readable-stream vs through2 vs duplexify vs stream-browserify vs event-stream vs stream
Node.js Stream Libraries Comparison
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What's Node.js Stream Libraries?

Node.js stream libraries provide a way to handle streaming data in a more efficient manner, allowing developers to work with data as it is being read or written, rather than waiting for the entire data set to be processed. This is particularly useful for handling large amounts of data, such as files or network requests, where it is impractical to load everything into memory at once. These libraries help in building applications that require real-time data processing, such as web servers, data pipelines, and more.

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readable-stream176,298,4641,041218 kB165 months agoMIT
through233,155,8631,900-55 years agoMIT
duplexify18,946,33319218.3 kB12a year agoMIT
stream-browserify12,904,359103-65 years agoMIT
event-stream4,551,3292,182-77 years agoMIT
stream921,8586712.4 kB5a year agoMIT
Feature Comparison: readable-stream vs through2 vs duplexify vs stream-browserify vs event-stream vs stream

Stream Type Support

  • readable-stream:

    Readable-Stream focuses on providing a consistent implementation of readable streams, ensuring compatibility and performance across various Node.js environments.

  • through2:

    Through2 is specifically designed for creating transform streams, allowing for easy manipulation of data as it flows through the stream.

  • duplexify:

    Duplexify creates a duplex stream that allows simultaneous reading and writing, making it ideal for network protocols or any scenario requiring bidirectional data flow.

  • stream-browserify:

    Stream-Browserify mimics the Node.js stream API for browser environments, allowing developers to use streams in client-side applications without modification.

  • event-stream:

    Event-Stream supports various stream types, including readable, writable, and transform streams, providing a versatile toolkit for handling different data flows and transformations.

  • stream:

    Stream provides basic support for readable and writable streams, serving as the foundation for building custom streams in Node.js applications.

Ease of Use

  • readable-stream:

    Readable-Stream provides a familiar API for those already accustomed to Node.js streams, making it easy to integrate into existing applications.

  • through2:

    Through2 is simple to use for creating transform streams, with a clean API that allows developers to focus on the transformation logic rather than stream management.

  • duplexify:

    Duplexify is straightforward to use, with a simple API that allows developers to easily create duplex streams without dealing with the complexities of underlying stream implementations.

  • stream-browserify:

    Stream-Browserify is designed to be as close to the Node.js API as possible, making it easy for Node.js developers to transition to browser-based streaming without significant changes.

  • event-stream:

    Event-Stream offers a high-level API that simplifies stream operations, making it easier to compose and manage complex data flows with minimal boilerplate code.

  • stream:

    Stream is the core module, so it has a minimal learning curve for those familiar with Node.js, but it may require more boilerplate for advanced use cases.

Performance

  • readable-stream:

    Readable-Stream is built for performance, providing efficient handling of large data sets and ensuring that backpressure is managed effectively.

  • through2:

    Through2 is lightweight and optimized for transforming data, ensuring that performance remains high even with complex transformations.

  • duplexify:

    Duplexify is optimized for performance in network applications, ensuring efficient data flow and minimal latency when creating duplex connections.

  • stream-browserify:

    Stream-Browserify aims to provide a performant implementation of streams for the browser, but performance may vary based on the browser's capabilities.

  • event-stream:

    Event-Stream is designed for performance with a focus on minimizing overhead during data transformations, making it suitable for high-throughput applications.

  • stream:

    Stream is efficient for basic stream operations, but may not be as optimized for complex scenarios compared to higher-level libraries.

Compatibility

  • readable-stream:

    Readable-Stream is designed to be compatible with all Node.js versions, ensuring consistent behavior across different environments and setups.

  • through2:

    Through2 is compatible with Node.js streams and can be used in browser environments with the right setup, making it a flexible choice for stream transformations.

  • duplexify:

    Duplexify is compatible with both Node.js and browser environments, making it a versatile choice for applications that need to support multiple platforms.

  • stream-browserify:

    Stream-Browserify is specifically designed for browser compatibility, allowing developers to use the familiar Node.js stream API in client-side applications.

  • event-stream:

    Event-Stream is primarily designed for Node.js, but can be adapted for browser use with some modifications, making it less versatile than other options.

  • stream:

    Stream is the native Node.js implementation, ensuring compatibility with all Node.js applications, but it is not suitable for browser environments without polyfills.

Community and Maintenance

  • readable-stream:

    Readable-Stream is widely used and actively maintained as part of the Node.js core, ensuring it receives regular updates and support from the Node.js community.

  • through2:

    Through2 is actively maintained and has a strong community, making it a reliable choice for developers looking for transform stream solutions.

  • duplexify:

    Duplexify is actively maintained and has a supportive community, ensuring that any issues are addressed promptly and that the library remains up-to-date with best practices.

  • stream-browserify:

    Stream-Browserify is maintained by the community, providing a good level of support, but may not be as actively updated as core Node.js modules.

  • event-stream:

    Event-Stream has a large user base and community support, but its maintenance has been questioned in the past, so developers should evaluate its current state before use.

  • stream:

    Stream is part of the Node.js core modules, ensuring it is well-maintained and receives updates with each Node.js release, but it may lack community-driven enhancements.

How to Choose: readable-stream vs through2 vs duplexify vs stream-browserify vs event-stream vs stream
  • readable-stream:

    Opt for Readable-Stream if you want a stable and consistent implementation of the Node.js streams API that is compatible across different Node.js versions, ensuring better performance and reliability in your applications.

  • through2:

    Select Through2 when you need a simple way to create transform streams, especially if you want to apply transformations to data flowing through a stream without the complexity of managing state.

  • duplexify:

    Choose Duplexify if you need to create a duplex stream that combines readable and writable streams, especially when working with TCP sockets or other network connections that require bidirectional communication.

  • stream-browserify:

    Choose Stream-Browserify if you are developing for the browser and need a browser-compatible version of the Node.js stream module, allowing you to use streams in client-side applications seamlessly.

  • event-stream:

    Select Event-Stream for a comprehensive toolkit that simplifies working with streams, especially if you need to handle complex data transformations and event-driven architectures in a more declarative manner.

  • stream:

    Use Stream if you are looking for the core Node.js stream module, which provides the foundational building blocks for creating readable and writable streams, suitable for basic stream operations without additional abstractions.

Similar Npm Packages to stream

stream is a core module in Node.js that provides an API for working with streaming data. It allows developers to read and write data in a continuous flow, making it ideal for handling large amounts of data efficiently without loading everything into memory at once. The stream module supports various types of streams, including readable, writable, duplex, and transform streams, enabling developers to build complex data processing pipelines. While the stream module is powerful, there are several alternatives that offer additional features or simplify certain use cases. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • duplexify is a library that allows you to create duplex streams, which can be both readable and writable. It is particularly useful when you need to combine multiple streams or create a stream that can handle both input and output. duplexify simplifies the process of creating duplex streams, making it easier to manage data flow in applications that require bidirectional communication.

  • event-stream is a utility library for working with streams in Node.js. It provides a wide range of functions for transforming, filtering, and combining streams, making it easier to work with complex data processing tasks. event-stream is particularly useful for developers looking for a more functional approach to stream manipulation, as it offers a variety of methods to handle and transform data efficiently.

  • readable-stream is a compatibility layer that provides a consistent implementation of the readable stream API across different versions of Node.js. It is particularly useful for developers who need to ensure compatibility with older versions of Node.js while still leveraging the latest features of the stream API. If you are working in an environment where compatibility is a concern, readable-stream is a great choice.

  • stream-browserify is a browser-compatible implementation of the Node.js stream module. It allows developers to use the familiar stream API in web applications, making it easier to handle streaming data in the browser. If you are building a web application that requires stream functionality similar to Node.js, stream-browserify provides a seamless way to achieve that.

  • through2 is a tiny wrapper around Node.js streams that simplifies the creation of transform streams. It allows developers to easily create streams that can modify or transform data as it passes through. through2 is particularly useful for developers who want to create custom transformation logic without the boilerplate code typically associated with stream creation.

To see how these packages compare, check out the comparison: Comparing duplexify vs event-stream vs readable-stream vs stream vs stream-browserify vs through2.

README for readable-stream

readable-stream

Node.js core streams for userland

npm status node Node.js Build Browsers Build

npm install readable-stream

This package is a mirror of the streams implementations in Node.js 18.19.0.

Full documentation may be found on the Node.js website.

If you want to guarantee a stable streams base, regardless of what version of Node you, or the users of your libraries are using, use readable-stream only and avoid the "stream" module in Node-core, for background see this blogpost.

As of version 2.0.0 readable-stream uses semantic versioning.

Version 4.x.x

v4.x.x of readable-stream is a cut from Node 18. This version supports Node 12, 14, 16 and 18, as well as evergreen browsers. The breaking changes introduced by v4 are composed of the combined breaking changes in:

This also includes many new features.

Version 3.x.x

v3.x.x of readable-stream is a cut from Node 10. This version supports Node 6, 8, and 10, as well as evergreen browsers, IE 11 and latest Safari. The breaking changes introduced by v3 are composed by the combined breaking changes in Node v9 and Node v10, as follows:

  1. Error codes: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/13310, https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/13291, https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/16589, https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/15042, https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/15665, https://github.com/nodejs/readable-stream/pull/344
  2. 'readable' have precedence over flowing https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18994
  3. make virtual methods errors consistent https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18813
  4. updated streams error handling https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18438
  5. writable.end should return this. https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18780
  6. readable continues to read when push('') https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/18211
  7. add custom inspect to BufferList https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/17907
  8. always defer 'readable' with nextTick https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/17979

Version 2.x.x

v2.x.x of readable-stream is a cut of the stream module from Node 8 (there have been no semver-major changes from Node 4 to 8). This version supports all Node.js versions from 0.8, as well as evergreen browsers and IE 10 & 11.

Usage

You can swap your require('stream') with require('readable-stream') without any changes, if you are just using one of the main classes and functions.

const {
  Readable,
  Writable,
  Transform,
  Duplex,
  pipeline,
  finished
} = require('readable-stream')

Note that require('stream') will return Stream, while require('readable-stream') will return Readable. We discourage using whatever is exported directly, but rather use one of the properties as shown in the example above.

Usage In Browsers

You will need a bundler like browserify, webpack, parcel or similar. Polyfills are no longer required since version 4.2.0.

Streams Working Group

readable-stream is maintained by the Streams Working Group, which oversees the development and maintenance of the Streams API within Node.js. The responsibilities of the Streams Working Group include:

  • Addressing stream issues on the Node.js issue tracker.
  • Authoring and editing stream documentation within the Node.js project.
  • Reviewing changes to stream subclasses within the Node.js project.
  • Redirecting changes to streams from the Node.js project to this project.
  • Assisting in the implementation of stream providers within Node.js.
  • Recommending versions of readable-stream to be included in Node.js.
  • Messaging about the future of streams to give the community advance notice of changes.

Team Members

  • Mathias Buus (@mafintosh) <mathiasbuus@gmail.com>
  • Matteo Collina (@mcollina) <matteo.collina@gmail.com>
    • Release GPG key: 3ABC01543F22DD2239285CDD818674489FBC127E
  • Robert Nagy (@ronag) <ronagy@icloud.com>
  • Vincent Weevers (@vweevers) <mail@vincentweevers.nl>
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