maxmind vs geoip-lite vs geoip-country
Geolocation and IP Address Lookup Comparison
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What's Geolocation and IP Address Lookup?

Geolocation and IP Address Lookup libraries in Node.js provide tools to determine the geographical location of a user based on their IP address. These libraries are useful for applications that need to customize content, enforce geo-restrictions, or analyze user demographics. They work by mapping IP addresses to locations using databases or APIs. geoip-country is a simple and lightweight library that provides country-level geolocation data based on IP addresses. geoip-lite offers a more comprehensive solution with a fast, in-memory database for quick lookups, supporting country, region, and city-level data. maxmind is a feature-rich library that provides access to MaxMind's GeoIP databases, offering detailed geolocation data, including city, region, and ISP information, with support for both local and remote lookups.

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maxmind221,50061824.3 kB2a month agoMIT
geoip-lite167,3942,351161 MB22a year agoApache-2.0
geoip-country111,8469011.7 MB14 days agoMaxMind GeoLite2 License
Feature Comparison: maxmind vs geoip-lite vs geoip-country

Data Granularity

  • maxmind:

    maxmind provides highly detailed geolocation data, including city, region, country, and ISP information. It offers the most comprehensive data among the three, making it suitable for applications that need extensive location information for analytics, advertising, or security.

  • geoip-lite:

    geoip-lite offers multi-level geolocation data, including country, region, and city information. It provides more detailed location data compared to geoip-country, making it suitable for applications that require finer granularity for personalization or analytics.

  • geoip-country:

    geoip-country provides country-level geolocation data based on IP addresses. It returns the country code and name, making it suitable for applications that only need basic country information.

Database Size and Performance

  • maxmind:

    maxmind provides access to various GeoIP databases, including free and paid options. The database size varies depending on the level of detail, but it is designed for efficient lookups. However, more detailed data may require larger databases, which can impact memory usage.

  • geoip-lite:

    geoip-lite uses a compact binary database that is loaded into memory for fast lookups. It strikes a good balance between database size and performance, allowing quick access to multi-level geolocation data without significant memory overhead.

  • geoip-country:

    geoip-country uses a small, static database that contains only country-level data. Its lightweight nature ensures fast lookups, but it is limited to country-level information only.

Ease of Use

  • maxmind:

    maxmind provides a comprehensive API for accessing detailed geolocation data. While it may require more setup, especially for using paid databases, it offers extensive documentation and examples to help developers integrate it effectively.

  • geoip-lite:

    geoip-lite offers a user-friendly API for accessing multi-level geolocation data. It is well-documented and easy to integrate into applications, making it a popular choice for developers who need more detailed location data without complexity.

  • geoip-country:

    geoip-country is very easy to use, with a simple API for retrieving country data based on IP addresses. It requires minimal setup and is ideal for quick implementations where only country data is needed.

Code Example

  • maxmind:

    MaxMind Lookup Example

    const maxmind = require('maxmind');
const fs = require('fs');
const ip = '8.8.8.8'; // Example IP address

// Load the GeoIP2 database
const db = maxmind.openSync('GeoLite2-City.mmdb');
const geo = db.get(ip);
console.log(geo);
// Output: { city: { name: 'Mountain View' }, ... }
  • geoip-lite:

    Multi-Level Lookup Example

    const geoip = require('geoip-lite');
const ip = '8.8.8.8'; // Example IP address
const geo = geoip.lookup(ip);
console.log(geo);
// Output: { ip: '8.8.8.8', country: 'US', region: 'CA', city: 'Mountain View', ... }
  • geoip-country:

    Country Lookup Example

    const geoip = require('geoip-country');
const ip = '8.8.8.8'; // Example IP address
const geo = geoip.lookup(ip);
console.log(geo);
// Output: { country: 'US', countryCode: 'US' }
How to Choose: maxmind vs geoip-lite vs geoip-country
  • maxmind:

    Choose maxmind if you require comprehensive geolocation data with support for city, region, and ISP information. It is suitable for applications that need detailed location data for analytics, personalization, or geo-restriction purposes.

  • geoip-lite:

    Choose geoip-lite if you need fast and accurate geolocation data with support for multiple levels (country, region, city). It is ideal for applications that require more detailed location information without the overhead of a large database.

  • geoip-country:

    Choose geoip-country if you need a lightweight and straightforward solution for obtaining country-level geolocation data from IP addresses. It is easy to use and suitable for applications that only require basic country information.

Similar Npm Packages to maxmind

maxmind is a popular npm package used for geolocation services. It provides developers with the ability to determine the geographical location of an IP address, which can be useful for various applications, such as content localization, fraud detection, and analytics. The package supports both the GeoIP2 and GeoLite2 databases, allowing for accurate and efficient IP geolocation lookups. While maxmind is a robust solution for IP geolocation, there are alternatives available that may suit different needs. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:

  • geoip-country is a lightweight library that provides a simple way to determine the country associated with a given IP address. It uses a static database for country lookups, making it easy to implement and lightweight. If your application only requires basic country-level geolocation without the need for detailed information, geoip-country can be a straightforward and efficient choice.

  • geoip-lite is another alternative that offers a fast and lightweight solution for IP geolocation. It provides a simple API for looking up the country, region, city, and more based on an IP address. geoip-lite is designed to be easy to use and does not require any external dependencies, making it a convenient option for developers who need quick and reliable geolocation without the overhead of larger libraries.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the following link: Comparing geoip-country vs geoip-lite vs maxmind.

Similar Npm Packages to geoip-lite

geoip-lite is a lightweight Node.js library that provides a simple way to perform IP geolocation. It allows developers to determine the geographical location of an IP address without the need for an external API, making it a convenient choice for applications that require quick and efficient geolocation services. The library comes with a built-in database that is regularly updated, ensuring accurate results for IP lookups.

While geoip-lite is a solid choice for IP geolocation, there are other libraries in the ecosystem that offer similar functionality. Here are a couple of alternatives:

  • geoip-country is another Node.js library that focuses specifically on determining the country associated with a given IP address. It is a simpler solution compared to geoip-lite, as it only provides country-level information. If your application only requires basic country identification without the need for more detailed geolocation data, geoip-country can be a lightweight and efficient option.
  • maxmind is a more comprehensive geolocation solution that provides a range of services, including IP geolocation, fraud detection, and more. MaxMind offers both a free GeoLite2 database and a paid GeoIP2 database with more detailed information. If your application requires advanced geolocation features or if you need to access additional data points beyond just the country, maxmind is a robust choice that can cater to those needs.

To see how geoip-lite compares with geoip-country and maxmind, check out the comparison: Comparing geoip-country vs geoip-lite vs maxmind.

README for maxmind

node-maxmind

Javascript module for Geo IP lookup using Maxmind binary databases (aka mmdb or geoip2). Fastest Maxmind lookup library available - up to 17,000% faster than other libraries. Module has 100% test coverage with comprehensive test suite. It natively works with binary Maxmind database format and doesn't require any "CSV - {specific lib format}" conversions as some other modules do. Maxmind binary databases are highly optimized for size and performance so there's no point using other formats.

GEO databases

You might want to use geolite2 module with free geo databases. Alternatively, free databases available for download here. If you need better accuracy you should consider buying commercial subscription.

Installation

npm i maxmind

Usage

import maxmind, { CityResponse } from 'maxmind';

const lookup = await maxmind.open<CityResponse>('/path/to/GeoLite2-City.mmdb');
console.log(lookup.get('66.6.44.4')); // inferred type maxmind.CityResponse

console.log(lookup.getWithPrefixLength('66.6.44.4')); // tuple with inferred type [maxmind.CityResponse|null, number]

Sync API

You can use Reader class directly in case if you would want to instantiate it in non-async fashion. Use cases would include receiving a buffer database over network, or just reading it synchronously from disk.

import { Reader } from 'maxmind';
const buffer = fs.readFileSync('./db.mmdb');
const lookup = new Reader<CityResponse>(buffer);
const city = lookup.get('8.8.8.8');

const [city2, prefixLength] = lookup.getWithPrefixLength('66.6.44.4');

Supported response types:

- CountryResponse
- CityResponse
- AnonymousIPResponse
- AsnResponse
- ConnectionTypeResponse
- DomainResponse
- IspResponse

IPv6 Support

Module is fully compatible with IPv6. There are no differences in API between IPv4 and IPv6.

const lookup = await maxmind.open('/path/to/GeoLite2.mmdb');
const location = lookup.get('2001:4860:0:1001::3004:ef68');

Options

maxmind.open(filepath, [options])

  • filepath: <string> Path to the binary mmdb database file.
  • options: <Object>
    • cache: <Object> Cache options. Under the bonnet module uses tiny-lru cache.
      • max: <number> Max cache items to keep in memory. Default: 10_000.
    • watchForUpdates: <boolean> Supports reloading the reader when changes occur to the database that is loaded. Default: false.
    • watchForUpdatesNonPersistent: <boolean> Controls whether the watcher should be persistent or not. If it is persistent, a node process will be blocked in watching state if the watcher is the only thing still running in the program. Default: false.
    • watchForUpdatesHook: <Function> Hook function that is fired on database update. Default: null.

Does it work in browser?

Current module is designed to work in node.js environment. Check out mmdb-lib that's used under the bonnet - it's environment agnostic and does work in browser.

IP addresses validation

Module supports validation for both IPv4 and IPv6:

maxmind.validate('66.6.44.4'); // returns true
maxmind.validate('66.6.44.boom!'); // returns false

maxmind.validate('2001:4860:0:1001::3004:ef68'); // returns true
maxmind.validate('2001:4860:0:1001::3004:boom!'); // returns false

GeoIP Legacy binary format

In case you want to use legacy GeoIP binary databases you should use maxmind@0.6.

References

  • MMDB library
  • MaxMind DB file format specification http://maxmind.github.io/MaxMind-DB/
  • MaxMind test/sample DB files https://github.com/maxmind/MaxMind-DB
  • GeoLite2 Free Downloadable Databases http://dev.maxmind.com/geoip/geoip2/geolite2/
  • Great talk about V8 performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJPdhx5zTaw
  • V8 Optimization killers https://github.com/petkaantonov/bluebird/wiki/Optimization-killers
  • More V8 performance tips http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/speed/v8/

License

MIT

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