downloadjs

library1.4.7jsnpmunverified

Download.js is a client-side JavaScript library, currently at version 1.4.7, designed to programmatically trigger file downloads within the user's browser without requiring server interaction. It provides a single `download()` function that can accept various data types, including URLs, plain strings, Blobs, Typed Arrays, and dataURLs, abstracting the complexities of browser-specific download mechanisms. The library aims to set the filename and MIME type via browser capabilities, behaving similarly to a server's `Content-Disposition` header. While the release cadence is infrequent, the library remains active, offering a lightweight solution for in-browser file generation and download. Its key differentiators lie in its broad data input flexibility and wide browser compatibility, albeit with notable limitations on older browsers and devices lacking local file system access or specific web APIs like `Blob` or `window.URL`.

http-networking serialization

npm install downloadjs

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · DOWNLOADJS

downloadjs

http-networkingjavascriptv1.4.7

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

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

download

✓ const download = require('downloadjs');

✗ const { download } = require('downloadjs');

The CommonJS module exports the download function directly, not an object with named exports.

download

✓ download(data, strFileName, strMimeType);

Available globally when the library is included via a <script> tag.

download

✓ require(['path/to/downloadjs'], function(download) { download(data, strFileName, strMimeType); });

For use with Asynchronous Module Definition (AMD) loaders like RequireJS.

Demonstrates basic usage of the global `download` function to save various types of client-side generated files like text, HTML, and SVG.

if (typeof download === 'function') { console.log('download.js is available!'); // Download a plain text file download('Hello, Checklist Day!', 'greeting.txt', 'text/plain'); // Download an HTML file with bold text from a Blob const htmlContent = '<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>This is <b>bold</b> text.</p>'; download(new Blob([htmlContent]), 'welcome.html', 'text/html'); // Download a file from a data URL const dataUrl = 'data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="100" height="100"><circle cx="50" cy="50" r="40" fill="red" /></svg>'; download(dataUrl, 'red-circle.svg', 'image/svg+xml'); console.log('Check your downloads folder for greeting.txt, welcome.html, and red-circle.svg'); } else { console.error('download.js function not found. Ensure the script is loaded.'); }

Debug

Known issues

gotchaDevices without a local filesystem (e.g., iPhone, iPad, Wii) cannot save files using this library.

fix

Inform users about device limitations or provide alternative file handling mechanisms for incompatible platforms.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaOlder browsers or legacy devices that do not support the `a[download]` attribute will only be able to download a few hundred kilobytes of data, and may not honor the custom filename provided.

fix

Be aware of these limitations for users on very old browsers. The library provides a best-effort approach.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaBrowser support for Blobs and TypedArrays is required to download these data types. Devices without Blob support will fail when attempting to download them.

fix

Check browser compatibility for Blob API if using Blob or TypedArray inputs. Consider polyfills or fallback mechanisms for older browsers.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaCallback mode for AJAX operations will not work correctly with vanilla XMLHttpRequest or when dealing with binary files, as it expects specific success callback arguments.

fix

For AJAX downloads, use an explicit `XMLHttpRequest` with `responseType='blob'` and manually call `download(e.target.response, ...)` in the `onload` handler.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaAndroid support for the built-in browser begins at version 4.2. Chrome 36+ and Firefox 20+ on Android 2.3+ generally work well. Older Android versions may have limited or no functionality.

fix

Test thoroughly on target Android devices and browsers, especially for older OS versions.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

File not downloaded on mobile (e.g., iOS)

The device lacks a local filesystem or sufficient browser support to handle client-side downloads programmatically.

fix

This is often a fundamental device limitation. The library cannot circumvent the absence of a file system. Inform users of this limitation.

Downloaded file has a generic name (e.g., 'download.bin', 'unknown')

The user's browser is an older version or a legacy device that does not support the `download` attribute on anchor tags, which is used to suggest a filename.

fix

Update browser if possible, or accept that custom filenames may not be honored on very old systems. The content type should still be correct.

download() called with a Blob or TypedArray argument fails

The browser in use does not have full support for the Blob API.

fix

Check the browser's compatibility for the Blob API. For environments lacking Blob support, you might need to convert data to a dataURL string as a fallback, although this has size limitations.

Upgrade

Version history

1.4.7latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

9 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/rndme/download ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/downloadjs ↗

homepagehttp://danml.com/download.html ↗