What is validator?
The validator npm package is a library of string validators and sanitizers. It provides a variety of functions to validate and sanitize strings, such as checking if a string is in a certain format (e.g., email, URL) or transforming strings to ensure they are safe for use in different contexts.
What are validator's main functionalities?
Email Validation
Checks if the input string is an email.
const validator = require('validator');
console.log(validator.isEmail('test@example.com')); // true
URL Validation
Checks if the input string is a URL.
const validator = require('validator');
console.log(validator.isURL('https://www.example.com')); // true
Sanitizing Strings
Escapes HTML characters in the input string to prevent XSS attacks.
const validator = require('validator');
console.log(validator.escape('<script>alert("xss")</script>')); // '<script>alert("xss")</script>'
Checking String Length
Checks if the input string's length falls within a specified range.
const validator = require('validator');
console.log(validator.isLength('Hello', {min: 2, max: 10})); // true
Blacklisting Characters
Removes specified characters from the input string.
const validator = require('validator');
console.log(validator.blacklist('abc123', '123')); // 'abc'
Other packages similar to validator
joi
Joi is a powerful schema description language and data validator for JavaScript. It allows for a more detailed and structured validation process compared to validator, including the ability to create custom validation schemas.
yup
Yup is a JavaScript schema builder for value parsing and validation. It uses a schema-based approach similar to Joi and can be integrated with form libraries like Formik. It is more focused on object schema validation.
class-validator
Class-validator works with classes and decorators to validate that the properties of an object conform to specified rules. It is typically used with TypeScript and integrates well with class-based frameworks like TypeORM.
express-validator
Express-validator is a set of express.js middlewares that wraps validator.js functions. It is specifically designed for use with the Express web application framework and allows for easy integration of validation into the request processing pipeline.