual representation of data in tables.

  • table:

    Use table if you need a lightweight and efficient solution for generating tables with minimal configuration. It is suitable for quick implementations where performance is a priority.

  • text-table:

    Choose text-table if you prefer a library that focuses on simplicity and ease of use for generating plain text tables. It is ideal for projects that require basic table formatting without additional complexity.

Similar Npm Packages to cli-table

cli-table is a popular npm package that allows developers to create visually appealing tables in the command line interface (CLI). It provides a simple and flexible way to format and display tabular data, making it easier to read and interpret information directly from the terminal. While cli-table is widely used, there are several alternatives available that offer similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy options:

  • ascii-table is a lightweight library for creating ASCII tables in the terminal. It provides a straightforward API for defining table headers, rows, and columns, and it automatically handles the formatting for you. If you need a simple solution for displaying tabular data without the overhead of additional features, ascii-table is a great choice.
  • blessed is a more comprehensive library for building interactive terminal applications. While it offers table functionality, it also provides a wide range of UI components, such as forms, buttons, and text boxes. If you are looking to create a full-fledged terminal user interface with tables as one of the components, blessed is an excellent option due to its versatility and rich feature set.
  • cli-table3 is a maintained fork of the original cli-table package, offering additional features and improvements. It retains the simplicity of the original while adding support for nested tables, column alignment, and more. If you are already familiar with cli-table and want to leverage its enhancements, cli-table3 is a solid choice.
  • table is another library for creating tables in the terminal. It provides a simple API for defining table structures and formatting options. table is designed to be easy to use while offering flexibility in terms of styling and customization. If you are looking for a straightforward way to create tables with some additional styling options, table is worth considering.

To explore how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing ascii-table vs blessed vs cli-table vs cli-table3 vs table.

Similar Npm Packages to cli-table3

cli-table3 is a popular Node.js package for creating visually appealing tables in the command line interface (CLI). It allows developers to format and display data in a structured way, making it easier to read and understand. With support for customizable styles, column alignment, and row spanning, cli-table3 is a versatile tool for enhancing the output of CLI applications. It is particularly useful for developers who want to present data clearly in terminal applications or scripts.

While cli-table3 is a powerful option, there are several alternatives available that also provide table formatting capabilities in the CLI:

  • cli-table is the predecessor to cli-table3 and offers similar functionality for creating tables in the terminal. Although it has been widely used, it may not have all the features and improvements found in cli-table3. If you are looking for a straightforward solution and are already familiar with cli-table, it can still serve your needs effectively, but keep in mind that it may lack some of the enhancements present in its successor.
  • console-table-printer is another alternative that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. It provides a clean API for printing tables to the console, with support for various formatting options. If you want a lightweight solution that allows you to quickly print tables without much configuration, console-table-printer is a great choice.
  • table is a versatile package that allows you to create tables in the CLI with a focus on flexibility and customization. It supports a variety of features, including cell styling and alignment, making it suitable for more complex table layouts. If you need more control over the appearance of your tables, table might be the right option for you.
  • text-table is a minimalistic library that provides a simple way to create plain text tables. It is lightweight and easy to use, making it ideal for quick table formatting tasks without the need for extensive customization. If your requirements are basic and you prefer a straightforward approach, text-table is worth considering.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the following link: Comparing cli-table vs cli-table3 vs console-table-printer vs table vs text-table.

Similar Npm Packages to console-table-printer

console-table-printer is a versatile and user-friendly library for printing tables in the console. It allows developers to create well-formatted tables with ease, making it an excellent choice for displaying data in a readable format during development or debugging. The library supports various features such as customizable column widths, alignment, and colors, which enhance the visual representation of data in the terminal.

While console-table-printer is a great option for console table printing, there are several alternatives available in the npm ecosystem that also provide similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy alternatives:

  • ascii-table is a simple and lightweight library for creating ASCII tables in the console. It offers a straightforward API for defining table headers and rows, making it easy to display data in a tabular format. If you're looking for a minimalistic solution for generating ASCII tables without additional features, ascii-table is a solid choice.
  • cli-table is another popular library for creating tables in the console. It provides a rich set of features, including customizable styles, column alignment, and row spanning. cli-table is well-suited for more complex table structures and offers a more extensive feature set compared to some simpler alternatives. If you need a robust solution for displaying data in the console, cli-table is worth considering.
  • console.table is a built-in method available in modern browsers and Node.js environments that allows you to display tabular data in the console. While it may not offer the same level of customization as dedicated libraries, it is a quick and easy way to visualize arrays and objects in a table format. If you need a straightforward solution for displaying data without additional dependencies, console.table is a convenient option.
  • table is a flexible library for creating tables in the console with support for various formatting options. It allows for extensive customization, including cell padding, alignment, and border styles. If you require a highly customizable solution for generating tables in the console, table is an excellent choice.

To see how console-table-printer compares with its alternatives, check out the comparison: Comparing ascii-table vs cli-table vs console-table-printer vs console.table vs table.

Similar Npm Packages to table

table is a lightweight npm package for generating formatted text-based tables in the terminal or console. It’s commonly used in Node.js environments for CLI tools, logging, or displaying structured data in a human-readable way. While table excels in simplicity and server-side output, it is not designed for interactive or browser-based data grids. For web applications requiring rich, interactive table components, several alternatives offer more advanced features like sorting, filtering, pagination, and editing.

  • ag-grid is a full-featured, enterprise-grade data grid for JavaScript and React applications. It supports advanced capabilities such as row grouping, pivoting, real-time updates, and Excel-like editing. ag-grid is ideal for complex dashboards and data-intensive applications but comes with a steeper learning curve and licensing considerations for commercial use.
  • datatables.net is a popular jQuery plugin that enhances HTML tables with dynamic features like search, pagination, and sorting. Though originally built for jQuery, it can be integrated into modern frameworks with some effort. It’s well-documented and widely used, especially in legacy or server-rendered applications.
  • gridjs is a modern, framework-agnostic JavaScript library for building interactive tables. It offers a clean API, supports React, Vue, and vanilla JS, and includes features like pagination, search, and custom cell rendering—all without external dependencies.
  • handsontable provides a spreadsheet-like experience in the browser, supporting features like cell formulas, drag-to-fill, and inline editing. It’s particularly useful for applications that require Excel-like functionality and data manipulation.
  • react-data-grid is a high-performance, customizable data grid built specifically for React. It focuses on performance with large datasets and offers features like column resizing, keyboard navigation, and cell editors while maintaining a relatively small bundle size.
  • react-table is a lightweight, headless utility for building powerful tables and datagrids in React. It doesn’t ship with any built-in UI, giving developers full control over styling and behavior. Its hook-based architecture makes it highly composable and suitable for custom design systems.

For a detailed feature and usage comparison, see: Comparing datatables.net vs gridjs vs handsontable vs react-data-grid vs react-table vs table.

Similar Npm Packages to text-table

text-table is a simple and lightweight library for creating text-based tables in Node.js applications. It allows developers to format data into a visually appealing table format that can be easily displayed in the console. This can be particularly useful for command-line applications, scripts, or any scenario where you want to present data in a structured manner. While text-table is a great option for generating text tables, there are several alternatives available that offer similar functionality. Here are a few noteworthy alternatives:

  • ascii-table is a library that provides a straightforward way to create ASCII tables in Node.js. It offers a simple API for defining table headers, rows, and styles, making it easy to customize the appearance of the table. If you're looking for a library that focuses on ASCII art tables and provides a bit more customization in terms of styles and formatting, ascii-table is a solid choice.
  • cli-table is another popular library for creating tables in the command line interface. It supports various features such as column alignment, row spanning, and customizable styles. cli-table is widely used in the Node.js community and is known for its flexibility and ease of use. If you need a more feature-rich table solution with advanced formatting options, cli-table might be the right fit for your project.
  • table is a versatile library that allows you to create tables in both the command line and in HTML. It supports various styles, alignment options, and even nested tables. If you're looking for a library that can handle both console and web-based table rendering, table provides a comprehensive solution that can adapt to different environments.
  • table-layout is a lightweight library focused on creating simple, responsive tables. It is particularly useful for applications that require a straightforward table layout without the overhead of additional features. If your needs are minimal and you want a no-frills approach to table creation, table-layout is a great option.

To see how text-table compares with ascii-table, cli-table, table, and table-layout, check out the comparison: Comparing ascii-table vs cli-table vs table vs table-layout vs text-table.

README for cli-table

CLI Table NPM Version Build Status

This utility allows you to render unicode-aided tables on the command line from your node.js scripts.

Screenshot

Features

  • Customizable characters that constitute the table.
  • Color/background styling in the header through colors.js
  • Column width customization
  • Text truncation based on predefined widths
  • Text alignment (left, right, center)
  • Padding (left, right)
  • Easy-to-use API

Installation

npm install cli-table

How to use

Horizontal Tables

var Table = require('cli-table');

// instantiate
var table = new Table({
    head: ['TH 1 label', 'TH 2 label']
  , colWidths: [100, 200]
});

// table is an Array, so you can `push`, `unshift`, `splice` and friends
table.push(
    ['First value', 'Second value']
  , ['First value', 'Second value']
);

console.log(table.toString());

Initializing rows in the constructore

Optionally you can initialize rows in the constructors directly - comes in handy for smaller tables:

new Table({
  rows: [
      ['foo', '7 minutes ago']
    , ['bar', '8 minutes ago']
  ]
})

Vertical Tables

var Table = require('cli-table');
var table = new Table();

table.push(
    { 'Some key': 'Some value' }
  , { 'Another key': 'Another value' }
);

console.log(table.toString());

Cross Tables

Cross tables are very similar to vertical tables, with two key differences:

  1. They require a head setting when instantiated that has an empty string as the first header
  2. The individual rows take the general form of { "Header": ["Row", "Values"] }
var Table = require('cli-table');
var table = new Table({ head: ["", "Top Header 1", "Top Header 2"] });

table.push(
    { 'Left Header 1': ['Value Row 1 Col 1', 'Value Row 1 Col 2'] }
  , { 'Left Header 2': ['Value Row 2 Col 1', 'Value Row 2 Col 2'] }
);

console.log(table.toString());

Custom styles

The chars property controls how the table is drawn:

var table = new Table({
  chars: { 'top': '═' , 'top-mid': '╤' , 'top-left': '╔' , 'top-right': '╗'
         , 'bottom': '═' , 'bottom-mid': '╧' , 'bottom-left': '╚' , 'bottom-right': '╝'
         , 'left': '║' , 'left-mid': '╟' , 'mid': '─' , 'mid-mid': '┼'
         , 'right': '║' , 'right-mid': '╢' , 'middle': '│' }
});

table.push(
    ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
  , ['frob', 'bar', 'quuz']
);

console.log(table.toString());
// Outputs:
//
//╔══════╤═════╤══════╗
//║ foo  │ bar │ baz  ║
//╟──────┼─────┼──────╢
//║ frob │ bar │ quuz ║
//╚══════╧═════╧══════╝

Empty decoration lines will be skipped, to avoid vertical separator rows just set the 'mid', 'left-mid', 'mid-mid', 'right-mid' to the empty string:

var table = new Table({ chars: {'mid': '', 'left-mid': '', 'mid-mid': '', 'right-mid': ''} });
table.push(
    ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
  , ['frobnicate', 'bar', 'quuz']
);

console.log(table.toString());
// Outputs: (note the lack of the horizontal line between rows)
//┌────────────┬─────┬──────┐
//│ foo        │ bar │ baz  │
//│ frobnicate │ bar │ quuz │
//└────────────┴─────┴──────┘

By setting all chars to empty with the exception of 'middle' being set to a single space and by setting padding to zero, it's possible to get the most compact layout with no decorations:

var table = new Table({
  chars: { 'top': '' , 'top-mid': '' , 'top-left': '' , 'top-right': ''
         , 'bottom': '' , 'bottom-mid': '' , 'bottom-left': '' , 'bottom-right': ''
         , 'left': '' , 'left-mid': '' , 'mid': '' , 'mid-mid': ''
         , 'right': '' , 'right-mid': '' , 'middle': ' ' },
  style: { 'padding-left': 0, 'padding-right': 0 }
});

table.push(
    ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
  , ['frobnicate', 'bar', 'quuz']
);

console.log(table.toString());
// Outputs:
//foo        bar baz
//frobnicate bar quuz

Running tests

Clone the repository with all its submodules and run:

$ make test

Credits

huntr

License

(The MIT License)

Copyright (c) 2010 LearnBoost <dev@learnboost.com>

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the 'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

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