sitemap

What is sitemap?

The sitemap npm package is a powerful tool for generating XML sitemaps for your website. It helps search engines like Google to better understand the structure of your site and improve its indexing. The package supports various features such as creating sitemaps, adding URLs, and generating sitemap indices.

What are sitemap's main functionalities?

Creating a Sitemap

This feature allows you to create a basic sitemap with a few URLs. The SitemapStream class is used to create a stream, and URLs are added using the write method. Finally, the stream is ended and written to a file.

const { SitemapStream, streamToPromise } = require('sitemap');
const { createWriteStream } = require('fs');

const sitemap = new SitemapStream({ hostname: 'https://example.com' });
const writeStream = createWriteStream('./sitemap.xml');
sitemap.pipe(writeStream);

sitemap.write({ url: '/page-1/', changefreq: 'daily', priority: 0.8 });
sitemap.write({ url: '/page-2/', changefreq: 'weekly', priority: 0.5 });
sitemap.end();

streamToPromise(writeStream).then(() => console.log('Sitemap created successfully.'));

Adding URLs Dynamically

This feature demonstrates how to add URLs to the sitemap dynamically from an array. This is useful when you have a list of URLs that you want to include in your sitemap.

const { SitemapStream, streamToPromise } = require('sitemap');
const { createWriteStream } = require('fs');

const sitemap = new SitemapStream({ hostname: 'https://example.com' });
const writeStream = createWriteStream('./sitemap.xml');
sitemap.pipe(writeStream);

const urls = [
  { url: '/page-1/', changefreq: 'daily', priority: 0.8 },
  { url: '/page-2/', changefreq: 'weekly', priority: 0.5 }
];

urls.forEach(url => sitemap.write(url));
sitemap.end();

streamToPromise(writeStream).then(() => console.log('Sitemap created successfully.'));

Generating a Sitemap Index

This feature allows you to create a sitemap index, which is useful for large websites that have multiple sitemaps. The SitemapIndexStream class is used to create the index, and individual sitemaps are added using the write method.

const { SitemapIndexStream, streamToPromise } = require('sitemap');
const { createWriteStream } = require('fs');

const sitemapIndex = new SitemapIndexStream();
const writeStream = createWriteStream('./sitemap-index.xml');
sitemapIndex.pipe(writeStream);

sitemapIndex.write({ url: 'https://example.com/sitemap-1.xml', lastmod: '2023-01-01' });
sitemapIndex.write({ url: 'https://example.com/sitemap-2.xml', lastmod: '2023-01-02' });
sitemapIndex.end();

streamToPromise(writeStream).then(() => console.log('Sitemap index created successfully.'));

Other packages similar to sitemap

sitemap-generator

The sitemap-generator package is another tool for creating sitemaps. It is a bit simpler and more straightforward compared to sitemap. It crawls your website and automatically generates a sitemap based on the discovered URLs. This package is useful if you prefer an automated approach to sitemap generation.

xmlbuilder

The xmlbuilder package is a general-purpose XML builder that can be used to create sitemaps among other XML documents. It provides a more manual approach compared to sitemap, giving you full control over the XML structure. This package is suitable if you need to generate custom XML documents beyond just sitemaps.

sitemap-xml

The sitemap-xml package is a lightweight alternative for generating sitemaps. It offers basic functionality for creating sitemaps and adding URLs. It is less feature-rich compared to sitemap but can be a good choice for simpler use cases.

README

sitemap.js

sitemap.js is a high-level sitemap-generating framework that makes creating sitemap XML files easy.

Maintainers

• @ekalinin
• @derduher

Table of Contents

• sitemap.js
• Table of Contents
  • Installation
  • Usage
    • Example of using sitemap.js with express:
    • Example of synchronous sitemap.js usage:
    • Example of dynamic page manipulations into sitemap:
    • Example of pre-generating sitemap based on existing static files:
    • Example of images with captions:
    • Example of indicating alternate language pages:
    • Example of indicating Android app deep linking:
    • Example of Sitemap Styling
    • Example of mobile URL
    • Example of using HH:MM:SS in lastmod
    • Example of Sitemap Index as String
    • Example of Sitemap Index
    • Example of overriding default xmlns* attributes in urlset element
    • Example of news usage
  • Testing
  • License

TOC created by gh-md-toc

Installation

It's recommended to install via npm:

npm install --save sitemap

Usage

The main functions you want to use in the sitemap module are

var sm = require('sitemap')
// Creates a sitemap object given the input configuration with URLs
var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({ options });
// Generates XML with a callback function
sitemap.toXML( function(err, xml){ if (!err){ console.log(xml) } });
// Gives you a string containing the XML data
var xml = sitemap.toString();

Example of using sitemap.js with express:

var express = require('express')
  , sm = require('sitemap');

var app = express()
  , sitemap = sm.createSitemap ({
      hostname: 'http://example.com',
      cacheTime: 600000,        // 600 sec - cache purge period
      urls: [
        { url: '/page-1/',  changefreq: 'daily', priority: 0.3 },
        { url: '/page-2/',  changefreq: 'monthly',  priority: 0.7 },
        { url: '/page-3/'},    // changefreq: 'weekly',  priority: 0.5
        { url: '/page-4/',   img: "http://urlTest.com" }
      ]
    });

app.get('/sitemap.xml', function(req, res) {
  sitemap.toXML( function (err, xml) {
      if (err) {
        return res.status(500).end();
      }
      res.header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
      res.send( xml );
  });
});

app.listen(3000);

Example of synchronous sitemap.js usage:

var express = require('express')
  , sm = require('sitemap');

var app = express()
  , sitemap = sm.createSitemap ({
      hostname: 'http://example.com',
      cacheTime: 600000,  // 600 sec cache period
      urls: [
        { url: '/page-1/',  changefreq: 'daily', priority: 0.3 },
        { url: '/page-2/',  changefreq: 'monthly',  priority: 0.7 },
        { url: '/page-3/' } // changefreq: 'weekly',  priority: 0.5
      ]
    });

app.get('/sitemap.xml', function(req, res) {
  res.header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
  res.send( sitemap.toString() );
});

app.listen(3000);

Example of dynamic page manipulations into sitemap:

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap ({
      hostname: 'http://example.com',
      cacheTime: 600000
    });
sitemap.add({url: '/page-1/'});
sitemap.add({url: '/page-2/', changefreq: 'monthly', priority: 0.7});
sitemap.del({url: '/page-2/'});
sitemap.del('/page-1/');

Example of pre-generating sitemap based on existing static files:

var sm = require('sitemap')
    , fs = require('fs');

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
    hostname: 'http://www.mywebsite.com',
    cacheTime: 600000,  //600 sec (10 min) cache purge period
    urls: [
        { url: '/' , changefreq: 'weekly', priority: 0.8, lastmodrealtime: true, lastmodfile: 'app/assets/index.html' },
        { url: '/page1', changefreq: 'weekly', priority: 0.8, lastmodrealtime: true, lastmodfile: 'app/assets/page1.html' },
        { url: '/page2'    , changefreq: 'weekly', priority: 0.8, lastmodrealtime: true, lastmodfile: 'app/templates/page2.hbs' } /* useful to monitor template content files instead of generated static files */
    ]
});

fs.writeFileSync("app/assets/sitemap.xml", sitemap.toString());

Example of images with captions:

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://test.com/page-1/',
        img: [
          {
            url: 'http://test.com/img1.jpg',
            caption: 'An image',
            title: 'The Title of Image One',
            geoLocation: 'London, United Kingdom',
            license: 'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'
          },
          {
            url: 'http://test.com/img2.jpg',
            caption: 'Another image',
            title: 'The Title of Image Two',
            geoLocation: 'London, United Kingdom',
            license: 'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'
          }
        ]
      }]
    });

Example of videos:

Description specifications. Required fields are thumbnail_loc, title, and description.

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://test.com/page-1/',
        video: [
          { thumbnail_loc: 'http://test.com/tmbn1.jpg', title: 'A video title', description: 'This is a video' },
          {
            thumbnail_loc: 'http://test.com/tmbn2.jpg',
            title: 'A video with an attribute',
            description: 'This is another video',
            'player_loc': 'http://www.example.com/videoplayer.mp4?video=123',
            'player_loc:autoplay': 'ap=1'
          }
        ]
      }]
    });

Example of indicating alternate language pages:

Description in the google's Search Console Help.

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://test.com/page-1/',
        changefreq: 'weekly',
        priority: 0.3,
        links: [
          { lang: 'en', url: 'http://test.com/page-1/', },
          { lang: 'ja', url: 'http://test.com/page-1/ja/', },
        ]
      },]
    });

Example of indicating Android app deep linking:

Description in the google's Search Console Help.

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://test.com/page-1/',
        changefreq: 'weekly',
        priority: 0.3,
        androidLink: 'android-app://com.company.test/page-1/'
      }]
    });

Example of Sitemap Styling

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://test.com/page-1/',
        changefreq: 'weekly',
        priority: 0.3,
        links: [
          { lang: 'en', url: 'http://test.com/page-1/', },
          { lang: 'ja', url: 'http://test.com/page-1/ja/', },
        ]
      },],
      xslUrl: 'sitemap.xsl'
    });

Example of mobile URL

Description in the google's Search Console Help.

var sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://mobile.test.com/page-1/',
        changefreq: 'weekly',
        priority: 0.3,
        mobile: true
      },],
      xslUrl: 'sitemap.xsl'
    });

Example of using HH:MM:SS in lastmod

var sm = require('sitemap')
  , sitemap = sm.createSitemap({
      hostname: 'http://www.mywebsite.com',
      urls: [{
        url: 'http://mobile.test.com/page-1/',
        lastmodISO: '2015-06-27T15:30:00.000Z',
        changefreq: 'weekly',
        priority: 0.3
      }]
    });

Example of Sitemap Index as String

var sm = require('sitemap')
  , smi = sm.buildSitemapIndex({
      urls: ['https://example.com/sitemap1.xml', 'https://example.com/sitemap2.xml'],
      xslUrl: 'https://example.com/style.xsl' // optional
    });

Example of Sitemap Index

var sm = require('sitemap')
  , smi = sm.createSitemapIndex({
      cacheTime: 600000,
      hostname: 'http://www.sitemap.org',
      sitemapName: 'sm-test',
      sitemapSize: 1,
      targetFolder: require('os').tmpdir(),
      urls: ['http://ya.ru', 'http://ya2.ru']
      // optional:
      // callback: function(err, result) {}
    });

Example of overriding default xmlns* attributes in urlset element

Also see 'simple sitemap with dynamic xmlNs' test in tests/sitemap.js

var sitemap = sm.createSitemapIndex({
      xmlns: 'xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"'
    });

Example of news

const sm = require('sitemap')
const smi = new sm.SitemapItem({
    url: 'http://www.example.org/business/article55.html',
    news: {
      publication: {
        name: 'The Example Times',
        language: 'en'
      },
      genres: 'PressRelease, Blog',
      publication_date: '2008-12-23',
      title: 'Companies A, B in Merger Talks',
      keywords: 'business, merger, acquisition, A, B',
      stock_tickers: 'NASDAQ:A, NASDAQ:B'
    }
})

Testing

➥ git clone https://github.com/ekalinin/sitemap.js.git
➥ cd sitemap.js
➥ make env
➥ . env/bin/activate
(env) ➥ make test
./node_modules/expresso/bin/expresso ./tests/sitemap.test.js

   100% 33 tests

License

See LICENSE file.

Changelog

3.2.2

• revert https everywhere added in 3.2.0. xmlns is not url.
• adds alias for lastmod in the form of lastmodiso
• fixes bug in lastmod option for buildSitemapIndex where option would be overwritten if a lastmod option was provided with a single url
• fixes #201, fixes #203