JavaScript html parser library

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by gayathrimohan dot icon Updated: May 17, 2023

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In JavaScript applications, we allow developers to parse and manipulate documents. It is a JavaScript HTML parser library. These are useful for applications for web scraping and data extraction. It will help build HTML editors. Developers can save time and effort by not needing to write their own HTML parsing. Also, to manipulate code from scratch.  


Here are the best libraries organized by use cases. The best libraries are xmldom, DOM parsing, DOM parser, jsdom, parse5, cheerio, htmlparser2. A detailed review of each library follows.  

 

Let's look at each library in detail. The links below allow you to access package commands, installation notes, and codesnippets.

cheerio:  

  • A fast and lightweight library. It allows developers to parse, manipulate, and traverse HTML and XML documents.  
  • Designed to be lightweight, with a small memory footprint and minimal dependencies.  
  • Supports loading HTML documents from various sources, including URLs, local files, and strings.  
  • Built on top of Node.js, and can build web scrapers, crawlers, and other Node.js applications.

cheerioby cheeriojs

TypeScript doticonstar image 26488 doticonVersion:v1.0.0-rc.12doticon
License: Permissive (MIT)

The fast, flexible, and elegant library for parsing and manipulating HTML and XML.

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            cheerioby cheeriojs

            TypeScript doticon star image 26488 doticonVersion:v1.0.0-rc.12doticon License: Permissive (MIT)

            The fast, flexible, and elegant library for parsing and manipulating HTML and XML.
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                      jsdom:  

                      • JavaScript implementation of the W3C DOM. It allows developers to create a virtual DOM environment in Node.js.  
                      • Support the entire DOM specification, including elements, attributes, text nodes, and events.  
                      • Support synchronous and asynchronous loading of external resources, like images, stylesheets, and scripts.  
                      • Ability to execute JavaScript in the virtual DOM environment. The environments can be event handlers and scripts embedded in HTML.

                      jsdomby jsdom

                      JavaScript doticonstar image 18855 doticonVersion:22.1.0doticon
                      License: Permissive (MIT)

                      A JavaScript implementation of various web standards, for use with Node.js

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                                jsdomby jsdom

                                JavaScript doticon star image 18855 doticonVersion:22.1.0doticon License: Permissive (MIT)

                                A JavaScript implementation of various web standards, for use with Node.js
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                                          htmlparser2:  

                                          • Provides various options for parsing HTML documents. It includes support for custom element and attribute handlers. It also can parse streaming data.  
                                          • Designed to be efficient and can process large HTML documents.  
                                          • Designed to be lightweight and memory-efficient, with a small memory footprint.  
                                          • Handling malformed or incomplete HTML documents and providing error reporting and recovery capabilities.  
                                          TypeScript doticonstar image 3923 doticonVersion:v9.0.0doticon
                                          License: Permissive (MIT)

                                          The fast & forgiving HTML and XML parser

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                                                    htmlparser2by fb55

                                                    TypeScript doticon star image 3923 doticonVersion:v9.0.0doticon License: Permissive (MIT)

                                                    The fast & forgiving HTML and XML parser
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                                                              parse5:  

                                                              • Designed to be efficient, with a small memory footprint and minimal dependencies.  
                                                              • Various options for parsing HTML documents. The options can be the ability to parse streaming data and parse fragments of HTML.  
                                                              • Handling malformed or incomplete HTML documents and providing error reporting and recovery capabilities.  
                                                              • Various methods for manipulating HTML documents. The methods can add, remove, and modify elements, attributes, and content.

                                                              parse5by inikulin

                                                              TypeScript doticonstar image 3326 doticonVersion:v7.1.2doticon
                                                              License: Permissive (MIT)

                                                              HTML parsing/serialization toolset for Node.js. WHATWG HTML Living Standard (aka HTML5)-compliant.

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                                                                        parse5by inikulin

                                                                        TypeScript doticon star image 3326 doticonVersion:v7.1.2doticon License: Permissive (MIT)

                                                                        HTML parsing/serialization toolset for Node.js. WHATWG HTML Living Standard (aka HTML5)-compliant.
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                                                                                  xmldom:  

                                                                                  • Provides a DOM-like API for parsing XML documents. It can take an XML string as input and convert it into a DOM tree structure that we can traverse and manipulate.  
                                                                                  • Follows the DOM standard. It provides a similar interface for working with XML documents. It represents XML elements, attributes, and text nodes as DOM nodes. It represents it with properties and methods.  
                                                                                  • Allows you to change the XML document by adding, removing, or updating nodes. It helps to manipulate attribute values and text content.  
                                                                                  • Provides serialization functionality to convert the modified DOM tree into an XML string.

                                                                                  xmldomby jindw

                                                                                  JavaScript doticonstar image 781 doticonVersion:Currentdoticon
                                                                                  License: Others (Non-SPDX)

                                                                                  A PURE JS W3C Standard based(XML DOM Level2 CORE) DOMParser and XMLSerializer.

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                                                                                            xmldomby jindw

                                                                                            JavaScript doticon star image 781 doticonVersion:Currentdoticon License: Others (Non-SPDX)

                                                                                            A PURE JS W3C Standard based(XML DOM Level2 CORE) DOMParser and XMLSerializer.
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                                                                                                      domparsing:  

                                                                                                      • Converting an XML or HTML document into a DOM tree structure. We can traverse and manipulate.  
                                                                                                      • Represents the XML document as a tree structure with nodes. We can represent it with elements, attributes, and text content.  
                                                                                                      • One of the key benefits of DOM parsing is the ability to modify the XML document. You can add, remove, or modify nodes. You can change attribute values, insert new elements, or update text content.  
                                                                                                      • Once you have manipulated it, you can serialize it back into a string representation. The representations can be for storage, transmission, or further processing.

                                                                                                      domparsingby whatwg

                                                                                                      JavaScript doticonstar image 16 doticonVersion:Currentdoticon
                                                                                                      no licences License: No License (null)

                                                                                                      DOM Parsing and Serialization Standard

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                                                                                                                domparsingby whatwg

                                                                                                                JavaScript doticon star image 16 doticonVersion:Currentdoticonno licences License: No License

                                                                                                                DOM Parsing and Serialization Standard
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                                                                                                                          domparser:  

                                                                                                                          • Built-in API that allows developers to parse an HTML or XML document and create a DOM tree in JavaScript.  
                                                                                                                          • The object is part of the W3C DOM standard, and we can support it with all modern browsers and Node.js.  
                                                                                                                          • The object provides a convenient way to parse XML or HTML strings into DOM objects. We can manipulate using standard DOM APIs.  

                                                                                                                          domparserby duncan3dc

                                                                                                                          PHP doticonstar image 8 doticonVersion:Currentdoticon
                                                                                                                          License: Permissive (Apache-2.0)

                                                                                                                          Wrappers for the PHP DomDocument class to provide extra functionality for html/xml parsing

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                                                                                                                                    domparserby duncan3dc

                                                                                                                                    PHP doticon star image 8 doticonVersion:Currentdoticon License: Permissive (Apache-2.0)

                                                                                                                                    Wrappers for the PHP DomDocument class to provide extra functionality for html/xml parsing
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                                                                                                                                              FAQ:  

                                                                                                                                              1. What are the DOM manipulation capabilities of a JavaScript html parser library?  

                                                                                                                                              A JavaScript HTML parser library provides DOM manipulation capabilities. It will allow interaction and modification of the parsed HTML document. Here are some common DOM manipulation capabilities provided by such libraries:  

                                                                                                                                              • Accessing Elements  
                                                                                                                                              • Modifying Element Attributes  
                                                                                                                                              • Manipulating Element Content  
                                                                                                                                              • Creating and Removing Elements  
                                                                                                                                              • Traversing the DOM Tree  

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              2. How does Xpath work with web automation tools and JavaScript html parser libraries?  

                                                                                                                                              XPath is a powerful query language. It navigates and selects nodes from XML or HTML documents. It provides syntax to specify the element location or attributes within a document. With web automation tools, we can use XPath to locate and communicate with elements on a web page.  

                                                                                                                                              Here's how XPath works with these tools:  

                                                                                                                                              • Locating Elements  
                                                                                                                                              • Selecting Nodes  
                                                                                                                                              • Iterating Over Results  
                                                                                                                                              • Complex Selection  
                                                                                                                                              • Cross-Browser Support  

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              3. What is the difference between a DOM document and String html? What is the difference when using a JavaScript html parser library?  

                                                                                                                                              The difference is it represents the parsed version with methods and properties. It will help interact with its elements, attributes, and content. But string HTML is the initial textual representation. We should parse it into a DOM document using an HTML parser library to access and manipulate its contents.  

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              4. How can I create a DOM Document Creator with a javascript html parser library?  

                                                                                                                                              To create a DOM Document using a JavaScript HTML parser library, you follow these steps:  

                                                                                                                                              • Import the HTML Parser Library  
                                                                                                                                              • Create a Document Object  
                                                                                                                                              • Manipulating the Document  
                                                                                                                                              • Serialization  

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                              5. Can a JavaScript html parser library process actual Html documents?   

                                                                                                                                              Yes, it is possible to use a JavaScript HTML parser library to process actual HTML documents. HTML parser libraries parse and manipulate HTML documents within JavaScript applications. 

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