async-csv

What is async-csv?

The async-csv npm package provides asynchronous methods for parsing and stringifying CSV data. It is designed to handle CSV operations in a non-blocking manner, making it suitable for applications that require high performance and scalability.

What are async-csv's main functionalities?

Parsing CSV

This feature allows you to parse a CSV string into an array of records asynchronously. The code sample reads a CSV file and parses its content into an array of records.

const fs = require('fs');
const { parse } = require('async-csv');

(async () => {
  const csvString = await fs.promises.readFile('path/to/file.csv', 'utf-8');
  const records = await parse(csvString);
  console.log(records);
})();

Stringifying CSV

This feature allows you to convert an array of records into a CSV string asynchronously. The code sample takes an array of records and writes it to a CSV file.

const fs = require('fs');
const { stringify } = require('async-csv');

(async () => {
  const records = [
    ['name', 'age'],
    ['Alice', 30],
    ['Bob', 25]
  ];
  const csvString = await stringify(records);
  await fs.promises.writeFile('path/to/output.csv', csvString);
})();

Other packages similar to async-csv

csv-parser

The csv-parser package is a streaming CSV parser that can handle large CSV files efficiently. Unlike async-csv, which is designed for asynchronous operations, csv-parser focuses on streaming data, making it suitable for processing large files without loading them entirely into memory.

fast-csv

The fast-csv package provides both parsing and formatting capabilities for CSV data. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous operations and offers a wide range of configuration options. Compared to async-csv, fast-csv is more feature-rich and flexible but may have a steeper learning curve.

papaparse

The papaparse package is a powerful CSV parser that works in both Node.js and browser environments. It supports asynchronous parsing and can handle large files through chunking. While async-csv is focused on Node.js, papaparse offers cross-environment compatibility and additional features like data validation.

README

ES7 async wrapper for csv package

This is a wrapper for the popular csv package in NPM that can be used with the ES7 async-await pattern, instead of using callbacks.

If you just want to read a CSV file

const csv = require('async-csv');
const fs = require('fs').promises;

(async() => {
  // Read file from disk:
  const csvString = await fs.readFile('./test.csv', 'utf-8');

  // Convert CSV string into rows:
  const rows = await csv.parse(csvString);
})();

Documentation

For all documentation, please see the documentation for the csv package.

Usage examples

All parameters are the same as for the functions in the csv module, except that you need to omit the callback parameter.

If there is any error returned by the csv package, an exception will be thrown.

const csv = require('async-csv');

 // `options` are optional
let result1 = await csv.generate(options);
let result2 = await csv.parse(input, options);
let result3 = await csv.transform(data, handler, options);
let result4 = await csv.stringify(data, options);

Feedback

Feedback, bug reports and pull requests are welcome. See the linked Github repository.