Readable interface
- Extends
-
Stream
Properties
| closed | Is |
| destroyed | Is |
| errored | Returns error if the stream has been destroyed with an error. |
| readable | Is |
| readable |
Returns whether the stream was destroyed or errored before emitting |
| readable |
Returns whether |
| readable |
Getter for the property |
| readable |
Becomes |
| readable |
This property reflects the current state of a |
| readable |
Returns the value of |
| readable |
This property contains the number of bytes (or objects) in the queue
ready to be read. The value provides introspection data regarding
the status of the |
| readable |
Getter for the property |
Methods
| add |
|
| add |
Alias for |
| compose(Writable |
This method also allows for an See |
| destroy(Error) | Destroy the stream. Optionally emit an Once Implementors should not override this method, but instead implement |
| drop(number, Abortable) | This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks dropped from the start. |
| emit(string | symbol, any[]) | |
| emit<E>(E, Readable |
Synchronously calls each of the listeners registered for the event named
Returns
|
| every((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<Readable |
This method is similar to |
| filter((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Readable |
This method allows filtering the stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called
and if it returns a truthy value, the chunk will be passed to the result stream.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be |
| find((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<Readable |
|
| find<T>((data: any, options?: Abortable) => data is T, Pick<Readable |
This method is similar to |
| flat |
This method returns a new stream by applying the given callback to each chunk of the stream and then flattening the result. It is possible to return a stream or another iterable or async iterable from fn and the result streams will be merged (flattened) into the returned stream. |
| for |
This method allows iterating a stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be This method is different from This method is different from listening to the |
| is |
The
|
| iterator(Readable |
The iterator created by this method gives users the option to cancel the destruction
of the stream if the |
| listener |
|
| listener |
Returns the number of listeners listening for the event named |
| listeners(string | symbol) | |
| listeners<E>(E) | Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named
|
| map((data: any, options?: Abortable) => any, Readable |
This method allows mapping over the stream. The fn function will be called for every chunk in the stream.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be |
| off(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void) | |
| off<E>(E, (args: Readable |
Alias for |
| on(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void) | |
| on<E>(E, (args: Readable |
Adds the
Returns a reference to the By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
|
| once(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void) | |
| once<E>(E, (args: Readable |
Adds a one-time
Returns a reference to the By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
|
| pause() | The
The |
| prepend |
|
| prepend |
Adds the
Returns a reference to the |
| prepend |
|
| prepend |
Adds a one-time
Returns a reference to the |
| push(any, Buffer |
|
| raw |
|
| raw |
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named
|
| read(number) | The The optional If the The The
Each call to Therefore to read a file's whole contents from a
A If the Calling read after the |
| reduce<T>((previous: any, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T) | This method calls fn on each chunk of the stream in order, passing it the result from the calculation on the previous element. It returns a promise for the final value of the reduction. If no initial value is supplied the first chunk of the stream is used as the initial value.
If the stream is empty, the promise is rejected with a The reducer function iterates the stream element-by-element which means that there is no concurrency parameter
or parallelism. To perform a reduce concurrently, you can extract the async function to |
| reduce<T>((previous: T, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T, T, Abortable) | |
| remove |
|
| remove |
Removes all listeners, or those of the specified It is bad practice to remove listeners added elsewhere in the code,
particularly when the Returns a reference to the |
| remove |
|
| remove |
Removes the specified
Once an event is emitted, all listeners attached to it at the
time of emitting are called in order. This implies that any
Because listeners are managed using an internal array, calling this will
change the position indexes of any listener registered after the listener
being removed. This will not impact the order in which listeners are called,
but it means that any copies of the listener array as returned by
the When a single function has been added as a handler multiple times for a single
event (as in the example below),
Returns a reference to the |
| resume() | The The
The |
| set |
The By default, no encoding is assigned and stream data will be returned as The
|
| some((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<Readable |
This method is similar to |
| take(number, Abortable) | This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks. |
| to |
This method allows easily obtaining the contents of a stream. As this method reads the entire stream into memory, it negates the benefits of streams. It's intended for interoperability and convenience, not as the primary way to consume streams. |
| unpipe(Writable |
The If the If the
|
| unshift(any, Buffer |
Passing The The Developers using
Unlike push, |
| wrap(Readable |
Prior to Node.js 0.10, streams did not implement the entire When using an older Node.js library that emits It will rarely be necessary to use
|
| [async |
Calls |
| [async |
|
| [to |
When the This provides a batched async iterator that drains the stream's internal
buffer into The returned iterator is tagged as a validated source, so
Without the |
Inherited Methods
| event |
Returns an array listing the events for which the emitter has registered listeners.
|
| get |
Returns the current max listener value for the |
| pipe<T>(T, Pipe |
|
| set |
By default Returns a reference to the |
| [capture |
The
|
Property Details
closed
Is true after 'close' has been emitted.
closed: boolean
Property Value
boolean
destroyed
Is true after readable.destroy() has been called.
destroyed: boolean
Property Value
boolean
errored
Returns error if the stream has been destroyed with an error.
errored: Error | null
Property Value
Error | null
readable
Is true if it is safe to call read, which means
the stream has not been destroyed or emitted 'error' or 'end'.
readable: boolean
Property Value
boolean
readableAborted
Returns whether the stream was destroyed or errored before emitting 'end'.
readableAborted: boolean
Property Value
boolean
readableDidRead
Returns whether 'data' has been emitted.
readableDidRead: boolean
Property Value
boolean
readableEncoding
Getter for the property encoding of a given Readable stream. The encoding property can be set using the setEncoding method.
readableEncoding: BufferEncoding | null
Property Value
BufferEncoding | null
readableEnded
readableFlowing
This property reflects the current state of a Readable stream as described
in the Three states section.
readableFlowing: boolean | null
Property Value
boolean | null
readableHighWaterMark
Returns the value of highWaterMark passed when creating this Readable.
readableHighWaterMark: number
Property Value
number
readableLength
This property contains the number of bytes (or objects) in the queue
ready to be read. The value provides introspection data regarding
the status of the highWaterMark.
readableLength: number
Property Value
number
readableObjectMode
Getter for the property objectMode of a given Readable stream.
readableObjectMode: boolean
Property Value
boolean
Method Details
addListener(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function addListener(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
addListener<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Alias for emitter.on(eventName, listener).
function addListener<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
Returns
this
compose(WritableStream | WritableStream | TransformStream | (source: any) => void, Abortable)
import { Readable } from 'node:stream';
async function* splitToWords(source) {
for await (const chunk of source) {
const words = String(chunk).split(' ');
for (const word of words) {
yield word;
}
}
}
const wordsStream = Readable.from(['text passed through', 'composed stream']).compose(splitToWords);
const words = await wordsStream.toArray();
console.log(words); // prints ['text', 'passed', 'through', 'composed', 'stream']
readable.compose(s) is equivalent to stream.compose(readable, s).
This method also allows for an AbortSignal to be provided, which will destroy
the composed stream when aborted.
See stream.compose(...streams) for more information.
function compose(stream: WritableStream | WritableStream | TransformStream | (source: any) => void, options?: Abortable): Duplex
Parameters
- stream
-
WritableStream | WritableStream | TransformStream | (source: any) => void
- options
-
Abortable
Returns
Duplex
a stream composed with the stream stream.
destroy(Error)
Destroy the stream. Optionally emit an 'error' event, and emit a 'close' event (unless emitClose is set to false). After this call, the readable
stream will release any internal resources and subsequent calls to push() will be ignored.
Once destroy() has been called any further calls will be a no-op and no
further errors except from _destroy() may be emitted as 'error'.
Implementors should not override this method, but instead implement readable._destroy().
function destroy(error?: Error): this
Parameters
- error
-
Error
Error which will be passed as payload in 'error' event
Returns
this
drop(number, Abortable)
This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks dropped from the start.
function drop(limit: number, options?: Abortable): Readable
Parameters
- limit
-
number
the number of chunks to drop from the readable.
- options
-
Abortable
Returns
a stream with limit chunks dropped from the start.
emit(string | symbol, any[])
function emit(eventName: string | symbol, args: any[]): boolean
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- args
-
any[]
Returns
boolean
emit<E>(E, ReadableEventMap[E])
Synchronously calls each of the listeners registered for the event named
eventName, in the order they were registered, passing the supplied arguments
to each.
Returns true if the event had listeners, false otherwise.
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEmitter = new EventEmitter();
// First listener
myEmitter.on('event', function firstListener() {
console.log('Helloooo! first listener');
});
// Second listener
myEmitter.on('event', function secondListener(arg1, arg2) {
console.log(`event with parameters ${arg1}, ${arg2} in second listener`);
});
// Third listener
myEmitter.on('event', function thirdListener(...args) {
const parameters = args.join(', ');
console.log(`event with parameters ${parameters} in third listener`);
});
console.log(myEmitter.listeners('event'));
myEmitter.emit('event', 1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
// Prints:
// [
// [Function: firstListener],
// [Function: secondListener],
// [Function: thirdListener]
// ]
// Helloooo! first listener
// event with parameters 1, 2 in second listener
// event with parameters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in third listener
function emit<E>(eventName: E, args: ReadableEventMap[E]): boolean
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
- args
-
ReadableEventMap[E]
Returns
boolean
every((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
This method is similar to Array.prototype.every and calls fn on each chunk in the stream
to check if all awaited return values are truthy value for fn. Once an fn call on a chunk
awaited return value is falsy, the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with false.
If all of the fn calls on the chunks return a truthy value, the promise is fulfilled with true.
function every(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Promise<boolean>
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
Promise<boolean>
a promise evaluating to true if fn returned a truthy value for every one of the chunks.
filter((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, ReadableOperatorOptions)
This method allows filtering the stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called
and if it returns a truthy value, the chunk will be passed to the result stream.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited.
function filter(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, options?: ReadableOperatorOptions): Readable
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
a function to filter chunks from the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
ReadableOperatorOptions
Returns
a stream filtered with the predicate fn.
find((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
function find(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Promise<any>
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
Promise<any>
find<T>((data: any, options?: Abortable) => data is T, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
This method is similar to Array.prototype.find and calls fn on each chunk in the stream
to find a chunk with a truthy value for fn. Once an fn call's awaited return value is truthy,
the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with value for which fn returned a truthy value.
If all of the fn calls on the chunks return a falsy value, the promise is fulfilled with undefined.
function find<T>(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => data is T, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Promise<T | undefined>
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => data is T
a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
Promise<T | undefined>
a promise evaluating to the first chunk for which fn evaluated with a truthy value,
or undefined if no element was found.
flatMap((data: any, options?: Abortable) => any, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
This method returns a new stream by applying the given callback to each chunk of the stream and then flattening the result.
It is possible to return a stream or another iterable or async iterable from fn and the result streams will be merged (flattened) into the returned stream.
function flatMap(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => any, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Readable
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => any
a function to map over every chunk in the stream. May be async. May be a stream or generator.
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
a stream flat-mapped with the function fn.
forEach((data: any, options?: Abortable) => void | Promise<void>, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
This method allows iterating a stream. For each chunk in the stream the fn function will be called.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited.
This method is different from for await...of loops in that it can optionally process chunks concurrently.
In addition, a forEach iteration can only be stopped by having passed a signal option
and aborting the related AbortController while for await...of can be stopped with break or return.
In either case the stream will be destroyed.
This method is different from listening to the 'data' event in that it uses the readable event
in the underlying machinary and can limit the number of concurrent fn calls.
function forEach(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => void | Promise<void>, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Promise<void>
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => void | Promise<void>
a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
Promise<void>
a promise for when the stream has finished.
isPaused()
The readable.isPaused() method returns the current operating state of the Readable.
This is used primarily by the mechanism that underlies the readable.pipe() method.
In most typical cases, there will be no reason to use this method directly.
const readable = new stream.Readable();
readable.isPaused(); // === false
readable.pause();
readable.isPaused(); // === true
readable.resume();
readable.isPaused(); // === false
function isPaused(): boolean
Returns
boolean
iterator(ReadableIteratorOptions)
The iterator created by this method gives users the option to cancel the destruction
of the stream if the for await...of loop is exited by return, break, or throw,
or if the iterator should destroy the stream if the stream emitted an error during iteration.
function iterator(options?: ReadableIteratorOptions): AsyncIterator<any>
Parameters
- options
-
ReadableIteratorOptions
Returns
AsyncIterator<any>
listenerCount(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function listenerCount(eventName: string | symbol, listener?: (args: any[]) => void): number
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
number
listenerCount<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Returns the number of listeners listening for the event named eventName.
If listener is provided, it will return how many times the listener is found
in the list of the listeners of the event.
function listenerCount<E>(eventName: E, listener?: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): number
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
The name of the event being listened for
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
The event handler function
Returns
number
listeners(string | symbol)
function listeners(eventName: string | symbol): (args: any[]) => void[]
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
Returns
(args: any[]) => void[]
listeners<E>(E)
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named eventName.
server.on('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
console.log(util.inspect(server.listeners('connection')));
// Prints: [ [Function] ]
function listeners<E>(eventName: E): (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void[]
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
Returns
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void[]
map((data: any, options?: Abortable) => any, ReadableOperatorOptions)
This method allows mapping over the stream. The fn function will be called for every chunk in the stream.
If the fn function returns a promise - that promise will be awaited before being passed to the result stream.
function map(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => any, options?: ReadableOperatorOptions): Readable
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => any
a function to map over every chunk in the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
ReadableOperatorOptions
Returns
a stream mapped with the function fn.
off(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function off(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
off<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Alias for emitter.removeListener().
function off<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
Returns
this
on(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function on(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
on<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Adds the listener function to the end of the listeners array for the
event named eventName. No checks are made to see if the listener has
already been added. Multiple calls passing the same combination of eventName
and listener will result in the listener being added, and called, multiple
times.
server.on('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
emitter.prependListener() method can be used as an alternative to add the
event listener to the beginning of the listeners array.
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
function on<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
The name of the event.
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
The callback function
Returns
this
once(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function once(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
once<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Adds a one-time listener function for the event named eventName. The
next time eventName is triggered, this listener is removed and then invoked.
server.once('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('Ah, we have our first user!');
});
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
By default, event listeners are invoked in the order they are added. The
emitter.prependOnceListener() method can be used as an alternative to add the
event listener to the beginning of the listeners array.
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.once('foo', () => console.log('a'));
myEE.prependOnceListener('foo', () => console.log('b'));
myEE.emit('foo');
// Prints:
// b
// a
function once<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
The name of the event.
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
The callback function
Returns
this
pause()
The readable.pause() method will cause a stream in flowing mode to stop
emitting 'data' events, switching out of flowing mode. Any data that
becomes available will remain in the internal buffer.
const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
readable.on('data', (chunk) => {
console.log(`Received ${chunk.length} bytes of data.`);
readable.pause();
console.log('There will be no additional data for 1 second.');
setTimeout(() => {
console.log('Now data will start flowing again.');
readable.resume();
}, 1000);
});
The readable.pause() method has no effect if there is a 'readable' event listener.
function pause(): this
Returns
this
prependListener(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function prependListener(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
prependListener<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Adds the listener function to the beginning of the listeners array for the
event named eventName. No checks are made to see if the listener has
already been added. Multiple calls passing the same combination of eventName
and listener will result in the listener being added, and called, multiple
times.
server.prependListener('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
});
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
function prependListener<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
The name of the event.
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
The callback function
Returns
this
prependOnceListener(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function prependOnceListener(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
prependOnceListener<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Adds a one-time listener function for the event named eventName to the
beginning of the listeners array. The next time eventName is triggered, this
listener is removed, and then invoked.
server.prependOnceListener('connection', (stream) => {
console.log('Ah, we have our first user!');
});
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
function prependOnceListener<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
The name of the event.
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
The callback function
Returns
this
push(any, BufferEncoding)
function push(chunk: any, encoding?: BufferEncoding): boolean
Parameters
- chunk
-
any
- encoding
-
BufferEncoding
Returns
boolean
rawListeners(string | symbol)
function rawListeners(eventName: string | symbol): (args: any[]) => void[]
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
Returns
(args: any[]) => void[]
rawListeners<E>(E)
Returns a copy of the array of listeners for the event named eventName,
including any wrappers (such as those created by .once()).
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const emitter = new EventEmitter();
emitter.once('log', () => console.log('log once'));
// Returns a new Array with a function `onceWrapper` which has a property
// `listener` which contains the original listener bound above
const listeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
const logFnWrapper = listeners[0];
// Logs "log once" to the console and does not unbind the `once` event
logFnWrapper.listener();
// Logs "log once" to the console and removes the listener
logFnWrapper();
emitter.on('log', () => console.log('log persistently'));
// Will return a new Array with a single function bound by `.on()` above
const newListeners = emitter.rawListeners('log');
// Logs "log persistently" twice
newListeners[0]();
emitter.emit('log');
function rawListeners<E>(eventName: E): (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void[]
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
Returns
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void[]
read(number)
The readable.read() method reads data out of the internal buffer and
returns it. If no data is available to be read, null is returned. By default,
the data is returned as a Buffer object unless an encoding has been
specified using the readable.setEncoding() method or the stream is operating
in object mode.
The optional size argument specifies a specific number of bytes to read. If
size bytes are not available to be read, null will be returned unless the
stream has ended, in which case all of the data remaining in the internal buffer
will be returned.
If the size argument is not specified, all of the data contained in the
internal buffer will be returned.
The size argument must be less than or equal to 1 GiB.
The readable.read() method should only be called on Readable streams
operating in paused mode. In flowing mode, readable.read() is called
automatically until the internal buffer is fully drained.
const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
// 'readable' may be triggered multiple times as data is buffered in
readable.on('readable', () => {
let chunk;
console.log('Stream is readable (new data received in buffer)');
// Use a loop to make sure we read all currently available data
while (null !== (chunk = readable.read())) {
console.log(`Read ${chunk.length} bytes of data...`);
}
});
// 'end' will be triggered once when there is no more data available
readable.on('end', () => {
console.log('Reached end of stream.');
});
Each call to readable.read() returns a chunk of data, or null. The chunks
are not concatenated. A while loop is necessary to consume all data
currently in the buffer. When reading a large file .read() may return null,
having consumed all buffered content so far, but there is still more data to
come not yet buffered. In this case a new 'readable' event will be emitted
when there is more data in the buffer. Finally the 'end' event will be
emitted when there is no more data to come.
Therefore to read a file's whole contents from a readable, it is necessary
to collect chunks across multiple 'readable' events:
const chunks = [];
readable.on('readable', () => {
let chunk;
while (null !== (chunk = readable.read())) {
chunks.push(chunk);
}
});
readable.on('end', () => {
const content = chunks.join('');
});
A Readable stream in object mode will always return a single item from
a call to readable.read(size), regardless of the value of the size argument.
If the readable.read() method returns a chunk of data, a 'data' event will
also be emitted.
Calling read after the 'end' event has
been emitted will return null. No runtime error will be raised.
function read(size?: number): any
Parameters
- size
-
number
Optional argument to specify how much data to read.
Returns
any
reduce<T>((previous: any, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T)
This method calls fn on each chunk of the stream in order, passing it the result from the calculation on the previous element. It returns a promise for the final value of the reduction.
If no initial value is supplied the first chunk of the stream is used as the initial value.
If the stream is empty, the promise is rejected with a TypeError with the ERR_INVALID_ARGS code property.
The reducer function iterates the stream element-by-element which means that there is no concurrency parameter
or parallelism. To perform a reduce concurrently, you can extract the async function to readable.map method.
function reduce<T>(fn: (previous: any, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T): Promise<T>
Parameters
- fn
-
(previous: any, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T
a reducer function to call over every chunk in the stream. Async or not.
Returns
Promise<T>
a promise for the final value of the reduction.
reduce<T>((previous: T, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T, T, Abortable)
function reduce<T>(fn: (previous: T, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T, initial: T, options?: Abortable): Promise<T>
Parameters
- fn
-
(previous: T, data: any, options?: Abortable) => T
- initial
-
T
- options
-
Abortable
Returns
Promise<T>
removeAllListeners(string | symbol)
function removeAllListeners(eventName?: string | symbol): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
Returns
this
removeAllListeners<E>(E)
Removes all listeners, or those of the specified eventName.
It is bad practice to remove listeners added elsewhere in the code,
particularly when the EventEmitter instance was created by some other
component or module (e.g. sockets or file streams).
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
function removeAllListeners<E>(eventName?: E): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
Returns
this
removeListener(string | symbol, (args: any[]) => void)
function removeListener(eventName: string | symbol, listener: (args: any[]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
string | symbol
- listener
-
(args: any[]) => void
Returns
this
removeListener<E>(E, (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void)
Removes the specified listener from the listener array for the event named
eventName.
const callback = (stream) => {
console.log('someone connected!');
};
server.on('connection', callback);
// ...
server.removeListener('connection', callback);
removeListener() will remove, at most, one instance of a listener from the
listener array. If any single listener has been added multiple times to the
listener array for the specified eventName, then removeListener() must be
called multiple times to remove each instance.
Once an event is emitted, all listeners attached to it at the
time of emitting are called in order. This implies that any
removeListener() or removeAllListeners() calls after emitting and
before the last listener finishes execution will not remove them from
emit() in progress. Subsequent events behave as expected.
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
class MyEmitter extends EventEmitter {}
const myEmitter = new MyEmitter();
const callbackA = () => {
console.log('A');
myEmitter.removeListener('event', callbackB);
};
const callbackB = () => {
console.log('B');
};
myEmitter.on('event', callbackA);
myEmitter.on('event', callbackB);
// callbackA removes listener callbackB but it will still be called.
// Internal listener array at time of emit [callbackA, callbackB]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
// B
// callbackB is now removed.
// Internal listener array [callbackA]
myEmitter.emit('event');
// Prints:
// A
Because listeners are managed using an internal array, calling this will
change the position indexes of any listener registered after the listener
being removed. This will not impact the order in which listeners are called,
but it means that any copies of the listener array as returned by
the emitter.listeners() method will need to be recreated.
When a single function has been added as a handler multiple times for a single
event (as in the example below), removeListener() will remove the most
recently added instance. In the example the once('ping')
listener is removed:
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const ee = new EventEmitter();
function pong() {
console.log('pong');
}
ee.on('ping', pong);
ee.once('ping', pong);
ee.removeListener('ping', pong);
ee.emit('ping');
ee.emit('ping');
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
function removeListener<E>(eventName: E, listener: (args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void): this
Parameters
- eventName
-
E
- listener
-
(args: ReadableEventMap[E]) => void
Returns
this
resume()
The readable.resume() method causes an explicitly paused Readable stream to
resume emitting 'data' events, switching the stream into flowing mode.
The readable.resume() method can be used to fully consume the data from a
stream without actually processing any of that data:
getReadableStreamSomehow()
.resume()
.on('end', () => {
console.log('Reached the end, but did not read anything.');
});
The readable.resume() method has no effect if there is a 'readable' event listener.
function resume(): this
Returns
this
setEncoding(BufferEncoding)
The readable.setEncoding() method sets the character encoding for
data read from the Readable stream.
By default, no encoding is assigned and stream data will be returned as Buffer objects. Setting an encoding causes the stream data
to be returned as strings of the specified encoding rather than as Buffer objects. For instance, calling readable.setEncoding('utf8') will cause the
output data to be interpreted as UTF-8 data, and passed as strings. Calling readable.setEncoding('hex') will cause the data to be encoded in hexadecimal
string format.
The Readable stream will properly handle multi-byte characters delivered
through the stream that would otherwise become improperly decoded if simply
pulled from the stream as Buffer objects.
const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
readable.setEncoding('utf8');
readable.on('data', (chunk) => {
assert.equal(typeof chunk, 'string');
console.log('Got %d characters of string data:', chunk.length);
});
function setEncoding(encoding: BufferEncoding): this
Parameters
- encoding
-
BufferEncoding
The encoding to use.
Returns
this
some((data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">)
This method is similar to Array.prototype.some and calls fn on each chunk in the stream
until the awaited return value is true (or any truthy value). Once an fn call on a chunk
awaited return value is truthy, the stream is destroyed and the promise is fulfilled with true.
If none of the fn calls on the chunks return a truthy value, the promise is fulfilled with false.
function some(fn: (data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>, options?: Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">): Promise<boolean>
Parameters
- fn
-
(data: any, options?: Abortable) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
a function to call on each chunk of the stream. Async or not.
- options
-
Pick<ReadableOperatorOptions, "concurrency" | "signal">
Returns
Promise<boolean>
a promise evaluating to true if fn returned a truthy value for at least one of the chunks.
take(number, Abortable)
This method returns a new stream with the first limit chunks.
function take(limit: number, options?: Abortable): Readable
Parameters
- limit
-
number
the number of chunks to take from the readable.
- options
-
Abortable
Returns
a stream with limit chunks taken.
toArray(Abortable)
This method allows easily obtaining the contents of a stream.
As this method reads the entire stream into memory, it negates the benefits of streams. It's intended for interoperability and convenience, not as the primary way to consume streams.
function toArray(options?: Abortable): Promise<any[]>
Parameters
- options
-
Abortable
Returns
Promise<any[]>
a promise containing an array with the contents of the stream.
unpipe(WritableStream)
The readable.unpipe() method detaches a Writable stream previously attached
using the pipe method.
If the destination is not specified, then all pipes are detached.
If the destination is specified, but no pipe is set up for it, then
the method does nothing.
import fs from 'node:fs';
const readable = getReadableStreamSomehow();
const writable = fs.createWriteStream('file.txt');
// All the data from readable goes into 'file.txt',
// but only for the first second.
readable.pipe(writable);
setTimeout(() => {
console.log('Stop writing to file.txt.');
readable.unpipe(writable);
console.log('Manually close the file stream.');
writable.end();
}, 1000);
function unpipe(destination?: WritableStream): this
Parameters
- destination
-
WritableStream
Optional specific stream to unpipe
Returns
this
unshift(any, BufferEncoding)
Passing chunk as null signals the end of the stream (EOF) and behaves the
same as readable.push(null), after which no more data can be written. The EOF
signal is put at the end of the buffer and any buffered data will still be
flushed.
The readable.unshift() method pushes a chunk of data back into the internal
buffer. This is useful in certain situations where a stream is being consumed by
code that needs to "un-consume" some amount of data that it has optimistically
pulled out of the source, so that the data can be passed on to some other party.
The stream.unshift(chunk) method cannot be called after the 'end' event
has been emitted or a runtime error will be thrown.
Developers using stream.unshift() often should consider switching to
use of a Transform stream instead. See the API for stream implementers section for more information.
// Pull off a header delimited by \n\n.
// Use unshift() if we get too much.
// Call the callback with (error, header, stream).
import { StringDecoder } from 'node:string_decoder';
function parseHeader(stream, callback) {
stream.on('error', callback);
stream.on('readable', onReadable);
const decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8');
let header = '';
function onReadable() {
let chunk;
while (null !== (chunk = stream.read())) {
const str = decoder.write(chunk);
if (str.includes('\n\n')) {
// Found the header boundary.
const split = str.split(/\n\n/);
header += split.shift();
const remaining = split.join('\n\n');
const buf = Buffer.from(remaining, 'utf8');
stream.removeListener('error', callback);
// Remove the 'readable' listener before unshifting.
stream.removeListener('readable', onReadable);
if (buf.length)
stream.unshift(buf);
// Now the body of the message can be read from the stream.
callback(null, header, stream);
return;
}
// Still reading the header.
header += str;
}
}
}
Unlike push, stream.unshift(chunk) will not
end the reading process by resetting the internal reading state of the stream.
This can cause unexpected results if readable.unshift() is called during a
read (i.e. from within a _read implementation on a
custom stream). Following the call to readable.unshift() with an immediate push will reset the reading state appropriately,
however it is best to simply avoid calling readable.unshift() while in the
process of performing a read.
function unshift(chunk: any, encoding?: BufferEncoding)
Parameters
- chunk
-
any
Chunk of data to unshift onto the read queue. For streams not operating in object mode, chunk must
be a {string}, {Buffer}, {TypedArray}, {DataView} or null. For object mode streams, chunk may be any JavaScript value.
- encoding
-
BufferEncoding
Encoding of string chunks. Must be a valid Buffer encoding, such as 'utf8' or 'ascii'.
wrap(ReadableStream)
Prior to Node.js 0.10, streams did not implement the entire node:stream module API as it is currently defined. (See Compatibility for more
information.)
When using an older Node.js library that emits 'data' events and has a pause method that is advisory only, the readable.wrap() method can be used to create a Readable
stream that uses
the old stream as its data source.
It will rarely be necessary to use readable.wrap() but the method has been
provided as a convenience for interacting with older Node.js applications and
libraries.
import { OldReader } from './old-api-module.js';
import { Readable } from 'node:stream';
const oreader = new OldReader();
const myReader = new Readable().wrap(oreader);
myReader.on('readable', () => {
myReader.read(); // etc.
});
function wrap(stream: ReadableStream): this
Parameters
- stream
-
ReadableStream
An "old style" readable stream
Returns
this
[asyncDispose]()
Calls readable.destroy() with an AbortError and returns
a promise that fulfills when the stream is finished.
function [asyncDispose](): Promise<void>
Returns
Promise<void>
[asyncIterator]()
function [asyncIterator](): AsyncIterator<any>
Returns
AsyncIterator<any>
AsyncIterator to fully consume the stream.
[toAsyncStreamable]()
When the --experimental-stream-iter flag is enabled, Readable streams
implement the Stream.toAsyncStreamable protocol, enabling efficient
consumption by the stream/iter API.
This provides a batched async iterator that drains the stream's internal
buffer into Uint8Array[] batches, amortizing the per-chunk Promise overhead
of the standard Symbol.asyncIterator path. For byte-mode streams, chunks
are yielded directly as Buffer instances (which are Uint8Array subclasses).
For object-mode or encoded streams, each chunk is normalized to Uint8Array
before batching.
The returned iterator is tagged as a validated source, so from()
passes it through without additional normalization.
import { Readable } from 'node:stream';
import { text, from } from 'node:stream/iter';
const readable = new Readable({
read() { this.push('hello'); this.push(null); },
});
// Readable is automatically consumed via toAsyncStreamable
console.log(await text(from(readable))); // 'hello'
Without the --experimental-stream-iter flag, calling this method throws
ERR_STREAM_ITER_MISSING_FLAG.
function [toAsyncStreamable](): ByteReadableStream
Returns
ByteReadableStream
Inherited Method Details
eventNames()
Returns an array listing the events for which the emitter has registered listeners.
import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
const myEE = new EventEmitter();
myEE.on('foo', () => {});
myEE.on('bar', () => {});
const sym = Symbol('symbol');
myEE.on(sym, () => {});
console.log(myEE.eventNames());
// Prints: [ 'foo', 'bar', Symbol(symbol) ]
function eventNames(): (string | symbol)[]
Returns
(string | symbol)[]
Inherited From Stream.eventNames
getMaxListeners()
Returns the current max listener value for the EventEmitter which is either
set by emitter.setMaxListeners(n) or defaults to
events.defaultMaxListeners.
function getMaxListeners(): number
Returns
number
Inherited From Stream.getMaxListeners
pipe<T>(T, PipeOptions)
function pipe<T>(destination: T, options?: PipeOptions): T
Parameters
- destination
-
T
- options
-
PipeOptions
Returns
T
Inherited From Stream.pipe
setMaxListeners(number)
By default EventEmitters will print a warning if more than 10 listeners are
added for a particular event. This is a useful default that helps finding
memory leaks. The emitter.setMaxListeners() method allows the limit to be
modified for this specific EventEmitter instance. The value can be set to
Infinity (or 0) to indicate an unlimited number of listeners.
Returns a reference to the EventEmitter, so that calls can be chained.
function setMaxListeners(n: number): this
Parameters
- n
-
number
Returns
this
Inherited From Stream.setMaxListeners
[captureRejectionSymbol](Error, string | symbol, any[])
The Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection') method is called in case a
promise rejection happens when emitting an event and
captureRejections is enabled on the emitter.
It is possible to use events.captureRejectionSymbol in
place of Symbol.for('nodejs.rejection').
import { EventEmitter, captureRejectionSymbol } from 'node:events';
class MyClass extends EventEmitter {
constructor() {
super({ captureRejections: true });
}
[captureRejectionSymbol](err, event, ...args) {
console.log('rejection happened for', event, 'with', err, ...args);
this.destroy(err);
}
destroy(err) {
// Tear the resource down here.
}
}
function [captureRejectionSymbol](error: Error, event: string | symbol, args: any[])
Parameters
- error
-
Error
- event
-
string | symbol
- args
-
any[]
Inherited From Stream.[captureRejectionSymbol]