normalize-url

What is normalize-url?

The normalize-url npm package is used to normalize and sanitize URLs to ensure they have a standard and consistent format. It can be used to remove tracking parameters, sort query parameters, remove default ports, and more.

What are normalize-url's main functionalities?

Normalizing URLs

This feature allows you to normalize a URL by converting it to a standard format. It can remove or add 'http://', sort query parameters, and convert the hostname to lowercase.

"use strict";
const normalizeUrl = require('normalize-url');

console.log(normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com')); // Output: 'http://sindresorhus.com'
console.log(normalizeUrl('HTTP://xn--xample-hva.com:80/?b=bar&a=foo')); // Output: 'http://êxample.com/?a=foo&b=bar'"

Removing URL Tracking Parameters

This feature allows you to remove URL tracking parameters like 'utm_source' and 'utm_medium' by using a regular expression.

"use strict";
const normalizeUrl = require('normalize-url');

console.log(normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com?utm_source=foo&utm_medium=bar', {removeQueryParameters: [/^utm_/]})); // Output: 'http://sindresorhus.com'"

Removing Default Ports

This feature removes the default ports from URLs (port 80 for HTTP and port 443 for HTTPS).

"use strict";
const normalizeUrl = require('normalize-url');

console.log(normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com:80')); // Output: 'http://sindresorhus.com'
console.log(normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com:443')); // Output: 'https://sindresorhus.com'"

Forcing HTTPS

This feature allows you to force the URL to use HTTPS instead of HTTP.

"use strict";
const normalizeUrl = require('normalize-url');

console.log(normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com', {forceHttps: true})); // Output: 'https://sindresorhus.com'"

Other packages similar to normalize-url

url-parse

The url-parse package offers similar URL parsing and normalization functionalities. It provides a more detailed breakdown of URL components and allows manipulation of these components individually.

urijs

URI.js is a library for working with URLs. It includes URL manipulation and normalization features, but also offers more extensive options for working with URIs, such as resolving URIs, managing URI components, and building URIs from templates.

README

normalize-url

Normalize a URL

Useful when you need to display, store, deduplicate, sort, compare, etc, URLs.

Note: This package does not do URL sanitization. Garbage in, garbage out. If you use this in a server context and accept URLs as user input, it's up to you to protect against invalid URLs, path traversal attacks, etc.

Install

npm install normalize-url

Usage

import normalizeUrl from 'normalize-url';

normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('//www.sindresorhus.com:80/../baz?b=bar&a=foo');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/baz?a=foo&b=bar'

API

normalizeUrl(url, options?)

URLs with custom protocols are not normalized and just passed through by default. Supported protocols are: https, http, file, and data.

Human-friendly URLs with basic auth (for example, user:[e-mail]) are not handled because basic auth conflicts with custom protocols. Basic auth URLs are also deprecated.

url

Type: string

URL to normalize, including data URL.

options

Type: object

defaultProtocol

Type: string
Default: 'http'
Values: 'https' | 'http'

normalizeProtocol

Type: boolean
Default: true

Prepend defaultProtocol to the URL if it's protocol-relative.

normalizeUrl('//sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('//sindresorhus.com', {normalizeProtocol: false});
//=> '//sindresorhus.com'

forceHttp

Type: boolean
Default: false

Normalize HTTPS to HTTP.

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com', {forceHttp: true});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

forceHttps

Type: boolean
Default: false

Normalize HTTP to HTTPS.

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com', {forceHttps: true});
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com'

This option cannot be used with the forceHttp option at the same time.

stripAuthentication

Type: boolean
Default: true

Strip the authentication part of the URL.

normalizeUrl('https://user:[e-mail]');
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('https://user:[e-mail]', {stripAuthentication: false});
//=> 'https://user:[e-mail]'

stripHash

Type: boolean
Default: false

Strip the hash part of the URL.

normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com/about.html#contact');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#contact'

normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com/about.html#contact', {stripHash: true});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html'

stripProtocol

Type: boolean
Default: false

Remove the protocol from the URL: http://sindresorhus.com → sindresorhus.com.

It will only remove https:// and http:// protocols.

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com', {stripProtocol: true});
//=> 'sindresorhus.com'

stripTextFragment

Type: boolean
Default: true

Strip the text fragment part of the URL.

Note: The text fragment will always be removed if the stripHash option is set to true, as the hash contains the text fragment.

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#:~:text=hello');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#section:~:text=hello');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#section'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#:~:text=hello', {stripTextFragment: false});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#:~:text=hello'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#section:~:text=hello', {stripTextFragment: false});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html#section:~:text=hello'

stripWWW

Type: boolean
Default: true

Remove www. from the URL.

normalizeUrl('http://www.sindresorhus.com');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('http://www.sindresorhus.com', {stripWWW: false});
//=> 'http://www.sindresorhus.com'

removeQueryParameters

Type: Array<RegExp | string> | boolean
Default: [/^utm_\w+/i]

Remove query parameters that matches any of the provided strings or regexes.

normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com?foo=bar&ref=test_ref', {
	removeQueryParameters: ['ref']
});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/?foo=bar'

If a boolean is provided, true will remove all the query parameters.

normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com?foo=bar', {
	removeQueryParameters: true
});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

false will not remove any query parameter.

normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com?foo=bar&utm_medium=test&ref=test_ref', {
	removeQueryParameters: false
});
//=> 'http://www.sindresorhus.com/?foo=bar&ref=test_ref&utm_medium=test'

keepQueryParameters

Type: Array<RegExp | string>
Default: undefined

Keeps only query parameters that matches any of the provided strings or regexes.

Note: It overrides the removeQueryParameters option.

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com?foo=bar&ref=unicorn', {
	keepQueryParameters: ['ref']
});
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com/?ref=unicorn'

removeTrailingSlash

Type: boolean
Default: true

Remove trailing slash.

Note: Trailing slash is always removed if the URL doesn't have a pathname unless the removeSingleSlash option is set to false.

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/redirect/');
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/redirect'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/redirect/', {removeTrailingSlash: false});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/redirect/'

normalizeUrl('http://sindresorhus.com/', {removeTrailingSlash: false});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

removeSingleSlash

Type: boolean
Default: true

Remove a sole / pathname in the output. This option is independent of removeTrailingSlash.

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com/');
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com'

normalizeUrl('https://sindresorhus.com/', {removeSingleSlash: false});
//=> 'https://sindresorhus.com/'

removeDirectoryIndex

Type: boolean | Array<RegExp | string>
Default: false

Removes the default directory index file from path that matches any of the provided strings or regexes. When true, the regex /^index\.[a-z]+$/ is used.

normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com/foo/default.php', {
	removeDirectoryIndex: [/^default\.[a-z]+$/]
});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/foo'

removeExplicitPort

Type: boolean
Default: false

Removes an explicit port number from the URL.

Port 443 is always removed from HTTPS URLs and 80 is always removed from HTTP URLs regardless of this option.

normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com:123', {
	removeExplicitPort: true
});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com'

sortQueryParameters

Type: boolean
Default: true

Sorts the query parameters alphabetically by key.

normalizeUrl('www.sindresorhus.com?b=two&a=one&c=three', {
	sortQueryParameters: false
});
//=> 'http://sindresorhus.com/?b=two&a=one&c=three'

Related

• compare-urls - Compare URLs by first normalizing them