sharp vs image-size vs jimp vs pica
Image Processing Libraries Comparison
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What's Image Processing Libraries?

Image processing libraries are essential tools in web development for manipulating and optimizing images. They provide functionalities such as resizing, cropping, and format conversion, which are crucial for improving website performance and user experience. These libraries enable developers to handle images efficiently, ensuring that they are appropriately sized and formatted for various devices and platforms, thus enhancing load times and visual quality.

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sharp16,764,993
30,998534 kB116a month agoApache-2.0
image-size12,916,865
2,146378 kB455 months agoMIT
jimp1,507,131
-4.03 MB-a year agoMIT
pica124,555
3,949216 kB184 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: sharp vs image-size vs jimp vs pica

Image Manipulation Capabilities

  • sharp:

    sharp excels in performance and offers a rich set of features for image processing, including resizing, format conversion, and compositing, making it suitable for complex image workflows.

  • image-size:

    image-size specializes in extracting image dimensions and metadata without altering the image, making it a lightweight choice for simple tasks.

  • jimp:

    jimp provides a wide range of image manipulation functions, including resizing, cropping, and applying filters, making it versatile for various image processing needs.

  • pica:

    pica focuses on high-quality image resizing, utilizing advanced algorithms to ensure minimal quality loss during the resizing process, which is crucial for maintaining visual fidelity.

Performance

  • sharp:

    sharp is known for its exceptional performance, leveraging native libraries to handle large images quickly and efficiently, making it ideal for server-side processing.

  • image-size:

    image-size is highly efficient for its purpose, as it only reads image metadata without processing the image itself, ensuring quick execution.

  • jimp:

    jimp is slower compared to others due to its pure JavaScript implementation, which may not be suitable for high-performance requirements or large-scale applications.

  • pica:

    pica is optimized for speed and quality, making it an excellent choice for client-side applications where performance is critical, especially for resizing images in real-time.

Ease of Use

  • sharp:

    sharp has a more complex API due to its extensive feature set, which may have a steeper learning curve, but it offers powerful capabilities for those willing to invest time.

  • image-size:

    image-size has a simple API that is easy to use, making it accessible for developers who need quick access to image dimensions without complex setups.

  • jimp:

    jimp offers a straightforward API that is beginner-friendly, allowing developers to perform image manipulations with minimal effort and setup.

  • pica:

    pica provides a simple interface for resizing images, but it may require additional understanding of its quality settings to achieve optimal results.

Supported Formats

  • sharp:

    sharp supports a wide range of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, WebP, and AVIF, and allows for format conversion, making it highly flexible.

  • image-size:

    image-size supports a variety of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, and GIF, but does not modify them.

  • jimp:

    jimp supports multiple image formats for both input and output, including JPEG, PNG, BMP, and TIFF, making it versatile for different use cases.

  • pica:

    pica supports common formats like JPEG and PNG for resizing, focusing on quality rather than format conversion.

Use Cases

  • sharp:

    sharp is designed for server-side applications that require high-performance image processing, such as image optimization services or batch processing tasks.

  • image-size:

    image-size is best suited for applications where image metadata is needed without any processing, such as galleries or image upload validations.

  • jimp:

    jimp is ideal for web applications that require on-the-fly image manipulations, such as social media platforms or content management systems.

  • pica:

    pica is perfect for client-side applications that need to resize images quickly while maintaining quality, such as image upload previews.

How to Choose: sharp vs image-size vs jimp vs pica
  • sharp:

    Use sharp for high-performance image processing, especially when dealing with large images or batch processing. It offers advanced features like format conversion and is optimized for speed, making it ideal for server-side applications.

  • image-size:

    Choose image-size if you need a lightweight solution specifically for obtaining image dimensions without modifying the image itself. It is ideal for scenarios where you only require metadata about images.

  • jimp:

    Select jimp for a comprehensive image manipulation library that supports various operations like resizing, cropping, and filtering. It is suitable for projects that require extensive image processing capabilities in a straightforward manner.

  • pica:

    Opt for pica if your primary focus is on high-quality image resizing with minimal loss of quality. It is particularly effective for client-side resizing in web applications where performance and quality are paramount.

Similar Npm Packages to sharp

sharp is a high-performance image processing library for Node.js, designed to handle large images efficiently. It allows developers to resize, convert, and manipulate images in various formats with minimal memory usage and high speed. Sharp is particularly well-suited for server-side image processing tasks, making it a popular choice for web applications that require dynamic image manipulation.

While sharp is a powerful tool for image processing, there are several alternatives in the Node.js ecosystem that offer similar functionalities. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • canvas is a Node.js library that provides a Canvas API similar to the HTML5 Canvas. It allows developers to create and manipulate images using a familiar API, making it suitable for tasks such as drawing graphics, text, and images. Canvas is particularly useful for applications that require custom graphics generation or manipulation, but it may not be as optimized for bulk image processing as sharp.
  • gm (GraphicsMagick) is a Node.js wrapper for the GraphicsMagick image processing library. It provides a comprehensive set of image manipulation features, including resizing, cropping, and format conversion. While gm offers a wide range of functionalities, it may not be as performant as sharp for large-scale image processing tasks, as it relies on the underlying GraphicsMagick library.
  • image-size is a lightweight library specifically designed to retrieve the dimensions of images without fully decoding them. It is useful for quickly obtaining image metadata, such as width and height, without the overhead of processing the entire image. While it does not offer extensive image manipulation capabilities like sharp, it can be a handy tool for applications that need to handle image uploads or previews.
  • jimp is a pure JavaScript image processing library that allows developers to manipulate images in a straightforward manner. It provides features such as resizing, cropping, and filtering, making it suitable for basic image processing tasks. However, jimp may not be as performant as sharp, especially when dealing with large images or high-volume processing.

To explore how sharp compares with canvas, gm, image-size, and jimp, check out the comparison: Comparing canvas vs gm vs image-size vs jimp vs sharp.

Similar Npm Packages to image-size

image-size is a popular npm package used for determining the dimensions of images in various formats. It can be particularly useful for developers who need to handle image processing, validation, or optimization in their applications. The library supports a wide range of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, and more, making it a versatile tool for image handling tasks. By extracting image dimensions, developers can efficiently manage layouts, optimize loading times, and ensure responsive designs.

While image-size is a robust choice for obtaining image dimensions, there are alternatives available that may suit different needs:

  • imageinfo is another npm package that provides information about images, including dimensions, format, and other metadata. It is designed to be simple and straightforward, allowing developers to quickly access essential information about an image file. If you require not only the dimensions but also additional metadata about the image, such as color depth or EXIF data, imageinfo can be a suitable alternative.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, you can visit: Comparing image-size vs imageinfo.

Similar Npm Packages to jimp

jimp is a popular image processing library for Node.js that allows developers to manipulate images with ease. It provides a simple and intuitive API for performing various image operations such as resizing, cropping, rotating, and applying filters. Jimp is particularly useful for projects that require server-side image processing without the need for complex dependencies or external libraries. Its pure JavaScript implementation makes it easy to integrate into any Node.js application.

However, there are several alternatives to Jimp that offer different features and capabilities:

  • canvas is a powerful library that provides a Node.js implementation of the HTML5 Canvas API. It allows for advanced image manipulation and rendering, making it suitable for projects that require more complex graphics and drawing capabilities. With canvas, developers can create and manipulate images, draw shapes, and even render text, making it a versatile choice for applications that need extensive image processing features.

  • gm (GraphicsMagick) is a Node.js wrapper for the GraphicsMagick image processing library. It provides a comprehensive set of features for image manipulation, including resizing, cropping, and format conversion. GM is known for its speed and efficiency, making it a great choice for applications that need to process large volumes of images quickly. Its extensive feature set and performance make it suitable for both simple and complex image processing tasks.

  • sharp is another high-performance image processing library for Node.js. It is built on the libvips library, which is known for its speed and efficiency. Sharp supports a wide range of image formats and provides features such as resizing, cropping, and image transformations. It is particularly well-suited for applications that require fast image processing and can handle large images with ease. Sharp's performance and versatility make it a popular choice among developers working with images.

To see how Jimp compares with canvas, gm, and sharp, check out the comparison: Comparing canvas vs gm vs jimp vs sharp.

Similar Npm Packages to pica

pica is a high-quality image resizing library for JavaScript, designed to be fast and efficient. It is particularly useful for web applications where you need to resize images on the client side without sacrificing quality. Pica utilizes advanced algorithms to ensure that the resized images maintain their sharpness and clarity, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to optimize image handling in their applications.

While pica is a robust option for image resizing, there are several alternatives available that cater to different needs:

  • image-size is a simple library that allows you to get the dimensions of an image without loading the entire image into memory. It supports various image formats and is particularly useful when you need to quickly determine the size of an image file before processing it further. If your primary requirement is to extract image dimensions rather than resizing, image-size is a lightweight and efficient choice.

  • jimp is a versatile image processing library for Node.js that provides a wide range of image manipulation capabilities, including resizing, cropping, and filtering. It is designed to be easy to use and works well for both server-side and client-side applications. If you need a more comprehensive image processing solution that goes beyond just resizing, jimp offers a rich set of features to meet your needs.

  • sharp is a high-performance image processing library that is built on the libvips library. It is known for its speed and efficiency, making it ideal for applications that require processing large numbers of images quickly. Sharp supports a wide range of image formats and provides various image manipulation functions, including resizing, cropping, and format conversion. If performance is a critical factor for your application, sharp is a strong contender.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the following link: Comparing image-size vs jimp vs pica vs sharp.

README for sharp

sharp

sharp logo

The typical use case for this high speed Node-API module is to convert large images in common formats to smaller, web-friendly JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF and AVIF images of varying dimensions.

It can be used with all JavaScript runtimes that provide support for Node-API v9, including Node.js (^18.17.0 or >= 20.3.0), Deno and Bun.

Resizing an image is typically 4x-5x faster than using the quickest ImageMagick and GraphicsMagick settings due to its use of libvips.

Colour spaces, embedded ICC profiles and alpha transparency channels are all handled correctly. Lanczos resampling ensures quality is not sacrificed for speed.

As well as image resizing, operations such as rotation, extraction, compositing and gamma correction are available.

Most modern macOS, Windows and Linux systems do not require any additional install or runtime dependencies.

Documentation

Visit sharp.pixelplumbing.com for complete installation instructions, API documentation, benchmark tests and changelog.

Examples

npm install sharp

const sharp = require('sharp');

Callback

sharp(inputBuffer)
  .resize(320, 240)
  .toFile('output.webp', (err, info) => { ... });

Promise

sharp('input.jpg')
  .rotate()
  .resize(200)
  .jpeg({ mozjpeg: true })
  .toBuffer()
  .then( data => { ... })
  .catch( err => { ... });

Async/await

const semiTransparentRedPng = await sharp({
  create: {
    width: 48,
    height: 48,
    channels: 4,
    background: { r: 255, g: 0, b: 0, alpha: 0.5 }
  }
})
  .png()
  .toBuffer();

Stream

const roundedCorners = Buffer.from(
  '<svg><rect x="0" y="0" width="200" height="200" rx="50" ry="50"/></svg>'
);

const roundedCornerResizer =
  sharp()
    .resize(200, 200)
    .composite([{
      input: roundedCorners,
      blend: 'dest-in'
    }])
    .png();

readableStream
  .pipe(roundedCornerResizer)
  .pipe(writableStream);

Contributing

A guide for contributors covers reporting bugs, requesting features and submitting code changes.

Licensing

Copyright 2013 Lovell Fuller and others.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.

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