protocat

library0.6.5-beta.1jsnpmunverified

ProtoCat is a modern, minimalist type-safe gRPC framework for Node.js, currently at version 0.6.5-beta.1. It provides a clean middleware-based API for building gRPC services with full TypeScript support. Unlike alternatives like Mali, ProtoCat emphasizes simplicity and type safety out of the box. The project is still in beta, with active development but no stable release yet. Release cadence is irregular as it's a newer project. Key differentiators include automatic type inference from generated protobuf definitions and a lightweight footprint.

devops

npm install protocat

package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PROTOCAT

protocat

devopsjavascriptv0.6.5-beta.1

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

ProtoCat

✓ import { ProtoCat } from 'protocat'

✗ import ProtoCat from 'protocat'

ProtoCat is a named export, not default.

ServiceDefinition

✓ import type { ServiceDefinition } from 'protocat'

✗ import { ServiceDefinition } from 'protocat'

ServiceDefinition is a TypeScript type, should be imported with 'import type' for clear semantics.

CallContext

✓ import type { CallContext } from 'protocat'

✗ const { CallContext } = require('protocat')

CallContext is a type; using require will result in undefined.

Shows how to create a ProtoCat server, add a gRPC service with a handler, and start listening. Uses async handlers and TypeScript types.

import { ProtoCat } from 'protocat' import { CatService } from '../dist/cat_grpc_pb' const app = new ProtoCat() app.addService(CatService, { getCat: async call => { const cat = await getCatByName(call.request?.getName() ?? '') call.response.setName(cat.name) .setHealth(cat.health) .setLevel(cat.level) .setClass(cat.profession ?? 'warrior') } }) app.start('0.0.0.0:3000')

Debug

Known issues

breakingProtoCat is still in beta (v0.x). API may change without major version bump.

fix

Pin exact version and test upgrades thoroughly.

affects: <=0.6.5-beta.1

gotchaRequires generated gRPC service definitions from protobuf files. Not a code-first framework.

fix

Use protoc to generate TypeScript/JavaScript service stubs first.

affects: all

gotchaCall handlers must manually set response fields; no automatic binding.

fix

Always call call.response.set* methods inside handlers.

affects: all

deprecatedThe request.getName() pattern is specific to protobuf-generated code; may change with different protoc plugins.

fix

Check generated code accessors for your protobuf version.

affects: all

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Cannot find module 'protocat'

Package not installed or wrong import path.

fix

Run npm install protocat and use import { ProtoCat } from 'protocat'.

ProtoCat is not a constructor

Wrong import style (default vs named).

fix

Use import { ProtoCat } from 'protocat' instead of import ProtoCat from 'protocat'.

TypeError: call.request.getName is not a function

Using a code-first service definition instead of protobuf-generated one.

fix

Generate service definitions using protoc and import the correct _grpc_pb file.

Upgrade

Version history

0.6.5-beta.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

@grpc/grpc-jsrequiredCore gRPC implementation for Node.js

protobufjsrequiredProtobuf serialization/deserialization

Agent activity

8 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

packageprotocat ↗

homepagehttps://proto.cat ↗