borc

What is borc?

The 'borc' npm package is a JavaScript library for encoding and decoding data in the CBOR (Concise Binary Object Representation) format. CBOR is a binary data serialization format similar to JSON but more compact, making it suitable for data exchange in constrained environments.

What are borc's main functionalities?

Encoding Data to CBOR

This feature allows you to encode JavaScript objects into the CBOR format. The code sample demonstrates encoding a simple object with a key-value pair into CBOR.

const cbor = require('borc');
const encoded = cbor.encode({ key: 'value' });
console.log(encoded);

Decoding CBOR Data

This feature allows you to decode CBOR data back into JavaScript objects. The code sample shows how to decode previously encoded CBOR data back into its original object form.

const cbor = require('borc');
const encoded = cbor.encode({ key: 'value' });
const decoded = cbor.decode(encoded);
console.log(decoded);

Streaming Decoding

This feature provides the ability to decode CBOR data from a stream, which is useful for processing large datasets or data received over a network. The code sample demonstrates setting up a stream decoder and processing encoded data.

const cbor = require('borc');
const { Decoder } = cbor;
const decoder = new Decoder();
decoder.on('data', (data) => console.log(data));
decoder.write(cbor.encode({ key: 'value' }));

Other packages similar to borc

cbor

The 'cbor' package is another popular library for encoding and decoding CBOR data in JavaScript. It offers similar functionality to 'borc' but is often noted for its performance optimizations and additional features like support for custom tags. Compared to 'borc', 'cbor' might be preferred for applications requiring high performance or specific CBOR features.

cbor-js

The 'cbor-js' package is a lightweight CBOR encoder/decoder for JavaScript, designed to work in both Node.js and browser environments. It is simpler and smaller than 'borc', making it suitable for projects where minimizing bundle size is important. However, it may lack some of the advanced features and optimizations found in 'borc'.

README

borc

Assimilate all your JavaScript objects into the Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR) data format (RFC7049) as fast as possible.

About

This library is a fork of the awesome node-cbor. It borrows a lot of the interface, but drops all streaming and async processing in favor of a minimal syn api and being as fast as possible.

Installation

$ npm install --save borc

Benchmarks

TODO

Example

const cbor = require('borc')
const assert = require('assert')

const encoded = cbor.encode(true) // returns <Buffer f5>
const decoded = cbor.decodeFirst(encoded)
// decoded is the unpacked object
assert.ok(decoded === true)

// Use integers as keys
var m = new Map()
m.set(1, 2)
encoded = cbor.encode(m) // <Buffer a1 01 02>

API

See https://dignifiedquire.github.io/borc for details

The sync encoding and decoding are exported as a leveldb encoding, as cbor.leveldb.

Supported types

The following types are supported for encoding:

• boolean
• number (including -0, NaN, and ±Infinity)
• string
• Array, Set (encoded as Array)
• Object (including null), Map
• undefined
• Buffer
• Date,
• RegExp
• url.URL
• bignumber

Decoding supports the above types, including the following CBOR tag numbers:

Tag	Generated Type
0	Date
1	Date
2	bignumber
3	bignumber
4	bignumber
5	bignumber
32	url.URL
35	RegExp

Customizations

Borc supports custom tags as well as custom input types.

Encode Custom Types

class MyType {
  constructor (val) {
    this.val = val
  }

  // Gets called when encoding this object
  // gen - instance of the encoder
  // obj - the object being encoded
  //
  // should return true on success and false otherwise
  encodeCBOR (gen) {
    return gen.pushAny('mytype:' + this.val)
  }
}

cbor.encode([new MyType('hello')])

Encode Custom Tags

cbor.encode([new cbor.Tagged(42, 'hello')])

Decode Custom Tags

const decoder = new cbor.Decoder({
  tags: {
    42: (val) => val + ' world'
  }
})

License

MIT