# binaryjs/binaryjs

Node binary websocket streaming made easy

Repository: https://github.com/binaryjs/binaryjs
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/binaryjs
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2023-01-20T03:37:18+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5178, "days_push": 1321, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2190, forks 323 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:24.044035+00:00)

## What it is
BinaryJS is a Node.js library that provides easy binary websocket streaming between a Node server and browser clients. It wraps websocket connections with a BinaryPack serialization layer and stream abstractions so developers can send binary data like audio, video, or TypedArrays in realtime.

## Use cases
- stream binary data over websockets from node to the browser
- send audio or video chunks in realtime over a websocket connection
- transmit TypedArrays and binary blobs between server and client
- build a realtime binary data channel for a web app
- pipe node streams to browser clients over websockets
- serialize and stream structured binary messages in javascript

## When to choose
- you need low-overhead binary transport over websockets in a Node.js app
- you want stream semantics (pipe, backpressure) on top of websockets
- you are sending TypedArrays, Blobs, or other binary payloads between server and browser

## When to avoid
- you only need plain text or JSON messaging - native websockets or Socket.IO are simpler
- you need a actively maintained library with recent security patches - development has been dormant
- you need production-grade reconnection, fallbacks, or broad protocol support beyond basic websocket streaming

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: websocket, serialization, streaming, http-server
- domain: web-development, developer-tools
- platform: browser
- tags: binary-streaming, websocket-streaming, binarypack, realtime-data, node-streams, real-time, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- binaryjs/binaryjs (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:24.044035+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:47:40.751689+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/binaryjs/binaryjs (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:24.044035+00:00, sha f2517253629f)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/binaryjs (fetched 2026-08-29T10:28:07.802654+00:00, sha 0bb7a330d307)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.