Which is Better Markdown Front Matter Parsing Libraries?
js-yaml vs yamljs vs front-matter vs gray-matter vs yaml-front-matter
1 Year
js-yamlyamljsfront-mattergray-matteryaml-front-matterSimilar Packages:
What's Markdown Front Matter Parsing Libraries?

These libraries are designed to parse front matter from Markdown files, allowing developers to extract metadata and configuration settings from the top of Markdown documents. This is particularly useful in static site generators and content management systems where metadata is often used to control how content is displayed or processed. Each library offers unique features and syntax support, catering to different use cases and preferences in handling YAML and front matter formats.

NPM Package Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
js-yaml87,235,8876,282-613 years agoMIT
yamljs2,005,711888-537 years agoMIT
front-matter1,910,298673-314 years agoMIT
gray-matter1,499,5543,908-653 years agoMIT
yaml-front-matter86,743192-204 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: js-yaml vs yamljs vs front-matter vs gray-matter vs yaml-front-matter

Parsing Capabilities

  • js-yaml: js-yaml is a powerful YAML parser that can handle complex YAML structures, including nested objects and arrays. It is not specifically designed for front matter but is excellent for general YAML parsing needs.
  • yamljs: yamljs is a comprehensive library for parsing and stringifying YAML. It supports advanced YAML features and is suitable for applications that require extensive manipulation of YAML data.
  • front-matter: front-matter provides a simple API to extract front matter from Markdown files. It supports basic YAML syntax and is optimized for performance, making it ideal for projects that require minimal overhead.
  • gray-matter: gray-matter excels in parsing both YAML and JSON front matter, offering flexibility with custom delimiters. It also allows you to parse the content of the Markdown file alongside the front matter, which is useful for static site generators.
  • yaml-front-matter: yaml-front-matter combines YAML parsing with front matter extraction, allowing you to easily manage metadata in Markdown files. It provides a straightforward API for accessing front matter and the remaining content of the Markdown file.

Ease of Use

  • js-yaml: js-yaml has a slightly steeper learning curve due to its extensive features, but it is well-documented, making it manageable for developers who need advanced YAML capabilities.
  • yamljs: yamljs is powerful but may require more effort to learn due to its comprehensive feature set. However, it provides detailed documentation to assist developers in utilizing its capabilities.
  • front-matter: front-matter is designed for simplicity, making it easy to integrate into projects without a steep learning curve. Its API is intuitive, allowing developers to quickly extract front matter with minimal configuration.
  • gray-matter: gray-matter offers a user-friendly API that is easy to understand, especially for those familiar with Markdown. Its ability to handle different front matter formats makes it versatile for various projects.
  • yaml-front-matter: yaml-front-matter is straightforward to use, providing clear methods for extracting front matter and content. Its API is designed to be intuitive for developers working with Markdown.

Performance

  • js-yaml: js-yaml is robust but may not be as fast as lighter libraries for simple front matter parsing. It is best used when complex YAML structures are involved, where its performance trade-offs are justified.
  • yamljs: yamljs is designed for comprehensive YAML handling, which may introduce some performance overhead compared to simpler libraries. It is best used when advanced YAML features are needed.
  • front-matter: front-matter is lightweight and optimized for performance, making it suitable for high-frequency parsing scenarios, such as in static site generators where speed is crucial.
  • gray-matter: gray-matter balances performance with flexibility, allowing for efficient parsing of front matter while also supporting additional features without significant overhead.
  • yaml-front-matter: yaml-front-matter performs well for typical front matter extraction tasks, but its performance may vary based on the complexity of the YAML content being parsed.

Community and Support

  • js-yaml: js-yaml has a strong community and extensive documentation, making it a reliable choice for developers needing support for YAML parsing.
  • yamljs: yamljs has a solid community and is well-documented, providing ample resources for developers seeking help with YAML parsing and manipulation.
  • front-matter: front-matter has a smaller community compared to some alternatives, but it is actively maintained and sufficient for basic needs.
  • gray-matter: gray-matter enjoys a larger user base and community support, making it easier to find examples and solutions to common issues.
  • yaml-front-matter: yaml-front-matter has a decent level of community support, with documentation that covers most use cases, although it may not be as extensive as larger libraries.

Extensibility

  • js-yaml: js-yaml is highly extensible, allowing developers to define custom YAML types and tags, making it suitable for complex applications that require tailored YAML handling.
  • yamljs: yamljs is very extensible, supporting custom YAML types and advanced features, making it a great choice for projects that require extensive YAML manipulation.
  • front-matter: front-matter is minimalistic and does not offer extensibility features, focusing solely on front matter parsing without additional functionalities.
  • gray-matter: gray-matter allows for some extensibility through custom delimiters and the ability to parse different content types, making it adaptable for various use cases.
  • yaml-front-matter: yaml-front-matter provides basic extensibility for front matter management but is primarily focused on simplicity and ease of use.
How to Choose: js-yaml vs yamljs vs front-matter vs gray-matter vs yaml-front-matter
  • js-yaml: Select js-yaml if your primary need is robust YAML parsing and stringifying, especially if you require advanced YAML features like support for complex data types or custom YAML tags, and you don't specifically need front matter parsing.
  • yamljs: Choose yamljs if you need a comprehensive YAML parser and serializer that can handle complex YAML structures, and you want the flexibility to work with YAML data beyond just front matter.
  • front-matter: Choose front-matter if you need a lightweight and straightforward library that focuses solely on parsing front matter from Markdown files without any additional dependencies or complexity.
  • gray-matter: Opt for gray-matter if you want a more versatile solution that can handle both YAML and JSON front matter, and provides additional features like custom delimiters and the ability to parse Markdown content along with the front matter.
  • yaml-front-matter: Use yaml-front-matter if you prefer a library that combines YAML parsing with front matter extraction, and you want a simple API that allows you to easily manage front matter in your Markdown files.
README for js-yaml

JS-YAML - YAML 1.2 parser / writer for JavaScript

CI NPM version

Online Demo

This is an implementation of YAML, a human-friendly data serialization language. Started as PyYAML port, it was completely rewritten from scratch. Now it's very fast, and supports 1.2 spec.

Installation

YAML module for node.js

npm install js-yaml

CLI executable

If you want to inspect your YAML files from CLI, install js-yaml globally:

npm install -g js-yaml

Usage

usage: js-yaml [-h] [-v] [-c] [-t] file

Positional arguments:
  file           File with YAML document(s)

Optional arguments:
  -h, --help     Show this help message and exit.
  -v, --version  Show program's version number and exit.
  -c, --compact  Display errors in compact mode
  -t, --trace    Show stack trace on error

API

Here we cover the most 'useful' methods. If you need advanced details (creating your own tags), see examples for more info.

const yaml = require('js-yaml');
const fs   = require('fs');

// Get document, or throw exception on error
try {
  const doc = yaml.load(fs.readFileSync('/home/ixti/example.yml', 'utf8'));
  console.log(doc);
} catch (e) {
  console.log(e);
}

load (string [ , options ])

Parses string as single YAML document. Returns either a plain object, a string, a number, null or undefined, or throws YAMLException on error. By default, does not support regexps, functions and undefined.

options:

  • filename (default: null) - string to be used as a file path in error/warning messages.
  • onWarning (default: null) - function to call on warning messages. Loader will call this function with an instance of YAMLException for each warning.
  • schema (default: DEFAULT_SCHEMA) - specifies a schema to use.
    • FAILSAFE_SCHEMA - only strings, arrays and plain objects: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2802346
    • JSON_SCHEMA - all JSON-supported types: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2803231
    • CORE_SCHEMA - same as JSON_SCHEMA: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2804923
    • DEFAULT_SCHEMA - all supported YAML types.
  • json (default: false) - compatibility with JSON.parse behaviour. If true, then duplicate keys in a mapping will override values rather than throwing an error.

NOTE: This function does not understand multi-document sources, it throws exception on those.

NOTE: JS-YAML does not support schema-specific tag resolution restrictions. So, the JSON schema is not as strictly defined in the YAML specification. It allows numbers in any notation, use Null and NULL as null, etc. The core schema also has no such restrictions. It allows binary notation for integers.

loadAll (string [, iterator] [, options ])

Same as load(), but understands multi-document sources. Applies iterator to each document if specified, or returns array of documents.

const yaml = require('js-yaml');

yaml.loadAll(data, function (doc) {
  console.log(doc);
});

dump (object [ , options ])

Serializes object as a YAML document. Uses DEFAULT_SCHEMA, so it will throw an exception if you try to dump regexps or functions. However, you can disable exceptions by setting the skipInvalid option to true.

options:

  • indent (default: 2) - indentation width to use (in spaces).
  • noArrayIndent (default: false) - when true, will not add an indentation level to array elements
  • skipInvalid (default: false) - do not throw on invalid types (like function in the safe schema) and skip pairs and single values with such types.
  • flowLevel (default: -1) - specifies level of nesting, when to switch from block to flow style for collections. -1 means block style everwhere
  • styles - "tag" => "style" map. Each tag may have own set of styles.
  • schema (default: DEFAULT_SCHEMA) specifies a schema to use.
  • sortKeys (default: false) - if true, sort keys when dumping YAML. If a function, use the function to sort the keys.
  • lineWidth (default: 80) - set max line width. Set -1 for unlimited width.
  • noRefs (default: false) - if true, don't convert duplicate objects into references
  • noCompatMode (default: false) - if true don't try to be compatible with older yaml versions. Currently: don't quote "yes", "no" and so on, as required for YAML 1.1
  • condenseFlow (default: false) - if true flow sequences will be condensed, omitting the space between a, b. Eg. '[a,b]', and omitting the space between key: value and quoting the key. Eg. '{"a":b}' Can be useful when using yaml for pretty URL query params as spaces are %-encoded.
  • quotingType (' or ", default: ') - strings will be quoted using this quoting style. If you specify single quotes, double quotes will still be used for non-printable characters.
  • forceQuotes (default: false) - if true, all non-key strings will be quoted even if they normally don't need to.
  • replacer - callback function (key, value) called recursively on each key/value in source object (see replacer docs for JSON.stringify).

The following table show availlable styles (e.g. "canonical", "binary"...) available for each tag (.e.g. !!null, !!int ...). Yaml output is shown on the right side after => (default setting) or ->:

!!null
  "canonical"   -> "~"
  "lowercase"   => "null"
  "uppercase"   -> "NULL"
  "camelcase"   -> "Null"

!!int
  "binary"      -> "0b1", "0b101010", "0b1110001111010"
  "octal"       -> "0o1", "0o52", "0o16172"
  "decimal"     => "1", "42", "7290"
  "hexadecimal" -> "0x1", "0x2A", "0x1C7A"

!!bool
  "lowercase"   => "true", "false"
  "uppercase"   -> "TRUE", "FALSE"
  "camelcase"   -> "True", "False"

!!float
  "lowercase"   => ".nan", '.inf'
  "uppercase"   -> ".NAN", '.INF'
  "camelcase"   -> ".NaN", '.Inf'

Example:

dump(object, {
  'styles': {
    '!!null': 'canonical' // dump null as ~
  },
  'sortKeys': true        // sort object keys
});

Supported YAML types

The list of standard YAML tags and corresponding JavaScript types. See also YAML tag discussion and YAML types repository.

!!null ''                   # null
!!bool 'yes'                # bool
!!int '3...'                # number
!!float '3.14...'           # number
!!binary '...base64...'     # buffer
!!timestamp 'YYYY-...'      # date
!!omap [ ... ]              # array of key-value pairs
!!pairs [ ... ]             # array or array pairs
!!set { ... }               # array of objects with given keys and null values
!!str '...'                 # string
!!seq [ ... ]               # array
!!map { ... }               # object

JavaScript-specific tags

See js-yaml-js-types for extra types.

Caveats

Note, that you use arrays or objects as key in JS-YAML. JS does not allow objects or arrays as keys, and stringifies (by calling toString() method) them at the moment of adding them.

---
? [ foo, bar ]
: - baz
? { foo: bar }
: - baz
  - baz
{ "foo,bar": ["baz"], "[object Object]": ["baz", "baz"] }

Also, reading of properties on implicit block mapping keys is not supported yet. So, the following YAML document cannot be loaded.

&anchor foo:
  foo: bar
  *anchor: duplicate key
  baz: bat
  *anchor: duplicate key

js-yaml for enterprise

Available as part of the Tidelift Subscription

The maintainers of js-yaml and thousands of other packages are working with Tidelift to deliver commercial support and maintenance for the open source dependencies you use to build your applications. Save time, reduce risk, and improve code health, while paying the maintainers of the exact dependencies you use. Learn more.