eventemitter3 vs events vs mitt vs pubsub-js
JavaScript Event Management Libraries Comparison
1 Year
eventemitter3eventsmittpubsub-jsSimilar Packages:
What's JavaScript Event Management Libraries?

JavaScript event management libraries provide mechanisms for handling events in a structured way, allowing developers to create responsive applications that react to user interactions, system events, or other triggers. These libraries facilitate communication between different parts of an application, enabling decoupled architectures where components can subscribe to and emit events without needing to know about each other. This promotes cleaner code and enhances maintainability, especially in complex applications where multiple components need to interact seamlessly.

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eventemitter348,833,4503,40873.4 kB172 years agoMIT
events42,159,9761,395-114 years agoMIT
mitt9,992,17811,21326.4 kB202 years agoMIT
pubsub-js180,6184,827113 kB295 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: eventemitter3 vs events vs mitt vs pubsub-js

Performance

  • eventemitter3:

    EventEmitter3 is designed for performance, boasting a fast event dispatching mechanism. It minimizes overhead and is particularly effective in scenarios where events are emitted frequently, such as in real-time applications.

  • events:

    The 'events' module is efficient for most use cases but may not match the performance of specialized libraries like EventEmitter3 in high-frequency scenarios. It is suitable for standard event handling in Node.js applications.

  • mitt:

    Mitt is extremely lightweight and optimized for speed, making it one of the fastest options available. Its minimalistic design ensures that it incurs very little overhead, making it perfect for performance-critical applications.

  • pubsub-js:

    PubSub.js is generally performant but may introduce slightly more overhead compared to lighter alternatives like Mitt. It is suitable for applications where the additional features justify the performance trade-off.

API Design

  • eventemitter3:

    EventEmitter3 offers a straightforward and intuitive API for event handling, allowing developers to easily create, emit, and listen for events. Its design focuses on simplicity and performance, making it easy to integrate into various applications.

  • events:

    The 'events' module provides a classic Node.js-style API for event handling, which is familiar to many developers. It includes methods like 'on', 'emit', and 'removeListener', making it easy to manage events in a structured way.

  • mitt:

    Mitt has a very simple and clean API, consisting of just three methods: 'on', 'emit', and 'off'. This simplicity makes it easy to learn and use, especially for small projects or when quick implementation is needed.

  • pubsub-js:

    PubSub.js features a clear and expressive API that supports namespaces and allows for easy subscription and unsubscription. Its design is user-friendly, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels.

Extensibility

  • eventemitter3:

    EventEmitter3 is not inherently extensible but allows for custom implementations if needed. Its focus is on performance, so it does not include built-in extensibility features, keeping the library lightweight.

  • events:

    The 'events' module is designed to be used as-is, but it can be extended through inheritance or composition in Node.js applications. It provides a solid foundation for building custom event-driven architectures.

  • mitt:

    Mitt is intentionally minimal and does not provide built-in extensibility features. However, its simplicity allows developers to easily extend its functionality if needed, making it flexible for various use cases.

  • pubsub-js:

    PubSub.js supports namespaces, which allows for a more organized event handling structure. This feature can be seen as a form of extensibility, enabling developers to categorize events and manage them more effectively.

Use Cases

  • eventemitter3:

    Ideal for high-performance applications requiring rapid event handling, such as games or real-time data visualizations. Its efficiency makes it suitable for scenarios with numerous events being emitted frequently.

  • events:

    Best suited for server-side applications in Node.js where standard event handling is required. It is commonly used in backend services to manage asynchronous events and callbacks.

  • mitt:

    Perfect for small to medium-sized projects where a lightweight event handling solution is needed. Its simplicity makes it a great choice for quick implementations and prototyping.

  • pubsub-js:

    Well-suited for applications that require a more structured pub/sub system with additional features like namespaces. It is often used in larger applications where event management needs to be more organized.

Learning Curve

  • eventemitter3:

    EventEmitter3 has a low learning curve due to its straightforward API. Developers familiar with event handling concepts will find it easy to adopt and integrate into their projects.

  • events:

    The 'events' module is familiar to many Node.js developers, making it easy to learn for those already accustomed to the Node.js ecosystem. Its API is intuitive and well-documented.

  • mitt:

    Mitt's minimalistic design results in an extremely low learning curve. Its three methods are easy to grasp, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels, including beginners.

  • pubsub-js:

    PubSub.js has a gentle learning curve, with its clear API making it easy for developers to understand and implement. Its additional features may require a bit more time to master, but overall it remains user-friendly.

How to Choose: eventemitter3 vs events vs mitt vs pubsub-js
  • eventemitter3:

    Choose EventEmitter3 for high-performance event handling in applications where speed is critical. It is lightweight and optimized for performance, making it suitable for scenarios with a high volume of events.

  • events:

    Choose the built-in 'events' module if you are working in a Node.js environment and prefer a standard solution that is part of the Node.js core. It provides a straightforward API for event handling and is well-integrated with other Node.js features.

  • mitt:

    Choose Mitt for a minimalistic approach to event handling. It is extremely lightweight and easy to use, making it ideal for small projects or when you need a simple pub/sub mechanism without additional overhead.

  • pubsub-js:

    Choose PubSub.js if you need a more feature-rich pub/sub implementation with additional capabilities like namespaces and the ability to unsubscribe from specific events. It is suitable for applications that require more advanced event management.

README for eventemitter3

EventEmitter3

Version npmCICoverage Status

Sauce Test Status

EventEmitter3 is a high performance EventEmitter. It has been micro-optimized for various of code paths making this, one of, if not the fastest EventEmitter available for Node.js and browsers. The module is API compatible with the EventEmitter that ships by default with Node.js but there are some slight differences:

  • Domain support has been removed.
  • We do not throw an error when you emit an error event and nobody is listening.
  • The newListener and removeListener events have been removed as they are useful only in some uncommon use-cases.
  • The setMaxListeners, getMaxListeners, prependListener and prependOnceListener methods are not available.
  • Support for custom context for events so there is no need to use fn.bind.
  • The removeListener method removes all matching listeners, not only the first.

It's a drop in replacement for existing EventEmitters, but just faster. Free performance, who wouldn't want that? The EventEmitter is written in EcmaScript 3 so it will work in the oldest browsers and node versions that you need to support.

Installation

$ npm install --save eventemitter3

CDN

Recommended CDN:

https://unpkg.com/eventemitter3@latest/dist/eventemitter3.umd.min.js

Usage

After installation the only thing you need to do is require the module:

var EventEmitter = require('eventemitter3');

And you're ready to create your own EventEmitter instances. For the API documentation, please follow the official Node.js documentation:

http://nodejs.org/api/events.html

Contextual emits

We've upgraded the API of the EventEmitter.on, EventEmitter.once and EventEmitter.removeListener to accept an extra argument which is the context or this value that should be set for the emitted events. This means you no longer have the overhead of an event that required fn.bind in order to get a custom this value.

var EE = new EventEmitter()
  , context = { foo: 'bar' };

function emitted() {
  console.log(this === context); // true
}

EE.once('event-name', emitted, context);
EE.on('another-event', emitted, context);
EE.removeListener('another-event', emitted, context);

Tests and benchmarks

This module is well tested. You can run:

  • npm test to run the tests under Node.js.
  • npm run test-browser to run the tests in real browsers via Sauce Labs.

We also have a set of benchmarks to compare EventEmitter3 with some available alternatives. To run the benchmarks run npm run benchmark.

Tests and benchmarks are not included in the npm package. If you want to play with them you have to clone the GitHub repository. Note that you will have to run an additional npm i in the benchmarks folder before npm run benchmark.

License

MIT