sass vs node-sass
CSS Preprocessing Comparison
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What's CSS Preprocessing?

CSS preprocessing is a technique that allows developers to write styles in a more dynamic and maintainable way by using languages like Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets). These languages extend the capabilities of traditional CSS by introducing features such as variables, nested rules, mixins, and functions, which help in organizing and reusing styles more efficiently. Preprocessors compile the written code into standard CSS, enabling browsers to render the styles while providing developers with a more powerful and flexible styling workflow. node-sass is a library that provides binding for Node.js to LibSass, a C/C++ implementation of Sass, allowing for fast and efficient compilation of Sass files into CSS. It is known for its speed and performance, making it suitable for production environments. However, it is important to note that node-sass is deprecated and no longer actively maintained. On the other hand, sass is the official implementation of Sass, which is written in Dart. It offers a complete and up-to-date feature set, including support for the latest Sass syntax and features. The sass package is actively maintained and recommended for new projects, providing better compatibility and support for future developments in the Sass ecosystem.

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sass7,469,8894,0105.66 MB703 days agoMIT
node-sass741,0378,5031.83 MB1872 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: sass vs node-sass

Implementation

  • sass:

    sass is the official implementation of Sass, written in Dart. It compiles Sass to CSS using a pure JavaScript implementation, which makes it more portable and easier to install across different environments. The Dart-based compiler is also highly optimized and supports all the latest features of the Sass language.

  • node-sass:

    node-sass is a Node.js binding for LibSass, which is a C/C++ implementation of Sass. This means that it compiles Sass files to CSS using a native library, which can lead to faster compilation times, especially for large projects. However, being a binding, it requires native compilation during installation, which can sometimes cause issues on certain platforms.

Feature Set

  • sass:

    sass supports the complete and up-to-date feature set of Sass, including all the latest syntax and features. This includes support for the module system, which allows for better organization and encapsulation of styles, as well as improved function and mixin capabilities.

  • node-sass:

    node-sass supports the full feature set of Sass, including variables, nesting, mixins, and more. However, since it relies on LibSass, it does not support some of the newer features and syntax introduced in the Sass language, such as module system and certain advanced functions.

Performance

  • sass:

    sass has made significant improvements in performance, especially with the introduction of the Dart-based compiler. While it may not be as fast as LibSass for all use cases, it is continuously being optimized, and the performance gap is closing, especially for complex Sass code.

  • node-sass:

    node-sass is known for its fast compilation times, especially for large projects, due to its native implementation. However, the performance can vary depending on the complexity of the Sass code and the specific features being used.

Installation

  • sass:

    sass is a pure JavaScript implementation, which makes it easy to install and use across different environments. It does not require any native dependencies, which reduces the risk of installation issues and makes it more compatible with modern development workflows, including CI/CD pipelines and serverless architectures.

  • node-sass:

    node-sass requires native bindings, which means that it needs to compile C/C++ code during installation. This can lead to installation issues on some systems, especially if the required build tools are not available. Additionally, the need for native compilation can make it less suitable for serverless environments or containers where build time and dependencies are a concern.

Community and Support

  • sass:

    sass is actively maintained and developed by the official Sass team. It has a vibrant community and receives regular updates, new features, and improvements. Being the official implementation, it also has better documentation and support for the latest Sass features, making it a more reliable choice for long-term projects.

  • node-sass:

    node-sass has a large user base and community support, but it is important to note that it is deprecated and no longer actively maintained. This means that while you may find resources and help from the community, there will be no new features, updates, or bug fixes from the maintainers.

Ease of Use: Code Examples

  • sass:

    sass Example

    const sass = require('sass');

const result = sass.renderSync({
  file: 'style.scss',
});

console.log(result.css.toString());
  • node-sass:

    node-sass Example

    const sass = require('node-sass');

sass.render({
  file: 'style.scss',
}, (error, result) => {
  if (error) {
    console.error(error);
  } else {
    console.log(result.css.toString());
  }
});
How to Choose: sass vs node-sass
  • sass:

    Choose sass for new projects or if you are looking to migrate from node-sass. It is the official implementation with ongoing support, better performance, and access to the latest features and improvements in the Sass language.

  • node-sass:

    Choose node-sass if you are working on an existing project that already uses it and you need a quick solution for compiling Sass files. However, be aware that it is deprecated, and you should consider migrating to sass for long-term support.

Similar Npm Packages to sass

sass is a popular CSS preprocessor that extends the capabilities of CSS with features like variables, nested rules, mixins, and more. It allows developers to write more maintainable and organized stylesheets, making it easier to manage complex styles in large projects. While Sass is widely used, there are several alternatives that also offer unique features and benefits. Here are a few notable alternatives:

  • less is a dynamic stylesheet language that extends CSS with features such as variables, mixins, and nested rules, similar to Sass. It is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a great choice for developers who want to enhance their CSS without a steep learning curve. Less compiles to standard CSS and can be integrated into various build systems, making it a flexible option for many projects.
  • postcss is a tool for transforming CSS with JavaScript plugins. Unlike traditional preprocessors, PostCSS allows developers to use a wide range of plugins to add features like variables, nesting, and autoprefixing. This modular approach gives developers the flexibility to customize their workflow according to their specific needs. PostCSS is particularly useful for teams that want to adopt modern CSS features while maintaining compatibility with older browsers.
  • stylus is another CSS preprocessor that offers a unique syntax and a variety of features, including variables, mixins, and functions. Stylus is known for its flexibility and minimalism, allowing developers to write CSS in a more concise and expressive way. It supports both an indented syntax and a traditional CSS-like syntax, catering to different developer preferences. Stylus is a good choice for those who appreciate a more expressive and less verbose way of writing styles.

To see how Sass compares with Less, PostCSS, and Stylus, check out the comparison: Comparing less vs postcss vs sass vs stylus.

Similar Npm Packages to node-sass

node-sass is a popular library that allows developers to compile Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets) into CSS using Node.js. It provides a straightforward way to integrate Sass into your build process, enabling the use of features like variables, nesting, and mixins to create more maintainable and scalable stylesheets. However, there are several alternatives to node-sass that developers might consider:

  • dart-sass is the primary implementation of Sass, written in Dart. It is the most up-to-date version of Sass and includes all the latest features and improvements. Dart Sass is recommended for new projects as it is actively maintained and supports the latest Sass features, including modules. If you are looking for a future-proof solution with full support for the latest Sass capabilities, dart-sass is the way to go.

  • postcss-scss is a PostCSS parser that allows you to use SCSS syntax within the PostCSS ecosystem. While it does not compile SCSS to CSS on its own, it enables developers to leverage SCSS-like syntax while benefiting from the powerful PostCSS plugin ecosystem. If you are already using PostCSS and want to incorporate SCSS syntax, postcss-scss is a great choice.

  • sass is a package that provides the Dart Sass implementation for both the command line and JavaScript environments. It is the official Sass implementation and is recommended for developers who want to use the latest features of Sass without relying on the older LibSass (which node-sass is based on). If you want to ensure that you are using the most current version of Sass, the sass package is the best option.

  • scss is not a standalone package but rather a syntax extension of CSS that allows for more advanced styling capabilities. It is often used interchangeably with Sass, as SCSS is a superset of CSS that adds features like variables and nesting. If you are already familiar with CSS and want to enhance your stylesheets with additional features, SCSS is a natural choice.

For a detailed comparison of these packages, check out the link: Comparing dart-sass vs node-sass vs postcss-scss vs sass vs scss.

README for sass

A pure JavaScript implementation of Sass. Sass makes CSS fun again.

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This package is a distribution of Dart Sass, compiled to pure JavaScript with no native code or external dependencies. It provides a command-line sass executable and a Node.js API.

Usage

You can install Sass globally using npm install -g sass which will provide access to the sass executable. You can also add it to your project using npm install --save-dev sass. This provides the executable as well as a library:

const sass = require('sass');

const result = sass.compile(scssFilename);

// OR

// Note that `compileAsync()` is substantially slower than `compile()`.
const result = await sass.compileAsync(scssFilename);

See the Sass website for full API documentation.

Legacy API

Dart Sass also supports an older JavaScript API that's fully compatible with Node Sass (with a few exceptions listed below), with support for both the render() and renderSync() functions. This API is considered deprecated and will be removed in Dart Sass 2.0.0, so it should be avoided in new projects.

Sass's support for the legacy JavaScript API has the following limitations:

  • Only the "expanded" and "compressed" values of outputStyle are supported.

  • Dart Sass doesn't support the precision option. Dart Sass defaults to a sufficiently high precision for all existing browsers, and making this customizable would make the code substantially less efficient.

  • Dart Sass doesn't support the sourceComments option. Source maps are the recommended way of locating the origin of generated selectors.

See Also

  • Dart Sass, from which this package is compiled, can be used either as a stand-alone executable or as a Dart library. Running Dart Sass on the Dart VM is substantially faster than running the pure JavaScript version, so this may be appropriate for performance-sensitive applications. The Dart API is also (currently) more user-friendly than the JavaScript API. See the Dart Sass README for details on how to use it.

  • Node Sass, which is a wrapper around LibSass, the C++ implementation of Sass. Node Sass supports the same API as this package and is also faster (although it's usually a little slower than Dart Sass). However, it requires a native library which may be difficult to install, and it's generally slower to add features and fix bugs.

Behavioral Differences from Ruby Sass

There are a few intentional behavioral differences between Dart Sass and Ruby Sass. These are generally places where Ruby Sass has an undesired behavior, and it's substantially easier to implement the correct behavior than it would be to implement compatible behavior. These should all have tracking bugs against Ruby Sass to update the reference behavior.

  1. @extend only accepts simple selectors, as does the second argument of selector-extend(). See issue 1599.

  2. Subject selectors are not supported. See issue 1126.

  3. Pseudo selector arguments are parsed as <declaration-value>s rather than having a more limited custom parsing. See issue 2120.

  4. The numeric precision is set to 10. See issue 1122.

  5. The indented syntax parser is more flexible: it doesn't require consistent indentation across the whole document. See issue 2176.

  6. Colors do not support channel-by-channel arithmetic. See issue 2144.

  7. Unitless numbers aren't == to unit numbers with the same value. In addition, map keys follow the same logic as ==-equality. See issue 1496.

  8. rgba() and hsla() alpha values with percentage units are interpreted as percentages. Other units are forbidden. See issue 1525.

  9. Too many variable arguments passed to a function is an error. See issue 1408.

  10. Allow @extend to reach outside a media query if there's an identical @extend defined outside that query. This isn't tracked explicitly, because it'll be irrelevant when issue 1050 is fixed.

  11. Some selector pseudos containing placeholder selectors will be compiled where they wouldn't be in Ruby Sass. This better matches the semantics of the selectors in question, and is more efficient. See issue 2228.

  12. The old-style :property value syntax is not supported in the indented syntax. See issue 2245.

  13. The reference combinator is not supported. See issue 303.

  14. Universal selector unification is symmetrical. See issue 2247.

  15. @extend doesn't produce an error if it matches but fails to unify. See issue 2250.

  16. Dart Sass currently only supports UTF-8 documents. We'd like to support more, but Dart currently doesn't support them. See dart-lang/sdk#11744, for example.

Disclaimer: this is not an official Google product.

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