Getting started

Install the package, write a first script, and see how the same code works in CommonJS, ES modules and TypeScript.

#Install

npm install @ix-xs/node-comfort

You need Node.js 22.13 or newer. That's the first version where node:sqlite, which nc.SQLite uses, works without a flag. Check yours with node --version.

#Your first script

Create hello.js:

const nc = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort");

nc.info("Starting up");

const started = nc.time.stopwatch();
const slug = nc.str.slugify("Héllo Wörld, from node-comfort!");
nc.success(`Slug: ${slug}`);

nc.box(`Done in ${started.stop(true)}`, { title: "hello" });

Run it with node hello.js. You'll get colored output in a terminal and plain text when you redirect it to a file.

#CommonJS, ES modules and TypeScript

The package works the same way everywhere.

// CommonJS
const nc = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort");
const { str, isEmail } = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort");

// ES modules
import nc from "@ix-xs/node-comfort";
import { str, isEmail, nc as toolkit } from "@ix-xs/node-comfort";

// TypeScript: types come with the package
import nc = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort");
import { schema as s, type Infer } from "@ix-xs/node-comfort";

The whole toolkit is also exported as nc and nodeComfort, so const { nc } = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort") works too. In an ES module or a TypeScript file, start typing nc and let your editor add the import.

#Importing a single namespace

Each namespace has its own entry point:

import { slugify, truncate } from "@ix-xs/node-comfort/str";
import SQLite from "@ix-xs/node-comfort/sqlite";
const { get, set } = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort/obj");

In ES modules, this is the way to load only what you use, because Node.js reads every export of the root package when you import it. See Performance for the numbers.

The entry points are: logger, fs, checker, utils, str, num, arr, obj, func, time, id, crypto, color, cli, sys, async, schema, http, env, errors, sqlite, cache and emitter.

#The .env file

When you require the package, it loads the .env file in the working directory if there is one. Variables that are already set are never overwritten, so real environment variables always win.

# .env
DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost/app
PORT=3000

const nc = require("@ix-xs/node-comfort");
const port = nc.env.port("PORT", { default: 8080 }); // 3000

To turn this off, set NODE_COMFORT_DOTENV=false. To load other files, call nc.env.load() yourself. The env guide covers validation in detail.

#Environment variables that change behavior

#What's next

• Your editor shows how to get completions and type checking, in JavaScript too.
• The module guides in the sidebar walk through each namespace.
• The API reference lists every function.