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util module

The node:util module supports the needs of Node.js internal APIs. Many of the utilities are useful for application and module developers as well. To access it:

import util from 'node:util';

See source

Classes

MIMEParams

The MIMEParams API provides read and write access to the parameters of a MIMEType.

MIMEType

An implementation of the MIMEType class.

In accordance with browser conventions, all properties of MIMEType objects are implemented as getters and setters on the class prototype, rather than as data properties on the object itself.

A MIME string is a structured string containing multiple meaningful components. When parsed, a MIMEType object is returned containing properties for each of these components.

TextDecoder

An implementation of the WHATWG Encoding Standard TextDecoder API.

const decoder = new TextDecoder();
const u8arr = new Uint8Array([72, 101, 108, 108, 111]);
console.log(decoder.decode(u8arr)); // Hello
TextEncoder

An implementation of the WHATWG Encoding Standard TextEncoder API. All instances of TextEncoder only support UTF-8 encoding.

const encoder = new TextEncoder();
const uint8array = encoder.encode('this is some data');

The TextEncoder class is also available on the global object.

Interfaces

CallSiteObject
CustomPromisifyLegacy
CustomPromisifySymbol
DebugLogger
EncodeIntoResult
InspectOptions
InspectOptionsStylized
ParseArgsConfig
ParseArgsOptionDescriptor
ParseArgsOptionsConfig

Type Aliases

CustomInspectFunction
CustomPromisify
DebugLoggerFunction
DiffEntry
ParseArgsOptionsType

Type of argument used in parseArgs.

Style

Functions

aborted(AbortSignal, any)

Listens to abort event on the provided signal and returns a promise that resolves when the signal is aborted. If resource is provided, it weakly references the operation's associated object, so if resource is garbage collected before the signal aborts, then returned promise shall remain pending. This prevents memory leaks in long-running or non-cancelable operations.

import { aborted } from 'node:util';

// Obtain an object with an abortable signal, like a custom resource or operation.
const dependent = obtainSomethingAbortable();

// Pass `dependent` as the resource, indicating the promise should only resolve
// if `dependent` is still in memory when the signal is aborted.
aborted(dependent.signal, dependent).then(() => {
  // This code runs when `dependent` is aborted.
  console.log('Dependent resource was aborted.');
});

// Simulate an event that triggers the abort.
dependent.on('event', () => {
  dependent.abort(); // This will cause the `aborted` promise to resolve.
});
addParamToUrl(string, string, string)

Adds a parameter to the given url

assign(any[])

Copies the values of all enumerable properties from one or more source objects to a target object, and returns the target object.

autoAuthInEmbedUrl(string)

Checks if the embed url contains autoAuth=true.

callbackify(() => Promise<void>)

Takes an async function (or a function that returns a Promise) and returns a function following the error-first callback style, i.e. taking an (err, value) => ... callback as the last argument. In the callback, the first argument will be the rejection reason (or null if the Promise resolved), and the second argument will be the resolved value.

import { callbackify } from 'node:util';

async function fn() {
  return 'hello world';
}
const callbackFunction = callbackify(fn);

callbackFunction((err, ret) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log(ret);
});

Will print:

hello world

The callback is executed asynchronously, and will have a limited stack trace. If the callback throws, the process will emit an 'uncaughtException' event, and if not handled will exit.

Since null has a special meaning as the first argument to a callback, if a wrapped function rejects a Promise with a falsy value as a reason, the value is wrapped in an Error with the original value stored in a field named reason.

function fn() {
  return Promise.reject(null);
}
const callbackFunction = util.callbackify(fn);

callbackFunction((err, ret) => {
  // When the Promise was rejected with `null` it is wrapped with an Error and
  // the original value is stored in `reason`.
  err && Object.hasOwn(err, 'reason') && err.reason === null;  // true
});
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1, T2, T3>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<T1, T2, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1, T2>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<T1, TResult>((arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>)
callbackify<T1>((arg1: T1) => Promise<void>)
callbackify<TResult>(() => Promise<TResult>)
createRandomString()

Generates a random 5 to 6 character string.

debuglog(string, (fn: DebugLoggerFunction) => void)

The util.debuglog() method is used to create a function that conditionally writes debug messages to stderr based on the existence of the NODE_DEBUG environment variable. If the section name appears within the value of that environment variable, then the returned function operates similar to console.error(). If not, then the returned function is a no-op.

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
const log = debuglog('foo');

log('hello from foo [%d]', 123);

If this program is run with NODE_DEBUG=foo in the environment, then it will output something like:

FOO 3245: hello from foo [123]

where 3245 is the process id. If it is not run with that environment variable set, then it will not print anything.

The section supports wildcard also:

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
const log = debuglog('foo');

log('hi there, it\'s foo-bar [%d]', 2333);

if it is run with NODE_DEBUG=foo* in the environment, then it will output something like:

FOO-BAR 3257: hi there, it's foo-bar [2333]

Multiple comma-separated section names may be specified in the NODE_DEBUG environment variable: NODE_DEBUG=fs,net,tls.

The optional callback argument can be used to replace the logging function with a different function that doesn't have any initialization or unnecessary wrapping.

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
let log = debuglog('internals', (debug) => {
  // Replace with a logging function that optimizes out
  // testing if the section is enabled
  log = debug;
});
deprecate<T>(T, string, string)

The util.deprecate() method wraps fn (which may be a function or class) in such a way that it is marked as deprecated.

import { deprecate } from 'node:util';

export const obsoleteFunction = deprecate(() => {
  // Do something here.
}, 'obsoleteFunction() is deprecated. Use newShinyFunction() instead.');

When called, util.deprecate() will return a function that will emit a DeprecationWarning using the 'warning' event. The warning will be emitted and printed to stderr the first time the returned function is called. After the warning is emitted, the wrapped function is called without emitting a warning.

If the same optional code is supplied in multiple calls to util.deprecate(), the warning will be emitted only once for that code.

import { deprecate } from 'node:util';

const fn1 = deprecate(
  () => 'a value',
  'deprecation message',
  'DEP0001',
);
const fn2 = deprecate(
  () => 'a  different value',
  'other dep message',
  'DEP0001',
);
fn1(); // Emits a deprecation warning with code DEP0001
fn2(); // Does not emit a deprecation warning because it has the same code

If either the --no-deprecation or --no-warnings command-line flags are used, or if the process.noDeprecation property is set to true prior to the first deprecation warning, the util.deprecate() method does nothing.

If the --trace-deprecation or --trace-warnings command-line flags are set, or the process.traceDeprecation property is set to true, a warning and a stack trace are printed to stderr the first time the deprecated function is called.

If the --throw-deprecation command-line flag is set, or the process.throwDeprecation property is set to true, then an exception will be thrown when the deprecated function is called.

The --throw-deprecation command-line flag and process.throwDeprecation property take precedence over --trace-deprecation and process.traceDeprecation.

diff(string | (readonly string[]), string | (readonly string[]))

util.diff() compares two string or array values and returns an array of difference entries. It uses the Myers diff algorithm to compute minimal differences, which is the same algorithm used internally by assertion error messages.

If the values are equal, an empty array is returned.

const { diff } = require('node:util');

// Comparing strings
const actualString = '12345678';
const expectedString = '12!!5!7!';
console.log(diff(actualString, expectedString));
// [
//   [0, '1'],
//   [0, '2'],
//   [1, '3'],
//   [1, '4'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [0, '5'],
//   [1, '6'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [0, '7'],
//   [1, '8'],
//   [-1, '!'],
// ]
// Comparing arrays
const actualArray = ['1', '2', '3'];
const expectedArray = ['1', '3', '4'];
console.log(diff(actualArray, expectedArray));
// [
//   [0, '1'],
//   [1, '2'],
//   [0, '3'],
//   [-1, '4'],
// ]
// Equal values return empty array
console.log(diff('same', 'same'));
// []
find<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])

Finds the first value in an array that matches the specified predicate.

findIndex<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])

Finds the index of the first value in an array that matches the specified predicate.

format(any, any[])

The util.format() method returns a formatted string using the first argument as a printf-like format string which can contain zero or more format specifiers. Each specifier is replaced with the converted value from the corresponding argument. Supported specifiers are:

If a specifier does not have a corresponding argument, it is not replaced:

util.format('%s:%s', 'foo');
// Returns: 'foo:%s'

Values that are not part of the format string are formatted using util.inspect() if their type is not string.

If there are more arguments passed to the util.format() method than the number of specifiers, the extra arguments are concatenated to the returned string, separated by spaces:

util.format('%s:%s', 'foo', 'bar', 'baz');
// Returns: 'foo:bar baz'

If the first argument does not contain a valid format specifier, util.format() returns a string that is the concatenation of all arguments separated by spaces:

util.format(1, 2, 3);
// Returns: '1 2 3'

If only one argument is passed to util.format(), it is returned as it is without any formatting:

util.format('%% %s');
// Returns: '%% %s'

util.format() is a synchronous method that is intended as a debugging tool. Some input values can have a significant performance overhead that can block the event loop. Use this function with care and never in a hot code path.

formatWithOptions(InspectOptions, any, any[])

This function is identical to format, except in that it takes an inspectOptions argument which specifies options that are passed along to inspect.

util.formatWithOptions({ colors: true }, 'See object %O', { foo: 42 });
// Returns 'See object { foo: 42 }', where `42` is colored as a number
// when printed to a terminal.
generateUUID()

Generates a 20 character uuid.

getCallSites(GetCallSitesOptions)
getCallSites(number, GetCallSitesOptions)

Returns an array of call site objects containing the stack of the caller function.

import { getCallSites } from 'node:util';

function exampleFunction() {
  const callSites = getCallSites();

  console.log('Call Sites:');
  callSites.forEach((callSite, index) => {
    console.log(`CallSite ${index + 1}:`);
    console.log(`Function Name: ${callSite.functionName}`);
    console.log(`Script Name: ${callSite.scriptName}`);
    console.log(`Line Number: ${callSite.lineNumber}`);
    console.log(`Column Number: ${callSite.column}`);
  });
  // CallSite 1:
  // Function Name: exampleFunction
  // Script Name: /home/example.js
  // Line Number: 5
  // Column Number: 26

  // CallSite 2:
  // Function Name: anotherFunction
  // Script Name: /home/example.js
  // Line Number: 22
  // Column Number: 3

  // ...
}

// A function to simulate another stack layer
function anotherFunction() {
  exampleFunction();
}

anotherFunction();

It is possible to reconstruct the original locations by setting the option sourceMap to true. If the source map is not available, the original location will be the same as the current location. When the --enable-source-maps flag is enabled, for example when using --experimental-transform-types, sourceMap will be true by default.

import { getCallSites } from 'node:util';

interface Foo {
  foo: string;
}

const callSites = getCallSites({ sourceMap: true });

// With sourceMap:
// Function Name: ''
// Script Name: example.js
// Line Number: 7
// Column Number: 26

// Without sourceMap:
// Function Name: ''
// Script Name: example.js
// Line Number: 2
// Column Number: 26
getRandomValue()

Returns random number

getSystemErrorMap()

Returns a Map of all system error codes available from the Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and error names is platform-dependent. See Common System Errors for the names of common errors.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const errorMap = util.getSystemErrorMap();
  const name = errorMap.get(err.errno);
  console.error(name);  // ENOENT
});
getSystemErrorMessage(number)

Returns the string message for a numeric error code that comes from a Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and string messages is platform-dependent.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const message = util.getSystemErrorMessage(err.errno);
  console.error(message);  // no such file or directory
});
getSystemErrorName(number)

Returns the string name for a numeric error code that comes from a Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and error names is platform-dependent. See Common System Errors for the names of common errors.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const name = util.getSystemErrorName(err.errno);
  console.error(name);  // ENOENT
});
getTimeDiffInMilliseconds(Date, Date)

Returns the time interval between two dates in milliseconds

inherits(unknown, unknown)

Usage of util.inherits() is discouraged. Please use the ES6 class and extends keywords to get language level inheritance support. Also note that the two styles are semantically incompatible.

Inherit the prototype methods from one constructor into another. The prototype of constructor will be set to a new object created from superConstructor.

This mainly adds some input validation on top of Object.setPrototypeOf(constructor.prototype, superConstructor.prototype). As an additional convenience, superConstructor will be accessible through the constructor.super_ property.

const util = require('node:util');
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');

function MyStream() {
  EventEmitter.call(this);
}

util.inherits(MyStream, EventEmitter);

MyStream.prototype.write = function(data) {
  this.emit('data', data);
};

const stream = new MyStream();

console.log(stream instanceof EventEmitter); // true
console.log(MyStream.super_ === EventEmitter); // true

stream.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log(`Received data: "${data}"`);
});
stream.write('It works!'); // Received data: "It works!"

ES6 example using class and extends:

import EventEmitter from 'node:events';

class MyStream extends EventEmitter {
  write(data) {
    this.emit('data', data);
  }
}

const stream = new MyStream();

stream.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log(`Received data: "${data}"`);
});
stream.write('With ES6');
inspect(any, boolean, null | number, boolean)

The util.inspect() method returns a string representation of object that is intended for debugging. The output of util.inspect may change at any time and should not be depended upon programmatically. Additional options may be passed that alter the result. util.inspect() will use the constructor's name and/or @@toStringTag to make an identifiable tag for an inspected value.

class Foo {
  get [Symbol.toStringTag]() {
    return 'bar';
  }
}

class Bar {}

const baz = Object.create(null, { [Symbol.toStringTag]: { value: 'foo' } });

util.inspect(new Foo()); // 'Foo [bar] {}'
util.inspect(new Bar()); // 'Bar {}'
util.inspect(baz);       // '[foo] {}'

Circular references point to their anchor by using a reference index:

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const obj = {};
obj.a = [obj];
obj.b = {};
obj.b.inner = obj.b;
obj.b.obj = obj;

console.log(inspect(obj));
// <ref *1> {
//   a: [ [Circular *1] ],
//   b: <ref *2> { inner: [Circular *2], obj: [Circular *1] }
// }

The following example inspects all properties of the util object:

import util from 'node:util';

console.log(util.inspect(util, { showHidden: true, depth: null }));

The following example highlights the effect of the compact option:

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const o = {
  a: [1, 2, [[
    'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\nconsectetur adipiscing elit, sed do ' +
      'eiusmod \ntempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.',
    'test',
    'foo']], 4],
  b: new Map([['za', 1], ['zb', 'test']]),
};
console.log(inspect(o, { compact: true, depth: 5, breakLength: 80 }));

// { a:
//   [ 1,
//     2,
//     [ [ 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\nconsectetur [...]', // A long line
//           'test',
//           'foo' ] ],
//     4 ],
//   b: Map(2) { 'za' => 1, 'zb' => 'test' } }

// Setting `compact` to false or an integer creates more reader friendly output.
console.log(inspect(o, { compact: false, depth: 5, breakLength: 80 }));

// {
//   a: [
//     1,
//     2,
//     [
//       [
//         'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\n' +
//           'consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod \n' +
//           'tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.',
//         'test',
//         'foo'
//       ]
//     ],
//     4
//   ],
//   b: Map(2) {
//     'za' => 1,
//     'zb' => 'test'
//   }
// }

// Setting `breakLength` to e.g. 150 will print the "Lorem ipsum" text in a
// single line.

The showHidden option allows WeakMap and WeakSet entries to be inspected. If there are more entries than maxArrayLength, there is no guarantee which entries are displayed. That means retrieving the same WeakSet entries twice may result in different output. Furthermore, entries with no remaining strong references may be garbage collected at any time.

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const obj = { a: 1 };
const obj2 = { b: 2 };
const weakSet = new WeakSet([obj, obj2]);

console.log(inspect(weakSet, { showHidden: true }));
// WeakSet { { a: 1 }, { b: 2 } }

The sorted option ensures that an object's property insertion order does not impact the result of util.inspect().

import { inspect } from 'node:util';
import assert from 'node:assert';

const o1 = {
  b: [2, 3, 1],
  a: '`a` comes before `b`',
  c: new Set([2, 3, 1]),
};
console.log(inspect(o1, { sorted: true }));
// { a: '`a` comes before `b`', b: [ 2, 3, 1 ], c: Set(3) { 1, 2, 3 } }
console.log(inspect(o1, { sorted: (a, b) => b.localeCompare(a) }));
// { c: Set(3) { 3, 2, 1 }, b: [ 2, 3, 1 ], a: '`a` comes before `b`' }

const o2 = {
  c: new Set([2, 1, 3]),
  a: '`a` comes before `b`',
  b: [2, 3, 1],
};
assert.strict.equal(
  inspect(o1, { sorted: true }),
  inspect(o2, { sorted: true }),
);

The numericSeparator option adds an underscore every three digits to all numbers.

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const thousand = 1000;
const million = 1000000;
const bigNumber = 123456789n;
const bigDecimal = 1234.12345;

console.log(inspect(thousand, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_000
console.log(inspect(million, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_000_000
console.log(inspect(bigNumber, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 123_456_789n
console.log(inspect(bigDecimal, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_234.123_45

util.inspect() is a synchronous method intended for debugging. Its maximum output length is approximately 128 MiB. Inputs that result in longer output will be truncated.

inspect(any, InspectOptions)
isArray(unknown)

Alias for Array.isArray().

Returns true if the given object is an Array. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isArray([]);
// Returns: true
util.isArray(new Array());
// Returns: true
util.isArray({});
// Returns: false
isBoolean(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Boolean. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isBoolean(1);
// Returns: false
util.isBoolean(0);
// Returns: false
util.isBoolean(false);
// Returns: true
isBuffer(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Buffer. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isBuffer({ length: 0 });
// Returns: false
util.isBuffer([]);
// Returns: false
util.isBuffer(Buffer.from('hello world'));
// Returns: true
isCreate(string)

Checks if the embed type is for create

isDate(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Date. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isDate(new Date());
// Returns: true
util.isDate(Date());
// false (without 'new' returns a String)
util.isDate({});
// Returns: false
isDeepStrictEqual(unknown, unknown)

Returns true if there is deep strict equality between val1 and val2. Otherwise, returns false.

See assert.deepStrictEqual() for more information about deep strict equality.

isError(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is an Error. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isError(new Error());
// Returns: true
util.isError(new TypeError());
// Returns: true
util.isError({ name: 'Error', message: 'an error occurred' });
// Returns: false

This method relies on Object.prototype.toString() behavior. It is possible to obtain an incorrect result when the object argument manipulates @@toStringTag.

import util from 'node:util';
const obj = { name: 'Error', message: 'an error occurred' };

util.isError(obj);
// Returns: false
obj[Symbol.toStringTag] = 'Error';
util.isError(obj);
// Returns: true
isFunction(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Function. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

function Foo() {}
const Bar = () => {};

util.isFunction({});
// Returns: false
util.isFunction(Foo);
// Returns: true
util.isFunction(Bar);
// Returns: true
isNull(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is strictly null. Otherwise, returnsfalse.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNull(0);
// Returns: false
util.isNull(undefined);
// Returns: false
util.isNull(null);
// Returns: true
isNullOrUndefined(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is null or undefined. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNullOrUndefined(0);
// Returns: false
util.isNullOrUndefined(undefined);
// Returns: true
util.isNullOrUndefined(null);
// Returns: true
isNumber(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Number. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNumber(false);
// Returns: false
util.isNumber(Infinity);
// Returns: true
util.isNumber(0);
// Returns: true
util.isNumber(NaN);
// Returns: true
isObject(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is strictly an Objectand not aFunction (even though functions are objects in JavaScript). Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isObject(5);
// Returns: false
util.isObject(null);
// Returns: false
util.isObject({});
// Returns: true
util.isObject(() => {});
// Returns: false
isPrimitive(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a primitive type. Otherwise, returnsfalse.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isPrimitive(5);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive('foo');
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(false);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(null);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(undefined);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive({});
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(() => {});
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(/^$/);
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(new Date());
// Returns: false
isRDLEmbed(string)

Checks if the embed url is for RDL report.

isRegExp(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a RegExp. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isRegExp(/some regexp/);
// Returns: true
util.isRegExp(new RegExp('another regexp'));
// Returns: true
util.isRegExp({});
// Returns: false
isSavedInternal(HttpPostMessage, string, Window)

Checks if the report is saved.

isString(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a string. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isString('');
// Returns: true
util.isString('foo');
// Returns: true
util.isString(String('foo'));
// Returns: true
util.isString(5);
// Returns: false
isSymbol(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is a Symbol. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isSymbol(5);
// Returns: false
util.isSymbol('foo');
// Returns: false
util.isSymbol(Symbol('foo'));
// Returns: true
isUndefined(unknown)

Returns true if the given object is undefined. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

const foo = undefined;
util.isUndefined(5);
// Returns: false
util.isUndefined(foo);
// Returns: true
util.isUndefined(null);
// Returns: false
log(string)

The util.log() method prints the given string to stdout with an included timestamp.

import util from 'node:util';

util.log('Timestamped message.');
parseArgs<T>(T)

Provides a higher level API for command-line argument parsing than interacting with process.argv directly. Takes a specification for the expected arguments and returns a structured object with the parsed options and positionals.

import { parseArgs } from 'node:util';
const args = ['-f', '--bar', 'b'];
const options = {
  foo: {
    type: 'boolean',
    short: 'f',
  },
  bar: {
    type: 'string',
  },
};
const {
  values,
  positionals,
} = parseArgs({ args, options });
console.log(values, positionals);
// Prints: [Object: null prototype] { foo: true, bar: 'b' } []
parseEnv(string)

Stability: 1.1 - Active development Given an example .env file:

import { parseEnv } from 'node:util';

parseEnv('HELLO=world\nHELLO=oh my\n');
// Returns: { HELLO: 'oh my' }
promisify((callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify(Function)
promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, T3>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, T2>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify<T1, TResult>((arg1: T1, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
promisify<T1>((arg1: T1, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)
promisify<TCustom>(CustomPromisify<TCustom>)

Takes a function following the common error-first callback style, i.e. taking an (err, value) => ... callback as the last argument, and returns a version that returns promises.

import { promisify } from 'node:util';
import { stat } from 'node:fs';

const promisifiedStat = promisify(stat);
promisifiedStat('.').then((stats) => {
  // Do something with `stats`
}).catch((error) => {
  // Handle the error.
});

Or, equivalently using async functions:

import { promisify } from 'node:util';
import { stat } from 'node:fs';

const promisifiedStat = promisify(stat);

async function callStat() {
  const stats = await promisifiedStat('.');
  console.log(`This directory is owned by ${stats.uid}`);
}

callStat();

If there is an original[util.promisify.custom] property present, promisify will return its value, see Custom promisified functions.

promisify() assumes that original is a function taking a callback as its final argument in all cases. If original is not a function, promisify() will throw an error. If original is a function but its last argument is not an error-first callback, it will still be passed an error-first callback as its last argument.

Using promisify() on class methods or other methods that use this may not work as expected unless handled specially:

import { promisify } from 'node:util';

class Foo {
  constructor() {
    this.a = 42;
  }

  bar(callback) {
    callback(null, this.a);
  }
}

const foo = new Foo();

const naiveBar = promisify(foo.bar);
// TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'a')
// naiveBar().then(a => console.log(a));

naiveBar.call(foo).then((a) => console.log(a)); // '42'

const bindBar = naiveBar.bind(foo);
bindBar().then((a) => console.log(a)); // '42'
promisify<TResult>((callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)
raiseCustomEvent(HTMLElement, string, any)

Raises a custom event with event data on the specified HTML element.

remove<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])
stripVTControlCharacters(string)

Returns str with any ANSI escape codes removed.

console.log(util.stripVTControlCharacters('\u001B[4mvalue\u001B[0m'));
// Prints "value"
styleText(ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers | (ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers)[], string)

This function returns a formatted text considering the format passed for printing in a terminal. It is aware of the terminal's capabilities and acts according to the configuration set via NO_COLORS, NODE_DISABLE_COLORS and FORCE_COLOR environment variables.

import { styleText } from 'node:util';
import { stderr } from 'node:process';

const successMessage = styleText('green', 'Success!');
console.log(successMessage);

const errorMessage = styleText(
  'red',
  'Error! Error!',
  // Validate if process.stderr has TTY
  { stream: stderr },
);
console.error(errorMessage);

util.inspect.colors also provides text formats such as italic, and underline and you can combine both:

console.log(
  util.styleText(['underline', 'italic'], 'My italic underlined message'),
);

When passing an array of formats, the order of the format applied is left to right so the following style might overwrite the previous one.

console.log(
  util.styleText(['red', 'green'], 'text'), // green
);

The full list of formats can be found in modifiers.

toUSVString(string)

Returns the string after replacing any surrogate code points (or equivalently, any unpaired surrogate code units) with the Unicode "replacement character" U+FFFD.

transferableAbortController()

Creates and returns an AbortController instance whose AbortSignal is marked as transferable and can be used with structuredClone() or postMessage().

transferableAbortSignal(AbortSignal)

Marks the given AbortSignal as transferable so that it can be used withstructuredClone() and postMessage().

const signal = transferableAbortSignal(AbortSignal.timeout(100));
const channel = new MessageChannel();
channel.port2.postMessage(signal, [signal]);

Function Details

aborted(AbortSignal, any)

Listens to abort event on the provided signal and returns a promise that resolves when the signal is aborted. If resource is provided, it weakly references the operation's associated object, so if resource is garbage collected before the signal aborts, then returned promise shall remain pending. This prevents memory leaks in long-running or non-cancelable operations.

import { aborted } from 'node:util';

// Obtain an object with an abortable signal, like a custom resource or operation.
const dependent = obtainSomethingAbortable();

// Pass `dependent` as the resource, indicating the promise should only resolve
// if `dependent` is still in memory when the signal is aborted.
aborted(dependent.signal, dependent).then(() => {
  // This code runs when `dependent` is aborted.
  console.log('Dependent resource was aborted.');
});

// Simulate an event that triggers the abort.
dependent.on('event', () => {
  dependent.abort(); // This will cause the `aborted` promise to resolve.
});
function aborted(signal: AbortSignal, resource: any): Promise<void>

Parameters

signal

AbortSignal

resource

any

Any non-null object tied to the abortable operation and held weakly. If resource is garbage collected before the signal aborts, the promise remains pending, allowing Node.js to stop tracking it. This helps prevent memory leaks in long-running or non-cancelable operations.

Returns

Promise<void>

addParamToUrl(string, string, string)

Adds a parameter to the given url

function addParamToUrl(url: string, paramName: string, value: string): string

Parameters

url

string

paramName

string

value

string

Returns

string

assign(any[])

Copies the values of all enumerable properties from one or more source objects to a target object, and returns the target object.

function assign(args: any[]): any

Parameters

args

any[]

Returns

any

autoAuthInEmbedUrl(string)

Checks if the embed url contains autoAuth=true.

function autoAuthInEmbedUrl(embedUrl: string): boolean

Parameters

embedUrl

string

Returns

boolean

callbackify(() => Promise<void>)

Takes an async function (or a function that returns a Promise) and returns a function following the error-first callback style, i.e. taking an (err, value) => ... callback as the last argument. In the callback, the first argument will be the rejection reason (or null if the Promise resolved), and the second argument will be the resolved value.

import { callbackify } from 'node:util';

async function fn() {
  return 'hello world';
}
const callbackFunction = callbackify(fn);

callbackFunction((err, ret) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log(ret);
});

Will print:

hello world

The callback is executed asynchronously, and will have a limited stack trace. If the callback throws, the process will emit an 'uncaughtException' event, and if not handled will exit.

Since null has a special meaning as the first argument to a callback, if a wrapped function rejects a Promise with a falsy value as a reason, the value is wrapped in an Error with the original value stored in a field named reason.

function fn() {
  return Promise.reject(null);
}
const callbackFunction = util.callbackify(fn);

callbackFunction((err, ret) => {
  // When the Promise was rejected with `null` it is wrapped with an Error and
  // the original value is stored in `reason`.
  err && Object.hasOwn(err, 'reason') && err.reason === null;  // true
});
function callbackify(fn: () => Promise<void>): (callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

() => Promise<void>

An async function

Returns

(callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

a callback style function

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, arg6: T6, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, T4>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, T3>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, T3>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, T2, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException | null, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, T2>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1, T2>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<T1, TResult>((arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<T1, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>): (arg1: T1, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(arg1: T1, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException, result: TResult) => void) => void

callbackify<T1>((arg1: T1) => Promise<void>)

function callbackify<T1>(fn: (arg1: T1) => Promise<void>): (arg1: T1, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1) => Promise<void>

Returns

(arg1: T1, callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException) => void) => void

callbackify<TResult>(() => Promise<TResult>)

function callbackify<TResult>(fn: () => Promise<TResult>): (callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException, result: TResult) => void) => void

Parameters

fn

() => Promise<TResult>

Returns

(callback: (err: NodeJS.ErrnoException, result: TResult) => void) => void

createRandomString()

Generates a random 5 to 6 character string.

function createRandomString(): string

Returns

string

debuglog(string, (fn: DebugLoggerFunction) => void)

The util.debuglog() method is used to create a function that conditionally writes debug messages to stderr based on the existence of the NODE_DEBUG environment variable. If the section name appears within the value of that environment variable, then the returned function operates similar to console.error(). If not, then the returned function is a no-op.

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
const log = debuglog('foo');

log('hello from foo [%d]', 123);

If this program is run with NODE_DEBUG=foo in the environment, then it will output something like:

FOO 3245: hello from foo [123]

where 3245 is the process id. If it is not run with that environment variable set, then it will not print anything.

The section supports wildcard also:

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
const log = debuglog('foo');

log('hi there, it\'s foo-bar [%d]', 2333);

if it is run with NODE_DEBUG=foo* in the environment, then it will output something like:

FOO-BAR 3257: hi there, it's foo-bar [2333]

Multiple comma-separated section names may be specified in the NODE_DEBUG environment variable: NODE_DEBUG=fs,net,tls.

The optional callback argument can be used to replace the logging function with a different function that doesn't have any initialization or unnecessary wrapping.

import { debuglog } from 'node:util';
let log = debuglog('internals', (debug) => {
  // Replace with a logging function that optimizes out
  // testing if the section is enabled
  log = debug;
});
function debuglog(section: string, callback?: (fn: DebugLoggerFunction) => void): DebugLogger

Parameters

section

string

A string identifying the portion of the application for which the debuglog function is being created.

callback

(fn: DebugLoggerFunction) => void

A callback invoked the first time the logging function is called with a function argument that is a more optimized logging function.

Returns

The logging function

deprecate<T>(T, string, string)

The util.deprecate() method wraps fn (which may be a function or class) in such a way that it is marked as deprecated.

import { deprecate } from 'node:util';

export const obsoleteFunction = deprecate(() => {
  // Do something here.
}, 'obsoleteFunction() is deprecated. Use newShinyFunction() instead.');

When called, util.deprecate() will return a function that will emit a DeprecationWarning using the 'warning' event. The warning will be emitted and printed to stderr the first time the returned function is called. After the warning is emitted, the wrapped function is called without emitting a warning.

If the same optional code is supplied in multiple calls to util.deprecate(), the warning will be emitted only once for that code.

import { deprecate } from 'node:util';

const fn1 = deprecate(
  () => 'a value',
  'deprecation message',
  'DEP0001',
);
const fn2 = deprecate(
  () => 'a  different value',
  'other dep message',
  'DEP0001',
);
fn1(); // Emits a deprecation warning with code DEP0001
fn2(); // Does not emit a deprecation warning because it has the same code

If either the --no-deprecation or --no-warnings command-line flags are used, or if the process.noDeprecation property is set to true prior to the first deprecation warning, the util.deprecate() method does nothing.

If the --trace-deprecation or --trace-warnings command-line flags are set, or the process.traceDeprecation property is set to true, a warning and a stack trace are printed to stderr the first time the deprecated function is called.

If the --throw-deprecation command-line flag is set, or the process.throwDeprecation property is set to true, then an exception will be thrown when the deprecated function is called.

The --throw-deprecation command-line flag and process.throwDeprecation property take precedence over --trace-deprecation and process.traceDeprecation.

function deprecate<T>(fn: T, msg: string, code?: string): T

Parameters

fn

T

The function that is being deprecated.

msg

string

A warning message to display when the deprecated function is invoked.

code

string

A deprecation code. See the list of deprecated APIs for a list of codes.

Returns

T

The deprecated function wrapped to emit a warning.

diff(string | (readonly string[]), string | (readonly string[]))

util.diff() compares two string or array values and returns an array of difference entries. It uses the Myers diff algorithm to compute minimal differences, which is the same algorithm used internally by assertion error messages.

If the values are equal, an empty array is returned.

const { diff } = require('node:util');

// Comparing strings
const actualString = '12345678';
const expectedString = '12!!5!7!';
console.log(diff(actualString, expectedString));
// [
//   [0, '1'],
//   [0, '2'],
//   [1, '3'],
//   [1, '4'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [0, '5'],
//   [1, '6'],
//   [-1, '!'],
//   [0, '7'],
//   [1, '8'],
//   [-1, '!'],
// ]
// Comparing arrays
const actualArray = ['1', '2', '3'];
const expectedArray = ['1', '3', '4'];
console.log(diff(actualArray, expectedArray));
// [
//   [0, '1'],
//   [1, '2'],
//   [0, '3'],
//   [-1, '4'],
// ]
// Equal values return empty array
console.log(diff('same', 'same'));
// []
function diff(actual: string | (readonly string[]), expected: string | (readonly string[])): DiffEntry[]

Parameters

actual

string | (readonly string[])

The first value to compare

expected

string | (readonly string[])

The second value to compare

Returns

An array of difference entries. Each entry is an array with two elements:

  • Index 0: number Operation code: -1 for delete, 0 for no-op/unchanged, 1 for insert
  • Index 1: string The value associated with the operation

find<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])

Finds the first value in an array that matches the specified predicate.

function find<T>(predicate: (x: T) => boolean, xs: T[]): T

Parameters

predicate

(x: T) => boolean

xs

T[]

Returns

T

findIndex<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])

Finds the index of the first value in an array that matches the specified predicate.

function findIndex<T>(predicate: (x: T) => boolean, xs: T[]): number

Parameters

predicate

(x: T) => boolean

xs

T[]

Returns

number

format(any, any[])

The util.format() method returns a formatted string using the first argument as a printf-like format string which can contain zero or more format specifiers. Each specifier is replaced with the converted value from the corresponding argument. Supported specifiers are:

If a specifier does not have a corresponding argument, it is not replaced:

util.format('%s:%s', 'foo');
// Returns: 'foo:%s'

Values that are not part of the format string are formatted using util.inspect() if their type is not string.

If there are more arguments passed to the util.format() method than the number of specifiers, the extra arguments are concatenated to the returned string, separated by spaces:

util.format('%s:%s', 'foo', 'bar', 'baz');
// Returns: 'foo:bar baz'

If the first argument does not contain a valid format specifier, util.format() returns a string that is the concatenation of all arguments separated by spaces:

util.format(1, 2, 3);
// Returns: '1 2 3'

If only one argument is passed to util.format(), it is returned as it is without any formatting:

util.format('%% %s');
// Returns: '%% %s'

util.format() is a synchronous method that is intended as a debugging tool. Some input values can have a significant performance overhead that can block the event loop. Use this function with care and never in a hot code path.

function format(format?: any, param: any[]): string

Parameters

format

any

A printf-like format string.

param

any[]

Returns

string

formatWithOptions(InspectOptions, any, any[])

This function is identical to format, except in that it takes an inspectOptions argument which specifies options that are passed along to inspect.

util.formatWithOptions({ colors: true }, 'See object %O', { foo: 42 });
// Returns 'See object { foo: 42 }', where `42` is colored as a number
// when printed to a terminal.
function formatWithOptions(inspectOptions: InspectOptions, format?: any, param: any[]): string

Parameters

inspectOptions
InspectOptions
format

any

param

any[]

Returns

string

generateUUID()

Generates a 20 character uuid.

function generateUUID(): string

Returns

string

getCallSites(GetCallSitesOptions)

function getCallSites(options: GetCallSitesOptions): CallSiteObject[]

Parameters

options

GetCallSitesOptions

Returns

getCallSites(number, GetCallSitesOptions)

Returns an array of call site objects containing the stack of the caller function.

import { getCallSites } from 'node:util';

function exampleFunction() {
  const callSites = getCallSites();

  console.log('Call Sites:');
  callSites.forEach((callSite, index) => {
    console.log(`CallSite ${index + 1}:`);
    console.log(`Function Name: ${callSite.functionName}`);
    console.log(`Script Name: ${callSite.scriptName}`);
    console.log(`Line Number: ${callSite.lineNumber}`);
    console.log(`Column Number: ${callSite.column}`);
  });
  // CallSite 1:
  // Function Name: exampleFunction
  // Script Name: /home/example.js
  // Line Number: 5
  // Column Number: 26

  // CallSite 2:
  // Function Name: anotherFunction
  // Script Name: /home/example.js
  // Line Number: 22
  // Column Number: 3

  // ...
}

// A function to simulate another stack layer
function anotherFunction() {
  exampleFunction();
}

anotherFunction();

It is possible to reconstruct the original locations by setting the option sourceMap to true. If the source map is not available, the original location will be the same as the current location. When the --enable-source-maps flag is enabled, for example when using --experimental-transform-types, sourceMap will be true by default.

import { getCallSites } from 'node:util';

interface Foo {
  foo: string;
}

const callSites = getCallSites({ sourceMap: true });

// With sourceMap:
// Function Name: ''
// Script Name: example.js
// Line Number: 7
// Column Number: 26

// Without sourceMap:
// Function Name: ''
// Script Name: example.js
// Line Number: 2
// Column Number: 26
function getCallSites(frameCount?: number, options?: GetCallSitesOptions): CallSiteObject[]

Parameters

frameCount

number

Number of frames to capture as call site objects. Default: 10. Allowable range is between 1 and 200.

options

GetCallSitesOptions

Returns

An array of call site objects

getRandomValue()

Returns random number

function getRandomValue(): number

Returns

number

getSystemErrorMap()

Returns a Map of all system error codes available from the Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and error names is platform-dependent. See Common System Errors for the names of common errors.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const errorMap = util.getSystemErrorMap();
  const name = errorMap.get(err.errno);
  console.error(name);  // ENOENT
});
function getSystemErrorMap(): Map<number, [string, string]>

Returns

Map<number, [string, string]>

getSystemErrorMessage(number)

Returns the string message for a numeric error code that comes from a Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and string messages is platform-dependent.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const message = util.getSystemErrorMessage(err.errno);
  console.error(message);  // no such file or directory
});
function getSystemErrorMessage(err: number): string

Parameters

err

number

Returns

string

getSystemErrorName(number)

Returns the string name for a numeric error code that comes from a Node.js API. The mapping between error codes and error names is platform-dependent. See Common System Errors for the names of common errors.

fs.access('file/that/does/not/exist', (err) => {
  const name = util.getSystemErrorName(err.errno);
  console.error(name);  // ENOENT
});
function getSystemErrorName(err: number): string

Parameters

err

number

Returns

string

getTimeDiffInMilliseconds(Date, Date)

Returns the time interval between two dates in milliseconds

function getTimeDiffInMilliseconds(start: Date, end: Date): number

Parameters

start

Date

end

Date

Returns

number

inherits(unknown, unknown)

Usage of util.inherits() is discouraged. Please use the ES6 class and extends keywords to get language level inheritance support. Also note that the two styles are semantically incompatible.

Inherit the prototype methods from one constructor into another. The prototype of constructor will be set to a new object created from superConstructor.

This mainly adds some input validation on top of Object.setPrototypeOf(constructor.prototype, superConstructor.prototype). As an additional convenience, superConstructor will be accessible through the constructor.super_ property.

const util = require('node:util');
const EventEmitter = require('node:events');

function MyStream() {
  EventEmitter.call(this);
}

util.inherits(MyStream, EventEmitter);

MyStream.prototype.write = function(data) {
  this.emit('data', data);
};

const stream = new MyStream();

console.log(stream instanceof EventEmitter); // true
console.log(MyStream.super_ === EventEmitter); // true

stream.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log(`Received data: "${data}"`);
});
stream.write('It works!'); // Received data: "It works!"

ES6 example using class and extends:

import EventEmitter from 'node:events';

class MyStream extends EventEmitter {
  write(data) {
    this.emit('data', data);
  }
}

const stream = new MyStream();

stream.on('data', (data) => {
  console.log(`Received data: "${data}"`);
});
stream.write('With ES6');
function inherits(constructor: unknown, superConstructor: unknown)

Parameters

constructor

unknown

superConstructor

unknown

inspect(any, boolean, null | number, boolean)

The util.inspect() method returns a string representation of object that is intended for debugging. The output of util.inspect may change at any time and should not be depended upon programmatically. Additional options may be passed that alter the result. util.inspect() will use the constructor's name and/or @@toStringTag to make an identifiable tag for an inspected value.

class Foo {
  get [Symbol.toStringTag]() {
    return 'bar';
  }
}

class Bar {}

const baz = Object.create(null, { [Symbol.toStringTag]: { value: 'foo' } });

util.inspect(new Foo()); // 'Foo [bar] {}'
util.inspect(new Bar()); // 'Bar {}'
util.inspect(baz);       // '[foo] {}'

Circular references point to their anchor by using a reference index:

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const obj = {};
obj.a = [obj];
obj.b = {};
obj.b.inner = obj.b;
obj.b.obj = obj;

console.log(inspect(obj));
// <ref *1> {
//   a: [ [Circular *1] ],
//   b: <ref *2> { inner: [Circular *2], obj: [Circular *1] }
// }

The following example inspects all properties of the util object:

import util from 'node:util';

console.log(util.inspect(util, { showHidden: true, depth: null }));

The following example highlights the effect of the compact option:

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const o = {
  a: [1, 2, [[
    'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\nconsectetur adipiscing elit, sed do ' +
      'eiusmod \ntempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.',
    'test',
    'foo']], 4],
  b: new Map([['za', 1], ['zb', 'test']]),
};
console.log(inspect(o, { compact: true, depth: 5, breakLength: 80 }));

// { a:
//   [ 1,
//     2,
//     [ [ 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\nconsectetur [...]', // A long line
//           'test',
//           'foo' ] ],
//     4 ],
//   b: Map(2) { 'za' => 1, 'zb' => 'test' } }

// Setting `compact` to false or an integer creates more reader friendly output.
console.log(inspect(o, { compact: false, depth: 5, breakLength: 80 }));

// {
//   a: [
//     1,
//     2,
//     [
//       [
//         'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,\n' +
//           'consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod \n' +
//           'tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.',
//         'test',
//         'foo'
//       ]
//     ],
//     4
//   ],
//   b: Map(2) {
//     'za' => 1,
//     'zb' => 'test'
//   }
// }

// Setting `breakLength` to e.g. 150 will print the "Lorem ipsum" text in a
// single line.

The showHidden option allows WeakMap and WeakSet entries to be inspected. If there are more entries than maxArrayLength, there is no guarantee which entries are displayed. That means retrieving the same WeakSet entries twice may result in different output. Furthermore, entries with no remaining strong references may be garbage collected at any time.

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const obj = { a: 1 };
const obj2 = { b: 2 };
const weakSet = new WeakSet([obj, obj2]);

console.log(inspect(weakSet, { showHidden: true }));
// WeakSet { { a: 1 }, { b: 2 } }

The sorted option ensures that an object's property insertion order does not impact the result of util.inspect().

import { inspect } from 'node:util';
import assert from 'node:assert';

const o1 = {
  b: [2, 3, 1],
  a: '`a` comes before `b`',
  c: new Set([2, 3, 1]),
};
console.log(inspect(o1, { sorted: true }));
// { a: '`a` comes before `b`', b: [ 2, 3, 1 ], c: Set(3) { 1, 2, 3 } }
console.log(inspect(o1, { sorted: (a, b) => b.localeCompare(a) }));
// { c: Set(3) { 3, 2, 1 }, b: [ 2, 3, 1 ], a: '`a` comes before `b`' }

const o2 = {
  c: new Set([2, 1, 3]),
  a: '`a` comes before `b`',
  b: [2, 3, 1],
};
assert.strict.equal(
  inspect(o1, { sorted: true }),
  inspect(o2, { sorted: true }),
);

The numericSeparator option adds an underscore every three digits to all numbers.

import { inspect } from 'node:util';

const thousand = 1000;
const million = 1000000;
const bigNumber = 123456789n;
const bigDecimal = 1234.12345;

console.log(inspect(thousand, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_000
console.log(inspect(million, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_000_000
console.log(inspect(bigNumber, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 123_456_789n
console.log(inspect(bigDecimal, { numericSeparator: true }));
// 1_234.123_45

util.inspect() is a synchronous method intended for debugging. Its maximum output length is approximately 128 MiB. Inputs that result in longer output will be truncated.

function inspect(object: any, showHidden?: boolean, depth?: null | number, color?: boolean): string

Parameters

object

any

Any JavaScript primitive or Object.

showHidden

boolean

depth

null | number

color

boolean

Returns

string

The representation of object.

inspect(any, InspectOptions)

function inspect(object: any, options?: InspectOptions): string

Parameters

object

any

options
InspectOptions

Returns

string

isArray(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use isArray instead.

Alias for Array.isArray().

Returns true if the given object is an Array. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isArray([]);
// Returns: true
util.isArray(new Array());
// Returns: true
util.isArray({});
// Returns: false
function isArray(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isBoolean(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use typeof value === 'boolean' instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Boolean. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isBoolean(1);
// Returns: false
util.isBoolean(0);
// Returns: false
util.isBoolean(false);
// Returns: true
function isBoolean(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isBuffer(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use isBuffer instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Buffer. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isBuffer({ length: 0 });
// Returns: false
util.isBuffer([]);
// Returns: false
util.isBuffer(Buffer.from('hello world'));
// Returns: true
function isBuffer(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isCreate(string)

Checks if the embed type is for create

function isCreate(embedType: string): boolean

Parameters

embedType

string

Returns

boolean

isDate(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use isDate instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Date. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isDate(new Date());
// Returns: true
util.isDate(Date());
// false (without 'new' returns a String)
util.isDate({});
// Returns: false
function isDate(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isDeepStrictEqual(unknown, unknown)

Returns true if there is deep strict equality between val1 and val2. Otherwise, returns false.

See assert.deepStrictEqual() for more information about deep strict equality.

function isDeepStrictEqual(val1: unknown, val2: unknown): boolean

Parameters

val1

unknown

val2

unknown

Returns

boolean

isError(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use isNativeError instead.

Returns true if the given object is an Error. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isError(new Error());
// Returns: true
util.isError(new TypeError());
// Returns: true
util.isError({ name: 'Error', message: 'an error occurred' });
// Returns: false

This method relies on Object.prototype.toString() behavior. It is possible to obtain an incorrect result when the object argument manipulates @@toStringTag.

import util from 'node:util';
const obj = { name: 'Error', message: 'an error occurred' };

util.isError(obj);
// Returns: false
obj[Symbol.toStringTag] = 'Error';
util.isError(obj);
// Returns: true
function isError(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isFunction(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use typeof value === 'function' instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Function. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

function Foo() {}
const Bar = () => {};

util.isFunction({});
// Returns: false
util.isFunction(Foo);
// Returns: true
util.isFunction(Bar);
// Returns: true
function isFunction(object: unknown): boolean

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

boolean

isNull(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use value === null instead.

Returns true if the given object is strictly null. Otherwise, returnsfalse.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNull(0);
// Returns: false
util.isNull(undefined);
// Returns: false
util.isNull(null);
// Returns: true
function isNull(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isNullOrUndefined(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use value === undefined || value === null instead.

Returns true if the given object is null or undefined. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNullOrUndefined(0);
// Returns: false
util.isNullOrUndefined(undefined);
// Returns: true
util.isNullOrUndefined(null);
// Returns: true
function isNullOrUndefined(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isNumber(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use typeof value === 'number' instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Number. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isNumber(false);
// Returns: false
util.isNumber(Infinity);
// Returns: true
util.isNumber(0);
// Returns: true
util.isNumber(NaN);
// Returns: true
function isNumber(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isObject(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use value !== null && typeof value === 'object' instead.

Returns true if the given object is strictly an Objectand not aFunction (even though functions are objects in JavaScript). Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isObject(5);
// Returns: false
util.isObject(null);
// Returns: false
util.isObject({});
// Returns: true
util.isObject(() => {});
// Returns: false
function isObject(object: unknown): boolean

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

boolean

isPrimitive(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use (typeof value !== 'object' && typeof value !== 'function') || value === null instead.

Returns true if the given object is a primitive type. Otherwise, returnsfalse.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isPrimitive(5);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive('foo');
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(false);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(null);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive(undefined);
// Returns: true
util.isPrimitive({});
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(() => {});
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(/^$/);
// Returns: false
util.isPrimitive(new Date());
// Returns: false
function isPrimitive(object: unknown): boolean

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

boolean

isRDLEmbed(string)

Checks if the embed url is for RDL report.

function isRDLEmbed(embedUrl: string): boolean

Parameters

embedUrl

string

Returns

boolean

isRegExp(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Deprecated

Returns true if the given object is a RegExp. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isRegExp(/some regexp/);
// Returns: true
util.isRegExp(new RegExp('another regexp'));
// Returns: true
util.isRegExp({});
// Returns: false
function isRegExp(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isSavedInternal(HttpPostMessage, string, Window)

Checks if the report is saved.

function isSavedInternal(hpm: HttpPostMessage, uid: string, contentWindow: Window): Promise<boolean>

Parameters

hpm

HttpPostMessage

uid

string

contentWindow

Window

Returns

Promise<boolean>

isString(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use typeof value === 'string' instead.

Returns true if the given object is a string. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isString('');
// Returns: true
util.isString('foo');
// Returns: true
util.isString(String('foo'));
// Returns: true
util.isString(5);
// Returns: false
function isString(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isSymbol(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use typeof value === 'symbol' instead.

Returns true if the given object is a Symbol. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

util.isSymbol(5);
// Returns: false
util.isSymbol('foo');
// Returns: false
util.isSymbol(Symbol('foo'));
// Returns: true
function isSymbol(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

isUndefined(unknown)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v4.0.0 - Use value === undefined instead.

Returns true if the given object is undefined. Otherwise, returns false.

import util from 'node:util';

const foo = undefined;
util.isUndefined(5);
// Returns: false
util.isUndefined(foo);
// Returns: true
util.isUndefined(null);
// Returns: false
function isUndefined(object: unknown): object

Parameters

object

unknown

Returns

object

log(string)

Warning

This API is now deprecated.

Since v6.0.0 - Use a third party module instead.

The util.log() method prints the given string to stdout with an included timestamp.

import util from 'node:util';

util.log('Timestamped message.');
function log(string: string)

Parameters

string

string

parseArgs<T>(T)

Provides a higher level API for command-line argument parsing than interacting with process.argv directly. Takes a specification for the expected arguments and returns a structured object with the parsed options and positionals.

import { parseArgs } from 'node:util';
const args = ['-f', '--bar', 'b'];
const options = {
  foo: {
    type: 'boolean',
    short: 'f',
  },
  bar: {
    type: 'string',
  },
};
const {
  values,
  positionals,
} = parseArgs({ args, options });
console.log(values, positionals);
// Prints: [Object: null prototype] { foo: true, bar: 'b' } []
function parseArgs<T>(config?: T): ParsedResults<T>

Parameters

config

T

Used to provide arguments for parsing and to configure the parser. config supports the following properties:

Returns

ParsedResults<T>

The parsed command line arguments:

parseEnv(string)

Stability: 1.1 - Active development Given an example .env file:

import { parseEnv } from 'node:util';

parseEnv('HELLO=world\nHELLO=oh my\n');
// Returns: { HELLO: 'oh my' }
function parseEnv(content: string): object

Parameters

content

string

The raw contents of a .env file.

Returns

object

promisify((callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify(fn: (callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): () => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

() => Promise<void>

promisify(Function)

function promisify(fn: Function): Function

Parameters

fn

Function

Returns

Function

promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<TResult>

promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, T5>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, arg5: T5) => Promise<void>

promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<TResult>

promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3, T4>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, arg4: T4) => Promise<void>

promisify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<TResult>

promisify<T1, T2, T3>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, T3>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, arg3: T3) => Promise<void>

promisify<T1, T2, TResult>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<TResult>

promisify<T1, T2>((arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, T2>(fn: (arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): (arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1, arg2: T2) => Promise<void>

promisify<T1, TResult>((arg1: T1, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1, TResult>(fn: (arg1: T1, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): (arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1) => Promise<TResult>

promisify<T1>((arg1: T1, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void)

function promisify<T1>(fn: (arg1: T1, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void): (arg1: T1) => Promise<void>

Parameters

fn

(arg1: T1, callback: (err?: any) => void) => void

Returns

(arg1: T1) => Promise<void>

promisify<TCustom>(CustomPromisify<TCustom>)

Takes a function following the common error-first callback style, i.e. taking an (err, value) => ... callback as the last argument, and returns a version that returns promises.

import { promisify } from 'node:util';
import { stat } from 'node:fs';

const promisifiedStat = promisify(stat);
promisifiedStat('.').then((stats) => {
  // Do something with `stats`
}).catch((error) => {
  // Handle the error.
});

Or, equivalently using async functions:

import { promisify } from 'node:util';
import { stat } from 'node:fs';

const promisifiedStat = promisify(stat);

async function callStat() {
  const stats = await promisifiedStat('.');
  console.log(`This directory is owned by ${stats.uid}`);
}

callStat();

If there is an original[util.promisify.custom] property present, promisify will return its value, see Custom promisified functions.

promisify() assumes that original is a function taking a callback as its final argument in all cases. If original is not a function, promisify() will throw an error. If original is a function but its last argument is not an error-first callback, it will still be passed an error-first callback as its last argument.

Using promisify() on class methods or other methods that use this may not work as expected unless handled specially:

import { promisify } from 'node:util';

class Foo {
  constructor() {
    this.a = 42;
  }

  bar(callback) {
    callback(null, this.a);
  }
}

const foo = new Foo();

const naiveBar = promisify(foo.bar);
// TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'a')
// naiveBar().then(a => console.log(a));

naiveBar.call(foo).then((a) => console.log(a)); // '42'

const bindBar = naiveBar.bind(foo);
bindBar().then((a) => console.log(a)); // '42'
function promisify<TCustom>(fn: CustomPromisify<TCustom>): TCustom

Parameters

fn

CustomPromisify<TCustom>

Returns

TCustom

promisify<TResult>((callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void)

function promisify<TResult>(fn: (callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void): () => Promise<TResult>

Parameters

fn

(callback: (err: any, result: TResult) => void) => void

Returns

() => Promise<TResult>

raiseCustomEvent(HTMLElement, string, any)

Raises a custom event with event data on the specified HTML element.

function raiseCustomEvent(element: HTMLElement, eventName: string, eventData: any)

Parameters

element

HTMLElement

eventName

string

eventData

any

remove<T>((x: T) => boolean, T[])

function remove<T>(predicate: (x: T) => boolean, xs: T[])

Parameters

predicate

(x: T) => boolean

xs

T[]

stripVTControlCharacters(string)

Returns str with any ANSI escape codes removed.

console.log(util.stripVTControlCharacters('\u001B[4mvalue\u001B[0m'));
// Prints "value"
function stripVTControlCharacters(str: string): string

Parameters

str

string

Returns

string

styleText(ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers | (ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers)[], string)

This function returns a formatted text considering the format passed for printing in a terminal. It is aware of the terminal's capabilities and acts according to the configuration set via NO_COLORS, NODE_DISABLE_COLORS and FORCE_COLOR environment variables.

import { styleText } from 'node:util';
import { stderr } from 'node:process';

const successMessage = styleText('green', 'Success!');
console.log(successMessage);

const errorMessage = styleText(
  'red',
  'Error! Error!',
  // Validate if process.stderr has TTY
  { stream: stderr },
);
console.error(errorMessage);

util.inspect.colors also provides text formats such as italic, and underline and you can combine both:

console.log(
  util.styleText(['underline', 'italic'], 'My italic underlined message'),
);

When passing an array of formats, the order of the format applied is left to right so the following style might overwrite the previous one.

console.log(
  util.styleText(['red', 'green'], 'text'), // green
);

The full list of formats can be found in modifiers.

function styleText(format: ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers | (ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers)[], text: string): string

Parameters

format

ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers | (ForegroundColors | BackgroundColors | Modifiers)[]

A text format or an Array of text formats defined in util.inspect.colors.

text

string

The text to to be formatted.

Returns

string

toUSVString(string)

Returns the string after replacing any surrogate code points (or equivalently, any unpaired surrogate code units) with the Unicode "replacement character" U+FFFD.

function toUSVString(string: string): string

Parameters

string

string

Returns

string

transferableAbortController()

Creates and returns an AbortController instance whose AbortSignal is marked as transferable and can be used with structuredClone() or postMessage().

function transferableAbortController(): AbortController

Returns

AbortController

A transferable AbortController

transferableAbortSignal(AbortSignal)

Marks the given AbortSignal as transferable so that it can be used withstructuredClone() and postMessage().

const signal = transferableAbortSignal(AbortSignal.timeout(100));
const channel = new MessageChannel();
channel.port2.postMessage(signal, [signal]);
function transferableAbortSignal(signal: AbortSignal): AbortSignal

Parameters

signal

AbortSignal

The AbortSignal

Returns

AbortSignal

The same AbortSignal