This project presents a tiny JavaScript PubSub implementation weighing in at a mere 163 bytes. It provides basic publish and subscribe functionality, allowing developers to broadcast messages on specific topics (strings) and have subscribed functions execute when those topics are published to. The library focuses on extreme minimalism, sacrificing features like wildcard subscriptions or complex message filtering for an incredibly small footprint. This makes it suitable for resource-constrained environments or situations where a full-fledged PubSub library would be overkill.
Hassan Shaikley has introduced a remarkably compact implementation of the Publish-Subscribe (PubSub) messaging pattern in JavaScript, clocking in at a mere 163 bytes. This minimalist library, dubbed "pico-pubsub," provides a lightweight solution for enabling communication between different parts of a JavaScript application without requiring direct coupling. It achieves this by allowing components to "subscribe" to specific "topics" or channels. When a message is "published" to a given topic, all subscribers to that topic receive a notification, along with the published data.
The library exposes two primary functions: sub for subscribing and pub for publishing. The sub function takes two arguments: the topic name (a string) and a callback function that will be executed when a message is published to that topic. This callback function receives the published data as its argument. The pub function also takes two arguments: the topic name and the data to be published. Upon invocation, pub will trigger the execution of all callback functions associated with the specified topic, passing the provided data to each. This mechanism facilitates asynchronous communication and decouples publishers from subscribers, allowing for greater flexibility and modularity in application design. Shaikley's focus on minimizing the code size makes this implementation particularly attractive for resource-constrained environments or situations where a full-fledged messaging library would be overkill. The compact nature of the code also makes it relatively easy to understand and integrate into existing projects.
Summary of Comments ( 20 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43529774
Hacker News users discussed the minimalist JavaScript pub/sub implementation, praising its small size and cleverness. Some questioned its practicality for complex applications, suggesting larger libraries like mitt might be more suitable due to features like wildcard subscriptions and unsubscribing. Others debated the value of minimizing bundle size in modern web development, with some arguing that 163 bytes is a negligible saving. A few commenters suggested improvements or alternative implementations, including using a Map instead of an object for storing subscriptions to avoid prototype pollution issues. Overall, the reception was positive, though tinged with pragmatic considerations regarding real-world usage.
The Hacker News post discussing the 163-byte JavaScript PubSub implementation has generated several comments, primarily focusing on the code's size, efficiency, and practicality.
One commenter questions the value of such a minimal implementation, arguing that the small size comes at the cost of features and robustness found in more established PubSub libraries. They suggest that using a slightly larger, but more feature-rich library would likely be a better choice in real-world applications. This commenter also raises the point that minification often obscures the actual usefulness and readability of the code, implying that the 163-byte size is less significant than it appears.
Another comment chain discusses the potential drawbacks of using a single global event bus, highlighting the possibility of naming collisions and the difficulty of managing subscriptions in larger applications. They advocate for more structured approaches, such as namespacing or using a library that provides better organization.
One commenter focuses on the potential performance implications, specifically the use of
eval()for executing the subscriber functions. They raise concerns about the security and efficiency implications of usingeval()and propose alternative methods that could be more performant and secure.Further discussion revolves around alternative small PubSub implementations, with users sharing links to similar projects and comparing their sizes and features. Some commenters appreciate the minimalist approach and see the code as an interesting demonstration of how concise JavaScript can be. They acknowledge that while it may not be suitable for complex applications, it could be useful for smaller projects or educational purposes.
A few comments dive into the specific code details, suggesting potential optimizations or pointing out potential issues. For example, one comment mentions the use of the
thiskeyword inside the subscriber functions, which might not behave as expected depending on the calling context.Overall, the comments represent a mixture of perspectives, with some praising the brevity of the code while others question its practicality and raise concerns about potential issues. The discussion highlights the trade-offs involved in prioritizing code size over features and maintainability, ultimately suggesting that the choice of a PubSub implementation depends heavily on the specific needs of the project.