zod vs joi vs yup vs io-ts vs ts-to-zod
TypeScript Validation Libraries Comparison
3 Years
zodjoiyupio-tsts-to-zodSimilar Packages:
What's TypeScript Validation Libraries?

TypeScript validation libraries are essential tools in web development that help ensure data integrity and type safety in applications. These libraries provide mechanisms to define schemas, validate data against those schemas, and handle errors gracefully. They are particularly useful in scenarios where data is received from external sources, such as APIs, ensuring that the data conforms to expected formats and types. By integrating these libraries, developers can catch errors early in the development process, leading to more robust and maintainable code.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
zod41,852,019
39,3273.71 MB2543 days agoMIT
joi12,485,456
21,136531 kB190a year agoBSD-3-Clause
yup7,813,860
23,487270 kB24120 hours agoMIT
io-ts1,868,495
6,789460 kB1648 months agoMIT
ts-to-zod72,562
1,430433 kB668 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: zod vs joi vs yup vs io-ts vs ts-to-zod

Type Safety

  • zod:

    Zod is designed with TypeScript in mind, offering excellent type inference and ensuring that the schemas defined are always in sync with the TypeScript types, providing strong type safety.

  • joi:

    Joi does not natively integrate with TypeScript types, but it allows for schema definitions that can be used to validate data structures. However, it lacks the same level of type inference as io-ts or Zod.

  • yup:

    Yup supports TypeScript but requires additional type definitions for full type inference. It allows for defining schemas that can validate data structures but may not provide as seamless an experience as io-ts or Zod.

  • io-ts:

    io-ts provides a strong integration with TypeScript, allowing developers to create runtime type checks that align with their TypeScript types. This ensures that the data is validated against the expected types, reducing runtime errors.

  • ts-to-zod:

    ts-to-zod generates Zod schemas from TypeScript types, ensuring that the validation logic is always in sync with the types defined in your codebase, thus enhancing type safety.

Ease of Use

  • zod:

    Zod offers a clean and expressive API that is easy to use, making schema definitions straightforward while maintaining strong type safety.

  • joi:

    Joi is known for its user-friendly API, allowing developers to define complex validation rules in a straightforward manner. Its fluent interface makes it easy to read and write validation schemas.

  • yup:

    Yup is designed to be simple and intuitive, especially for form validation. Its promise-based API makes it easy to integrate with asynchronous validation scenarios.

  • io-ts:

    io-ts has a steeper learning curve due to its functional programming style and the need to understand its combinators. However, once mastered, it offers powerful validation capabilities.

  • ts-to-zod:

    ts-to-zod is easy to use if you are already familiar with TypeScript and Zod. It automates the conversion process, simplifying schema creation.

Integration

  • zod:

    Zod can be used in any JavaScript or TypeScript project and is particularly effective in applications that prioritize type safety and validation.

  • joi:

    Joi integrates well with Express.js and other Node.js frameworks, making it a popular choice for server-side validation of incoming requests.

  • yup:

    Yup is commonly used with React and integrates seamlessly with Formik, making it a preferred choice for form validation in React applications.

  • io-ts:

    io-ts can be integrated with various functional programming libraries and is particularly useful in applications that require a functional approach to validation.

  • ts-to-zod:

    ts-to-zod is specifically designed to work with Zod, providing a bridge between TypeScript types and Zod schemas, making it easy to adopt Zod in existing TypeScript projects.

Performance

  • zod:

    Zod is designed for high performance, providing fast validation without sacrificing type safety, making it suitable for applications that require quick data checks.

  • joi:

    Joi is efficient for validating data structures but can become slower with very large objects or complex schemas due to its extensive feature set.

  • yup:

    Yup is optimized for performance, especially in form validation scenarios, where it can handle asynchronous validation without significant delays.

  • io-ts:

    io-ts may have performance overhead due to its functional programming nature and the complexity of its type checks, but it is generally efficient for most applications.

  • ts-to-zod:

    ts-to-zod's performance is dependent on Zod, which is designed to be fast and efficient in validation tasks, ensuring minimal overhead when converting types.

Community and Support

  • zod:

    Zod is rapidly gaining popularity and has a growing community, with good documentation and support available for developers.

  • joi:

    Joi has a large community and extensive documentation, making it easy to find examples and support for common validation scenarios.

  • yup:

    Yup has a strong community and is widely used in the React ecosystem, ensuring ample resources and community support for developers.

  • io-ts:

    io-ts has a smaller community compared to some other libraries, which may affect the availability of resources and support, but it is well-documented.

  • ts-to-zod:

    ts-to-zod is a newer package and may have a smaller community, but it benefits from the growing popularity of Zod and TypeScript.

How to Choose: zod vs joi vs yup vs io-ts vs ts-to-zod
  • zod:

    Select Zod for its focus on TypeScript-first validation, providing a simple and expressive API. It is particularly well-suited for projects that require a straightforward way to define schemas and validate data while maintaining strong type inference.

  • joi:

    Select Joi for its rich feature set and ease of use when validating complex objects. It provides a fluent API for defining schemas and is particularly strong in scenarios where you need to validate user input in forms or APIs.

  • yup:

    Choose Yup for its simplicity and promise-based validation, making it a great option for form validation in React applications. Its integration with libraries like Formik makes it a popular choice for managing form state and validation.

  • io-ts:

    Choose io-ts if you need a library that integrates deeply with TypeScript's type system, allowing you to create runtime type validation that mirrors your TypeScript types. It is ideal for projects that prioritize type safety and want to leverage functional programming principles.

  • ts-to-zod:

    Opt for ts-to-zod if you want to convert TypeScript types into Zod schemas automatically. This package is useful for projects that already use TypeScript and want to leverage Zod's capabilities without manually defining schemas.

README for zod

Zod logo

Zod

TypeScript-first schema validation with static type inference
by @colinhacks


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Read the docs →



What is Zod?

Zod is a TypeScript-first validation library. Define a schema and parse some data with it. You'll get back a strongly typed, validated result.

import * as z from "zod";

const User = z.object({
  name: z.string(),
});

// some untrusted data...
const input = {
  /* stuff */
};

// the parsed result is validated and type safe!
const data = User.parse(input);

// so you can use it with confidence :)
console.log(data.name);

Features

  • Zero external dependencies
  • Works in Node.js and all modern browsers
  • Tiny: 2kb core bundle (gzipped)
  • Immutable API: methods return a new instance
  • Concise interface
  • Works with TypeScript and plain JS
  • Built-in JSON Schema conversion
  • Extensive ecosystem

Installation

npm install zod

Basic usage

Before you can do anything else, you need to define a schema. For the purposes of this guide, we'll use a simple object schema.

import * as z from "zod";

const Player = z.object({
  username: z.string(),
  xp: z.number(),
});

Parsing data

Given any Zod schema, use .parse to validate an input. If it's valid, Zod returns a strongly-typed deep clone of the input.

Player.parse({ username: "billie", xp: 100 });
// => returns { username: "billie", xp: 100 }

Note — If your schema uses certain asynchronous APIs like async refinements or transforms, you'll need to use the .parseAsync() method instead.

const schema = z.string().refine(async (val) => val.length <= 8);

await schema.parseAsync("hello");
// => "hello"

Handling errors

When validation fails, the .parse() method will throw a ZodError instance with granular information about the validation issues.

try {
  Player.parse({ username: 42, xp: "100" });
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof z.ZodError) {
    err.issues;
    /* [
      {
        expected: 'string',
        code: 'invalid_type',
        path: [ 'username' ],
        message: 'Invalid input: expected string'
      },
      {
        expected: 'number',
        code: 'invalid_type',
        path: [ 'xp' ],
        message: 'Invalid input: expected number'
      }
    ] */
  }
}

To avoid a try/catch block, you can use the .safeParse() method to get back a plain result object containing either the successfully parsed data or a ZodError. The result type is a discriminated union, so you can handle both cases conveniently.

const result = Player.safeParse({ username: 42, xp: "100" });
if (!result.success) {
  result.error; // ZodError instance
} else {
  result.data; // { username: string; xp: number }
}

Note — If your schema uses certain asynchronous APIs like async refinements or transforms, you'll need to use the .safeParseAsync() method instead.

const schema = z.string().refine(async (val) => val.length <= 8);

await schema.safeParseAsync("hello");
// => { success: true; data: "hello" }

Inferring types

Zod infers a static type from your schema definitions. You can extract this type with the z.infer<> utility and use it however you like.

const Player = z.object({
  username: z.string(),
  xp: z.number(),
});

// extract the inferred type
type Player = z.infer<typeof Player>;

// use it in your code
const player: Player = { username: "billie", xp: 100 };

In some cases, the input & output types of a schema can diverge. For instance, the .transform() API can convert the input from one type to another. In these cases, you can extract the input and output types independently:

const mySchema = z.string().transform((val) => val.length);

type MySchemaIn = z.input<typeof mySchema>;
// => string

type MySchemaOut = z.output<typeof mySchema>; // equivalent to z.infer<typeof mySchema>
// number