sheetjs

Pros of ExcelJS

• Better support for advanced Excel features like cell styles, formulas, and charts
• More comprehensive documentation and examples
• Active development with frequent updates and bug fixes

Cons of ExcelJS

• Slower performance for large datasets compared to SheetJS
• Larger file size and more dependencies
• Steeper learning curve for basic operations

Code Comparison

ExcelJS:

const workbook = new ExcelJS.Workbook();
const worksheet = workbook.addWorksheet('Sheet1');
worksheet.getCell('A1').value = 'Hello, World!';
worksheet.getCell('A1').font = { bold: true, color: { argb: 'FF0000' } };
await workbook.xlsx.writeFile('example.xlsx');

SheetJS:

const workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
const worksheet = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet([['Hello, World!']]);
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, 'Sheet1');
XLSX.writeFile(workbook, 'example.xlsx');

ExcelJS offers more granular control over cell formatting and styles, while SheetJS provides a simpler API for basic operations. ExcelJS is better suited for complex Excel manipulations, whereas SheetJS excels in performance and simplicity for large datasets and basic spreadsheet tasks.

Pros of Handsontable

• Rich, interactive spreadsheet-like interface with advanced features
• Extensive customization options for appearance and behavior
• Built-in support for data validation, sorting, and filtering

Cons of Handsontable

• Larger file size and potentially higher performance overhead
• Steeper learning curve due to more complex API
• Limited support for advanced Excel features like formulas

Code Comparison

Handsontable:

const hot = new Handsontable(container, {
  data: dataset,
  rowHeaders: true,
  colHeaders: true,
  filters: true,
  dropdownMenu: true
});

SheetJS:

const workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
const worksheet = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(dataset);
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, "Sheet1");
XLSX.writeFile(workbook, "output.xlsx");

Handsontable provides a more interactive, spreadsheet-like experience with built-in UI components, while SheetJS focuses on efficient data processing and file manipulation without a visual interface. Handsontable is better suited for creating editable data grids in web applications, whereas SheetJS excels at reading, writing, and manipulating Excel files programmatically.

Pros of PhpSpreadsheet

• Native PHP implementation, ideal for PHP-based projects
• Extensive support for various spreadsheet formats (XLSX, XLS, ODS, CSV, etc.)
• Robust formula calculation engine

Cons of PhpSpreadsheet

• Limited to PHP environments, less versatile than SheetJS
• Generally slower performance compared to SheetJS
• Steeper learning curve for beginners

Code Comparison

PhpSpreadsheet:

$spreadsheet = new Spreadsheet();
$sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
$sheet->setCellValue('A1', 'Hello World!');
$writer = new Xlsx($spreadsheet);
$writer->save('hello_world.xlsx');

SheetJS:

const workbook = XLSX.utils.book_new();
const worksheet = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet([['Hello World!']]);
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(workbook, worksheet, 'Sheet1');
XLSX.writeFile(workbook, 'hello_world.xlsx');

Both libraries offer powerful spreadsheet manipulation capabilities, but they cater to different ecosystems. PhpSpreadsheet is tailored for PHP developers and provides deep integration with PHP projects. It excels in handling complex spreadsheet operations and supports a wide range of formats. However, it's limited to PHP environments and may have performance issues with large datasets.

SheetJS, on the other hand, is more versatile, supporting multiple programming languages and environments. It generally offers better performance and is easier for beginners to pick up. However, it may lack some of the advanced features and format support that PhpSpreadsheet provides.

Choose based on your project requirements, development environment, and performance needs.

Pros of XlsxWriter

• Specialized for creating Excel XLSX files, offering more Excel-specific features
• Supports advanced Excel functionalities like charts, tables, and conditional formatting
• Lightweight and has no external dependencies

Cons of XlsxWriter

• Limited to writing XLSX files; cannot read or modify existing files
• Python-only library, not available for other programming languages
• Slower performance for very large datasets compared to SheetJS

Code Comparison

XlsxWriter:

import xlsxwriter

workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('example.xlsx')
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet()
worksheet.write('A1', 'Hello')
workbook.close()

SheetJS:

const XLSX = require('xlsx');

const wb = XLSX.utils.book_new();
const ws = XLSX.utils.aoa_to_sheet([['Hello']]);
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, 'Sheet1');
XLSX.writeFile(wb, 'example.xlsx');

Both libraries provide straightforward ways to create Excel files, but XlsxWriter's API is more Excel-centric, while SheetJS offers a more generic approach that works with various spreadsheet formats. SheetJS is more versatile in terms of supported languages and file operations, while XlsxWriter excels in creating feature-rich Excel files specifically.