commonmark

What is commonmark?

The commonmark npm package is a JavaScript implementation of the CommonMark specification, which is a strongly defined, highly compatible specification of Markdown. It allows you to parse and render Markdown content in a consistent and predictable manner.

What are commonmark's main functionalities?

Parsing Markdown to AST

This feature allows you to parse Markdown text into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST). The AST can then be manipulated or traversed for various purposes.

const commonmark = require('commonmark');
const reader = new commonmark.Parser();
const parsed = reader.parse('# Hello World');
console.log(parsed);

Rendering AST to HTML

This feature allows you to render the parsed AST back into HTML. This is useful for converting Markdown content into HTML for web pages.

const commonmark = require('commonmark');
const reader = new commonmark.Parser();
const writer = new commonmark.HtmlRenderer();
const parsed = reader.parse('# Hello World');
const result = writer.render(parsed);
console.log(result);

Customizing the Renderer

This feature allows you to customize the rendering process by extending the HtmlRenderer class. You can override methods to change how specific elements are rendered.

const commonmark = require('commonmark');
const reader = new commonmark.Parser();
class CustomRenderer extends commonmark.HtmlRenderer {
  // Override methods to customize rendering
  text(node) {
    this.lit('<span>' + node.literal + '</span>');
  }
}
const writer = new CustomRenderer();
const parsed = reader.parse('# Hello World');
const result = writer.render(parsed);
console.log(result);

Other packages similar to commonmark

marked

Marked is a fast, lightweight Markdown parser and compiler. It is designed to be simple to use and highly customizable. Compared to commonmark, marked is known for its speed and flexibility, but it may not adhere as strictly to the CommonMark specification.

markdown-it

Markdown-it is a Markdown parser that is both fast and extensible. It supports plugins and offers a high degree of customization. Unlike commonmark, markdown-it provides more features out of the box, such as syntax highlighting and support for custom containers.

remark

Remark is a Markdown processor powered by plugins. It can parse, transform, and compile Markdown. Remark is highly modular and allows for extensive customization through its plugin system. It offers more flexibility compared to commonmark but may require more setup.

README

CommonMark

CommonMark is a rationalized version of Markdown syntax, with a spec and BSD3-licensed reference implementations in C and JavaScript.

For more information, see http://commonmark.org.

To play with this library without installing it, see the live dingus at http://spec.commonmark.org/dingus.html.

This package includes the commonmark library and a command-line executable, commonmark.

Basic usage example:

var reader = new commonmark.DocParser();
var writer = new commonmark.HtmlRenderer();
var parsed = reader.parse("Hello *world*");
var result = writer.render(parsed);