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c++node.jscadd-on

What to use on Nodejs addons. Node.h or Napi.h

I have some pretty simple questions.

  1. What is the main difference between node.h and napi.h.
  2. What should I use for normal/personal use case.
  3. Why are there more "nodejs" headers. (node.h, napi.h, nan.h, node_api.h, ...)

I have looked on Internet for answers on these questions but I could find any. I'm sorry if this is one of the must know things, but I started with addons recently.

Solution

  • There are four different interfaces for a Node.js addons

    • The raw node.h (C++) which is no interface at all - in this case you will have to deal with different V8/Node.js versions - which is very hard and cumbersome;
    • The old Node.js Nan (C++) which is still maintained and it allows you to have an uniform C++ API across all Node.js versions - but it requires that your addon is built separately for every Node.js version and does not support worker_threads;
    • The new napi.h (C) which has an uniform ABI across all versions - meaning that a binary module built for one version will work with all later versions;
    • The newest Node Addon API (C++) which is a set of C++ classes around napi.h that allows you to use NAPI with C++ semantics. It is fully compatible with napi.h and you can mix the two.

    For a new module, Node Addon API is by far the best choice.