json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify vs json-stable-stringify vs json-stringify-deterministic
Deterministic JSON Stringification Comparison
3 Years
json-stable-stringify-without-jsonifyjson-stable-stringifyjson-stringify-deterministic
What's Deterministic JSON Stringification?

Deterministic JSON stringification libraries ensure that the JSON output is consistent and predictable, regardless of the order in which properties are defined in an object. This is particularly important for use cases such as generating hashes, digital signatures, or caching, where even a small change in the output can lead to significant differences. These libraries achieve this by sorting the object properties in a defined order (usually lexicographically) before converting them to a JSON string. This guarantees that the same input will always produce the same output, making the process deterministic. json-stable-stringify is a popular library that provides stable stringification of JSON objects by recursively sorting their properties. It handles arrays, nested objects, and ensures that the output is consistent across different runs. json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify is a variant of the original library that avoids using JSON.stringify internally, providing a more controlled stringification process. This can be useful in scenarios where you want to minimize reliance on the built-in JSON methods or need more granular control over the stringification process. json-stringify-deterministic is another library focused on deterministic stringification, offering similar functionality with an emphasis on performance and memory efficiency. It is designed to handle large objects and deep nesting while maintaining a consistent output. Each of these libraries has its strengths, and the choice depends on your specific requirements regarding performance, control, and dependency management.

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json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify47,589,401
12-19 years agoMIT
json-stable-stringify8,079,662
7136.4 kB75 months agoMIT
json-stringify-deterministic201,107
4011.6 kB02 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify vs json-stable-stringify vs json-stringify-deterministic

Determinism

  • json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify:

    json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify also guarantees deterministic output by sorting properties, but it does so without using the built-in JSON.stringify method. This can lead to more predictable behavior in environments where the native JSON implementation may vary.

  • json-stable-stringify:

    json-stable-stringify ensures that the output is deterministic by recursively sorting the properties of objects before stringification. This means that no matter how many times you stringify the same object, the output will always be the same as long as the input remains unchanged.

  • json-stringify-deterministic:

    json-stringify-deterministic provides deterministic stringification by sorting object properties. It is designed to handle edge cases and ensure that the output remains consistent across different runs, making it reliable for hashing and signing.

Performance

  • json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify:

    json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify may offer better performance in scenarios where avoiding JSON.stringify leads to faster execution, especially in cases where custom stringification logic is implemented.

  • json-stable-stringify:

    json-stable-stringify is efficient for most use cases, but its performance can degrade with very large or deeply nested objects due to the recursive nature of its property sorting.

  • json-stringify-deterministic:

    json-stringify-deterministic is optimized for performance, particularly when handling large objects and arrays. It aims to minimize memory usage and execution time, making it suitable for applications where performance is a concern.

Control Over Stringification

  • json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify:

    json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify offers more control over how objects are stringified, allowing developers to customize the process and implement their own logic if needed.

  • json-stable-stringify:

    json-stable-stringify provides limited control over the stringification process, as it follows a predefined method of sorting properties and converting them to strings.

  • json-stringify-deterministic:

    json-stringify-deterministic allows for some customization, but it primarily focuses on providing a fast and reliable stringification process without extensive configurability.

Handling Circular References

  • json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify:

    json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify also does not handle circular references, but its design allows for easier implementation of custom logic to detect and manage cycles during stringification.

  • json-stable-stringify:

    json-stable-stringify does not handle circular references out of the box, which can lead to errors if an object contains cycles. Developers need to ensure that the objects being stringified are free of circular references.

  • json-stringify-deterministic:

    json-stringify-deterministic includes built-in handling for circular references, which prevents errors and allows for more robust stringification of complex objects.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

  • json-stable-stringify:

    Deterministic stringification with json-stable-stringify

    const stringify = require('json-stable-stringify');
    const obj = { b: 2, a: 1, nested: { d: 4, c: 3 } };
    const jsonString = stringify(obj);
    console.log(jsonString);
    // Output: {
    
How to Choose: json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify vs json-stable-stringify vs json-stringify-deterministic
  • json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify:

    Choose json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify if you require a stringification process that does not rely on JSON.stringify, allowing for more control over how objects are converted to strings. This is ideal for specialized scenarios where you want to avoid the built-in JSON methods.

  • json-stable-stringify:

    Choose json-stable-stringify if you need a reliable and widely-used solution for deterministic JSON stringification that handles nested objects and arrays gracefully. It is suitable for most use cases and has a proven track record.

  • json-stringify-deterministic:

    Choose json-stringify-deterministic if you are looking for a performance-oriented library that provides deterministic stringification with a focus on handling large and complex objects efficiently. It is a good choice for applications where memory usage and speed are critical.

README for json-stable-stringify-without-jsonify

json-stable-stringify

This is the same as https://github.com/substack/json-stable-stringify but it doesn't depend on libraries without licenses (jsonify).

deterministic version of JSON.stringify() so you can get a consistent hash from stringified results

You can also pass in a custom comparison function.

browser support

build status

example

var stringify = require('json-stable-stringify');
var obj = { c: 8, b: [{z:6,y:5,x:4},7], a: 3 };
console.log(stringify(obj));

output:

{"a":3,"b":[{"x":4,"y":5,"z":6},7],"c":8}

methods

var stringify = require('json-stable-stringify')

var str = stringify(obj, opts)

Return a deterministic stringified string str from the object obj.

options

cmp

If opts is given, you can supply an opts.cmp to have a custom comparison function for object keys. Your function opts.cmp is called with these parameters:

opts.cmp({ key: akey, value: avalue }, { key: bkey, value: bvalue })

For example, to sort on the object key names in reverse order you could write:

var stringify = require('json-stable-stringify');

var obj = { c: 8, b: [{z:6,y:5,x:4},7], a: 3 };
var s = stringify(obj, function (a, b) {
    return a.key < b.key ? 1 : -1;
});
console.log(s);

which results in the output string:

{"c":8,"b":[{"z":6,"y":5,"x":4},7],"a":3}

Or if you wanted to sort on the object values in reverse order, you could write:

var stringify = require('json-stable-stringify');

var obj = { d: 6, c: 5, b: [{z:3,y:2,x:1},9], a: 10 };
var s = stringify(obj, function (a, b) {
    return a.value < b.value ? 1 : -1;
});
console.log(s);

which outputs:

{"d":6,"c":5,"b":[{"z":3,"y":2,"x":1},9],"a":10}

space

If you specify opts.space, it will indent the output for pretty-printing. Valid values are strings (e.g. {space: \t}) or a number of spaces ({space: 3}).

For example:

var obj = { b: 1, a: { foo: 'bar', and: [1, 2, 3] } };
var s = stringify(obj, { space: '  ' });
console.log(s);

which outputs:

{
  "a": {
    "and": [
      1,
      2,
      3
    ],
    "foo": "bar"
  },
  "b": 1
}

replacer

The replacer parameter is a function opts.replacer(key, value) that behaves the same as the replacer from the core JSON object.

install

With npm do:

npm install json-stable-stringify

license

MIT