BSER (Binary Serialization) is a compact, framed binary serialization scheme designed as an alternative to JSON, primarily for local Inter-Process Communication (IPC). It is part of the larger Watchman project by Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.), which implies its development is active and closely tied to Watchman's needs. While the npm package version is 2.1.1, the upstream Watchman project sees rapid, often weekly, releases in a `vYYYY.MM.DD.00` format, indicating continuous development and updates. BSER differentiates itself with framed encoding for streaming sequences of values, treating strings as binary without specific character encoding (matching OS filename conventions), making it efficient for specific low-level IPC scenarios. It offers both synchronous (`loadFromBuffer`, `dumpToBuffer`) and asynchronous (`BunserBuf` for event-driven decoding) APIs.
npm install bserVerified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.
Demonstrates basic synchronous BSER encoding (`dumpToBuffer`) and asynchronous decoding (`BunserBuf`) for IPC over a Unix domain socket, including event handling for streamed data.
For potentially large or streaming data, prefer the asynchronous `BunserBuf` API, which processes data incrementally and emits 'value' events, preventing event loop blocking.
Always wrap calls to `bser.loadFromBuffer` in a `try...catch` block to handle malformed BSER input gracefully, e.g., `try { const obj = bser.loadFromBuffer(buf); } catch (e) { console.error('BSER decode error:', e); }`.Ensure you always register an event listener for the `'value'` event on `BunserBuf` instances, e.g., `bunser.on('value', (obj) => { /* process obj */ });`. Other events like `'error'` should also be handled.In ESM projects, consider using a dynamic `import('bser').then(bser => { ... })` or consult bundler-specific configurations to handle CommonJS modules. If possible, stick to `require()` if your project largely remains CommonJS.Adhere to the intended use case for local IPC. For network communication or data exchange requiring specific character encodings, consider alternatives like JSON, Protocol Buffers, or custom protocols with defined encoding standards.
Ensure the module is correctly imported in CommonJS: `const bser = require('bser');`. If in ESM, confirm your build system or Node.js environment correctly handles CommonJS module interop, or use `import bser from 'bser'` if it's a default export (less likely for this package).Verify the source of the buffer data. Ensure the sending side is correctly encoding data using `bser.dumpToBuffer` and that no data corruption or truncation occurs during transmission. Implement `try...catch` around `loadFromBuffer` and `bunser.on('error', ...)` for `BunserBuf`.Always attach a listener to the `'value'` event of your `BunserBuf` instance: `bunser.on('value', function(obj) { console.log('Decoded object:', obj); });`. Also consider handling the `'error'` event for robustness.No dependency data recorded yet.