TOML vs YAML: Configuration File Format Parsers
Both packages help developers read and write configuration files in different formats. TOML and YAML are popular formats for storing settings and configuration data, similar to JSON but with different syntax styles. These packages allow you to convert these configuration files into JavaScript objects that your code can use, making it easier to manage application settings.
Configuration Parsersconfigurationparserfile formatsettingsdata
Detailed Comparison
Technical Analysis
featureComparison
Both packages support parsing and stringifying TOML and YAML data. However, yaml has additional features like support for JSON schema validation and custom tags.
typescriptSupport
Both packages have TypeScript definitions and are compatible with TypeScript projects.
browserCompatibility
Both packages are compatible with modern browsers, but yaml has better support for older browsers like Internet Explorer.
dependencies
toml has no dependencies, while yaml depends on the js-yaml package.
performance
toml is generally faster and more lightweight than yaml.
Ecosystem Analysis
frameworkCompatibility
Both packages are compatible with popular frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.
communityActivity
yaml has a more active community and receives more frequent updates.
documentationQuality
Both packages have good documentation, but yaml's documentation is more comprehensive and includes more examples.
maintenanceStatus
yaml is maintained by a team of developers, while toml is maintained by a single developer.
Performance Comparison
bundleSizeAnalysis
toml has a smaller bundle size than yaml, making it a better choice for production environments.
runtimePerformance
toml is faster than yaml when parsing and stringifying data.
loadingTime
toml loads faster than yaml due to its smaller bundle size.
memoryUsage
toml uses less memory than yaml when parsing and stringifying data.
Code Examples
Parsing TOML data with toml
1const toml = require('toml');
2const data = 'title = "Example"';
3const parsedData = toml.parse(data);
4console.log(parsedData);This code snippet shows how to parse a TOML string using the toml package.
Parsing YAML data with yaml
1const yaml = require('yaml');
2const data = 'title: Example';
3const parsedData = yaml.parse(data);
4console.log(parsedData);This code snippet shows how to parse a YAML string using the yaml package.
Recommendation
Summary
Both packages are suitable for parsing and stringifying TOML and YAML data, but yaml has more features and better community support.
Details
- yaml has additional features like JSON schema validation and custom tags
- yaml has better support for older browsers
Similar Packages
js-yaml
100%
A very popular JavaScript package that lets you read and write YAML files. It's fast, easy to use, and supports all major YAML features like nested objects and arrays.
This is the most widely used YAML parser in the JavaScript ecosystem. It's battle-tested, well-documented, and used by major frameworks like Vue and Next.js
Data Format Parser@iarna/toml
100%
A complete TOML parser and writer that fully supports the TOML spec. It makes working with TOML files as simple as working with JSON.
This is considered the best TOML parser for JavaScript. It's actively maintained and has excellent TypeScript support
Data Format Parseryaml-loader
80%
A webpack loader that helps you import YAML files directly into your JavaScript code. Perfect for when you're working with webpack-based projects.
Great for projects that use webpack and need to work with YAML files, especially in React or Vue applications
Build Tool Integrationjson5
70%
A package that adds useful features to JSON like comments, trailing commas, and single quotes. It's like JSON but more friendly for humans to write.
While not YAML or TOML, it's a great alternative when you want something simpler than YAML but more flexible than JSON
Data Format Parserparse-json
60%
A simple package that makes parsing JSON safer and provides better error messages. It's like JSON.parse but with better error handling.
While it's for JSON, it's often used alongside YAML and TOML parsers when working with different config file formats
Data Format ParserTOML Parser for Node.js
If you haven't heard of TOML, well you're just missing out. Go check it out now. Back? Good.
TOML Spec Support
toml-node supports version 0.4.0 the TOML spec as specified by mojombo/toml@v0.4.0
Installation
toml-node is available via npm.
npm install toml
toml-node also works with browser module bundlers like Browserify and webpack.
Usage
Standalone
Say you have some awesome TOML in a variable called someTomlString. Maybe it came from the web; maybe it came from a file; wherever it came from, it came asynchronously! Let's turn that sucker into a JavaScript object.
var toml = require('toml'); var data = toml.parse(someTomlString); console.dir(data);
toml.parse throws an exception in the case of a parsing error; such exceptions have a line and column property on them to help identify the offending text.
try { toml.parse(someCrazyKnuckleHeadedTrblToml); } catch (e) { console.error("Parsing error on line " + e.line + ", column " + e.column + ": " + e.message); }
Streaming
As of toml-node version 1.0, the streaming interface has been removed. Instead, use a module like concat-stream:
var toml = require('toml'); var concat = require('concat-stream'); var fs = require('fs'); fs.createReadStream('tomlFile.toml', 'utf8').pipe(concat(function(data) { var parsed = toml.parse(data); }));
Thanks @ForbesLindesay for the suggestion.
Requiring with Node.js
You can use the toml-require package to require() your .toml files with Node.js
Live Demo
You can experiment with TOML online at http://binarymuse.github.io/toml-node/, which uses the latest version of this library.
Building & Testing
toml-node uses the PEG.js parser generator.
npm install
npm run build
npm test
Any changes to src/toml.peg requires a regeneration of the parser with npm run build.
toml-node is tested on Travis CI and is tested against:
- Node 0.10
- Node 0.12
- Latest stable io.js
License
toml-node is licensed under the MIT license agreement. See the LICENSE file for more information.