koa-bodyparser vs koa-body vs koa-better-body
Koa Body Parsing Middleware Comparison
1 Year
koa-bodyparserkoa-bodykoa-better-body
What's Koa Body Parsing Middleware?

Koa body parsing middleware are libraries designed to handle incoming request bodies in Koa applications. They parse the body of HTTP requests, making the data accessible in a structured format (e.g., JSON, form data) through the ctx.request.body property. This is essential for handling data from POST, PUT, and PATCH requests. Each middleware has its own features, performance characteristics, and configuration options, catering to different use cases and preferences. koa-bodyparser is the most popular and widely used, while koa-body offers more control over file uploads and form data. koa-better-body aims to improve upon koa-body with better performance and a simpler API.

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koa-bodyparser778,0411,32015 kB22 years agoMIT
koa-body329,97795138.2 kB53-MIT
koa-better-body2,828484-445 years agoMPL-2.0
Feature Comparison: koa-bodyparser vs koa-body vs koa-better-body

Body Parsing Capabilities

  • koa-bodyparser:

    koa-bodyparser primarily focuses on parsing JSON and URL-encoded form data. It is lightweight and straightforward, making it ideal for applications that do not require multipart form data handling. For file uploads, you would need to use a separate middleware.

  • koa-body:

    koa-body provides comprehensive support for parsing JSON, URL-encoded form data, and multipart form data (including file uploads). It offers more advanced features for handling file uploads, such as streaming and file size limits, making it suitable for applications that require detailed control over file handling.

  • koa-better-body:

    koa-better-body supports parsing JSON, URL-encoded form data, and multipart form data (including file uploads) with a focus on performance and simplicity. It handles both text and binary data efficiently, making it versatile for various use cases.

File Upload Handling

  • koa-bodyparser:

    koa-bodyparser does not handle file uploads or multipart form data. It is designed for parsing JSON and URL-encoded form data only. For file uploads, you would need to integrate a separate middleware, such as koa-multer or koa-body.

  • koa-body:

    koa-body offers robust file upload handling, including support for streaming uploads, setting file size limits, and handling multiple file uploads. It provides more detailed control over file uploads, making it a better choice for applications that require advanced file handling features.

  • koa-better-body:

    koa-better-body handles file uploads as part of its multipart parsing capabilities. It allows for basic file upload handling, but it is not as feature-rich as koa-body in this regard. It is suitable for applications that need simple file upload functionality without extensive configuration.

Performance

  • koa-bodyparser:

    koa-bodyparser is lightweight and performs well for parsing JSON and URL-encoded data. However, it may not be suitable for high-performance scenarios involving large payloads, as it buffers the entire request body in memory.

  • koa-body:

    koa-body is efficient but may introduce some overhead due to its comprehensive feature set, especially when handling large files or complex multipart forms. Performance can be optimized by configuring limits and using streaming uploads.

  • koa-better-body:

    koa-better-body is designed with performance in mind, offering faster parsing times compared to traditional body parsers. It minimizes memory usage and processing time, making it a good choice for high-performance applications that handle a large number of requests.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

  • koa-bodyparser:

    koa-bodyparser is known for its simplicity and ease of use. It requires minimal configuration to parse JSON and URL-encoded data, making it a great choice for projects that need quick and efficient body parsing without complexity.

    Example:

    const Koa = require('koa');
    const bodyParser = require('koa-bodyparser');
    
    const app = new Koa();
    app.use(bodyParser());
    
    app.use(async (ctx) => {
      ctx.body = { received: ctx.request.body };
    });
    
    app.listen(3000);
    
  • koa-body:

    koa-body is easy to use, but its more advanced features may require additional configuration. The middleware is well-documented, and examples are available to help developers understand how to implement file uploads and form data handling.

    Example:

    const Koa = require('koa');
    const koaBody = require('koa-body');
    
    const app = new Koa();
    app.use(koaBody({ multipart: true }));
    
    app.use(async (ctx) => {
      const { files, fields } = ctx.request;
      ctx.body = { files, fields };
    });
    
    app.listen(3000);
    
  • koa-better-body:

    koa-better-body provides a simple and intuitive API for body parsing. Its configuration is straightforward, and it requires minimal setup to get started. The middleware integrates seamlessly with Koa, making it easy to use in existing applications.

    Example:

    const Koa = require('koa');
    const betterBody = require('koa-better-body');
    
    const app = new Koa();
    app.use(betterBody());
    
    app.use(async (ctx) => {
      const { body } = ctx.request;
      ctx.body = { received: body };
    });
    
    app.listen(3000);
    
How to Choose: koa-bodyparser vs koa-body vs koa-better-body
  • koa-bodyparser:

    Choose koa-bodyparser if you need a simple and effective middleware for parsing JSON and URL-encoded form data. It is easy to use and integrates well with Koa applications, making it a great choice for projects that require basic body parsing without additional complexity.

  • koa-body:

    Choose koa-body if you need a comprehensive solution for handling file uploads, form data, and JSON. It provides more features out of the box, including support for multipart forms and file streaming, making it suitable for applications with complex data handling requirements.

  • koa-better-body:

    Choose koa-better-body if you want a lightweight and efficient solution for parsing both form data and JSON with minimal configuration. It is particularly useful for applications that require better performance and simplicity.

README for koa-bodyparser

koa-bodyparser

NPM version build status Coveralls David deps node version

A body parser for koa, based on co-body. support json, form and text type body.

Notice: this module doesn't support parsing multipart format data, please use @koa/multer to parse multipart format data.

Install

NPM

Usage

const Koa = require('koa');
const bodyParser = require('koa-bodyparser');

const app = new Koa();
app.use(bodyParser());

app.use(async ctx => {
  // the parsed body will store in ctx.request.body
  // if nothing was parsed, body will be an empty object {}
  ctx.body = ctx.request.body;
});

Options

  • enableTypes: parser will only parse when request type hits enableTypes, support json/form/text/xml, default is ['json', 'form'].

  • encoding: requested encoding. Default is utf-8 by co-body.

  • formLimit: limit of the urlencoded body. If the body ends up being larger than this limit, a 413 error code is returned. Default is 56kb.

  • jsonLimit: limit of the json body. Default is 1mb.

  • textLimit: limit of the text body. Default is 1mb.

  • xmlLimit: limit of the xml body. Default is 1mb.

  • strict: when set to true, JSON parser will only accept arrays and objects. Default is true. See strict mode in co-body. In strict mode, ctx.request.body will always be an object(or array), this avoid lots of type judging. But text body will always return string type.

  • detectJSON: custom json request detect function. Default is null.

    app.use(bodyParser({
      detectJSON: function (ctx) {
        return /\.json$/i.test(ctx.path);
      }
    }));
    
  • extendTypes: support extend types:

    app.use(bodyParser({
      extendTypes: {
        json: ['application/x-javascript'] // will parse application/x-javascript type body as a JSON string
      }
    }));
    
  • onerror: support custom error handle, if koa-bodyparser throw an error, you can customize the response like:

    app.use(bodyParser({
      onerror: function (err, ctx) {
        ctx.throw(422, 'body parse error');
      }
    }));
    
  • disableBodyParser: you can dynamic disable body parser by set ctx.disableBodyParser = true.

    app.use(async (ctx, next) => {
      if (ctx.path === '/disable') ctx.disableBodyParser = true;
      await next();
    });
    app.use(bodyParser());
    

Raw Body

You can access raw request body by ctx.request.rawBody after koa-bodyparser when:

  1. koa-bodyparser parsed the request body.
  2. ctx.request.rawBody is not present before koa-bodyparser.

Koa 1 Support

To use koa-bodyparser with koa@1, please use bodyparser 2.x.

npm install koa-bodyparser@2 --save

Licences


MIT