About this documentation | Node.js v12.21.0 Documentation

Node.js

- About this documentation
- Usage and example

- Assertion testing
- Async hooks
- Buffer
- C++ Addons
- C/C++ Addons with N-API
- C++ Embedder API
- Child Processes
- Cluster
- Command line options
- Console
- Crypto
- Debugger
- Deprecated APIs
- DNS
- Domain
- Errors
- Events
- File system
- Globals
- HTTP
- HTTP/2
- HTTPS
- Inspector
- Internationalization
- Modules: CommonJS modules
- Modules: ECMAScript modules
- Modules: `module` API
- Modules: Packages
- Net
- OS
- Path
- Performance hooks
- Policies
- Process
- Punycode
- Query strings
- Readline
- REPL
- Report
- Stream
- String decoder
- Timers
- TLS/SSL
- Trace events
- TTY
- UDP/datagram
- URL
- Utilities
- V8
- VM
- WASI
- Worker threads
- Zlib

- Code repository and issue tracker

# About this documentation#

Welcome to the official API reference documentation for Node.js!

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on the V8 JavaScript engine.

## Contributing#

Report errors in this documentation in the issue tracker. See the contributing guide for directions on how to submit pull requests.

## Stability index#

Throughout the documentation are indications of a section's stability. Some APIs are so proven and so relied upon that they are unlikely to ever change at all. Others are brand new and experimental, or known to be hazardous.

The stability indices are as follows:

Stability: 0 - Deprecated. The feature may emit warnings. Backward compatibility is not guaranteed.

Stability: 1 - Experimental. The feature is not subject to Semantic Versioning rules. Non-backward compatible changes or removal may occur in any future release. Use of the feature is not recommended in production environments.

Stability: 2 - Stable. Compatibility with the npm ecosystem is a high priority.

Use caution when making use of Experimental features, particularly within modules. Users may not be aware that experimental features are being used. Bugs or behavior changes may surprise users when Experimental API modifications occur. To avoid surprises, use of an Experimental feature may need a command-line flag. Experimental features may also emit a warning.

## JSON output#

Added in: v0.6.12

Every `.html` document has a corresponding `.json` document. This is for IDEs and other utilities that consume the documentation.

## System calls and man pages#

Node.js functions which wrap a system call will document that. The docs link to the corresponding man pages which describe how the system call works.

Most Unix system calls have Windows analogues. Still, behavior differences may be unavoidable.