@rushstack/node-core-library

What is @rushstack/node-core-library?

The @rushstack/node-core-library provides a collection of essential utilities and lightweight polyfills designed for use in Node.js applications. It aims to offer a standardized set of tools for common operations such as file system manipulation, URL and path handling, and advanced logging capabilities, among others. This library is part of the Rush Stack family of projects, which are focused on providing scalable and reliable engineering tools.

What are @rushstack/node-core-library's main functionalities?

FileSystem operations

Provides a set of utilities for performing file system operations, such as reading, writing, and deleting files, with improved error messages and handling over the native Node.js fs module.

const { FileSystem } = require('@rushstack/node-core-library');

FileSystem.writeFile({
  filePath: './example.txt',
  contents: 'Hello, world!'
});

Advanced logging

Enables advanced logging capabilities, including support for verbose and error messages, and the ability to customize the output through terminal providers.

const { Terminal, ConsoleTerminalProvider } = require('@rushstack/node-core-library');

const terminalProvider = new ConsoleTerminalProvider();
const terminal = new Terminal(terminalProvider);

terminal.writeLine('Hello, world!');

JSON file handling

Simplifies reading from and writing to JSON files, including support for JSON schema validation and pretty-printing.

const { JsonFile } = require('@rushstack/node-core-library');

const jsonObject = { key: 'value' };
JsonFile.save(jsonObject, './example.json');

Other packages similar to @rushstack/node-core-library

fs-extra

fs-extra extends the Node.js native fs module with additional methods, such as copy, move, and remove, making it a popular choice for file system operations. Compared to @rushstack/node-core-library, fs-extra focuses more exclusively on file system enhancements.

winston

winston is a versatile logging library for Node.js. It supports multiple transports (e.g., console, file, HTTP) for logging messages. While @rushstack/node-core-library provides basic logging capabilities, winston offers more extensive features for custom logging scenarios.

chalk

chalk is a library for styling terminal text with colors and styles. Unlike @rushstack/node-core-library, which includes a broader set of utilities, chalk focuses specifically on enhancing terminal output aesthetics.

README

@rushstack/node-core-library

This library provides a conservative set of "core" NodeJS utilities whose purpose is to standardize how we solve common problems across our tooling projects. In order to be considered "core", the class must meet ALL of these criteria:

• small and self-contained (i.e. quick to install)

• solves a ubiquitous problem (i.e. having one standardized approach is better than allowing each developer to use their favorite library)

• broad enough applicability to justify imposing it as a dependency for nearly every NodeJS project

• code is design reviewed, API approved, and documented

Examples of "core" functionality that meets this criteria:

• basic file/folder manipulation
• JSON file loader/saver/validator
• package.json parser
• build performance timers
• executing shell commands

This package is NOT intended to be a dumping ground for arbitrary utilities that seem like they might be useful. Code should start somewhere else, and then graduate to node-core-library after its value has already been demonstrated. If in doubt, create your own NPM package.

API documentation for this package: https://rushstack.io/pages/api/node-core-library/