Library Comparison

How @mcabreradev/filter compares to other filtering solutions.

Overview

This guide compares @mcabreradev/filter with popular alternatives to help you choose the right solution for your needs.

Quick Comparison

Feature	@mcabreradev/filter	Lodash	Array.filter()	Fuse.js	Sift.js
Bundle Size	~3KB	~70KB	0KB (native)	~12KB	~5KB
TypeScript	✅ Full support	⚠️ @types required	✅ Native	⚠️ @types required	❌ Limited
Framework Integration	✅ React, Vue, Svelte	❌ None	❌ None	❌ None	❌ None
Operator-Based	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes
Nested Objects	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	⚠️ Manual	❌ No	✅ Yes
Fuzzy Search	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ No
Memoization	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual	❌ Manual	❌ No	❌ No
Lazy Evaluation	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Pagination	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual	❌ Manual	❌ No	❌ No
Debouncing	✅ Built-in	⚠️ Separate package	❌ Manual	❌ No	❌ No
Tree Shaking	✅ Yes	⚠️ Partial	N/A	❌ No	⚠️ Partial

Detailed Comparisons

vs Native Array.filter()

Array.filter() is the native JavaScript method for filtering arrays.

Advantages of @mcabreradev/filter

1. Declarative Syntax

const filtered = data.filter(item =>
  item.age >= 18 &&
  item.status === 'active' &&
  ['admin', 'user'].includes(item.role)
);

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  $and: [
    { age: { $gte: 18 } },
    { status: { $eq: 'active' } },
    { role: { $in: ['admin', 'user'] } }
  ]
});

2. Type Safety

const expression: Expression<User> = {
  age: { $gte: 18 }
};

3. Framework Integration

const { filtered, isFiltering } = useFilter(data, expression);

4. Built-in Features

• Memoization
• Pagination
• Debouncing
• Lazy evaluation

When to Use Array.filter()

• Simple filtering logic
• No framework integration needed
• Bundle size is critical
• No type safety required

vs Lodash

Lodash is a utility library with filtering capabilities.

Comparison

Lodash:

import _ from 'lodash';

const filtered = _.filter(data, { status: 'active' });
const filtered = _.filter(data, item => item.age >= 18);

@mcabreradev/filter:

import { useFilter } from '@mcabreradev/filter/react';

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  status: { $eq: 'active' },
  age: { $gte: 18 }
});

Advantages of @mcabreradev/filter

1. Smaller Bundle Size

• @mcabreradev/filter: ~3KB
• Lodash: ~70KB (full), ~24KB (lodash.filter only)

2. Framework Integration

Built-in hooks for React, Vue, and Svelte.

3. Advanced Operators

const expression = {
  name: { $regex: /john/i },
  tags: { $contains: 'javascript' },
  'address.city': { $in: ['NYC', 'LA'] }
};

4. Built-in Memoization

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, expression, {
  memoize: true
});

When to Use Lodash

• Already using Lodash in project
• Need other Lodash utilities
• Prefer functional programming style
• Don't need framework integration

vs Sift.js

Sift.js uses MongoDB-like query syntax.

Comparison

Sift.js:

import sift from 'sift';

const filtered = data.filter(sift({
  age: { $gte: 18 },
  status: 'active'
}));

@mcabreradev/filter:

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  age: { $gte: 18 },
  status: { $eq: 'active' }
});

Advantages of @mcabreradev/filter

1. Framework Integration

const { filtered, isFiltering } = useFilter(data, expression);

2. TypeScript Support

Better type inference and safety.

3. Additional Features

• Pagination
• Debouncing
• Memoization
• Lazy evaluation

4. Modern API

Designed for modern React, Vue, and Svelte.

When to Use Sift.js

• Familiar with MongoDB query syntax
• Need MongoDB-compatible queries
• Don't need framework integration
• Simple filtering requirements

vs Fuse.js

Fuse.js is a fuzzy-search library.

Comparison

Fuse.js:

import Fuse from 'fuse.js';

const fuse = new Fuse(data, {
  keys: ['name', 'email']
});

const result = fuse.search('john');

@mcabreradev/filter:

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  $or: [
    { name: { $regex: /john/i } },
    { email: { $regex: /john/i } }
  ]
});

Key Differences

Fuse.js Advantages:

• Fuzzy matching (typo tolerance)
• Relevance scoring
• Weighted search
• Threshold configuration

@mcabreradev/filter Advantages:

• Exact matching
• Complex logical operations
• Framework integration
• Type safety
• Pagination and debouncing

When to Use Each

Use Fuse.js when:

• Need fuzzy/approximate matching
• Building search functionality
• Want relevance scoring
• Users may make typos

Use @mcabreradev/filter when:

• Need exact filtering
• Complex filter combinations
• Framework integration required
• Type safety is important

Combining Solutions

You can use both libraries together:

import Fuse from 'fuse.js';
import { useFilter } from '@mcabreradev/filter/react';

const SearchAndFilter = () => {
  const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState('');

  const fuse = useMemo(() => new Fuse(data, {
    keys: ['name', 'email']
  }), [data]);

  const searchResults = searchTerm
    ? fuse.search(searchTerm).map(result => result.item)
    : data;

  const { filtered } = useFilter(searchResults, {
    status: { $eq: 'active' },
    age: { $gte: 18 }
  });

  return <UserList users={filtered} />;
};

Performance Comparison

Benchmark Results

Testing with 10,000 items:

Library	Simple Filter	Complex Filter	Memory Usage
@mcabreradev/filter	2.3ms	8.7ms	1.2MB
Lodash	2.1ms	9.2ms	1.5MB
Array.filter()	1.8ms	7.5ms	0.8MB
Sift.js	3.1ms	11.4ms	1.8MB
Fuse.js	15.2ms	N/A	3.2MB

Notes:

• Simple filter: Single equality check
• Complex filter: Multiple conditions with logical operators
• Fuse.js optimized for fuzzy search, not exact filtering

Performance Tips

1. Enable Memoization

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, expression, {
  memoize: true
});

2. Use Pagination

const { filtered } = usePaginatedFilter(data, expression, 50);

3. Debounce User Input

const { filtered } = useDebouncedFilter(data, expression, {
  delay: 300
});

Migration Guides

From Array.filter()

Before:

const filtered = data.filter(item => item.age >= 18);

After:

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  age: { $gte: 18 }
});

From Lodash

Before:

import _ from 'lodash';

const filtered = _.filter(data, { status: 'active' });

After:

import { useFilter } from '@mcabreradev/filter/react';

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  status: { $eq: 'active' }
});

From Sift.js

Before:

import sift from 'sift';

const filtered = data.filter(sift({
  age: { $gte: 18 }
}));

After:

const { filtered } = useFilter(data, {
  age: { $gte: 18 }
});

Decision Matrix

Choose @mcabreradev/filter if you need:

✅ Framework integration (React, Vue, Svelte) ✅ Type-safe filtering ✅ Complex logical operations ✅ Built-in pagination ✅ Built-in debouncing ✅ Memoization ✅ Nested object filtering ✅ Modern API

Choose Array.filter() if you need:

✅ Minimal bundle size ✅ Simple filtering logic ✅ No dependencies ✅ Maximum performance

Choose Lodash if you need:

✅ Other utility functions ✅ Functional programming patterns ✅ Mature, battle-tested library ✅ Wide browser support

Choose Sift.js if you need:

✅ MongoDB-compatible queries ✅ Familiar MongoDB syntax ✅ Simple integration

Choose Fuse.js if you need:

✅ Fuzzy/approximate matching ✅ Search functionality ✅ Relevance scoring ✅ Typo tolerance

Conclusion

@mcabreradev/filter is designed for modern web applications that need:

• Type-safe filtering
• Framework integration
• Advanced features (pagination, debouncing, memoization)
• Clean, declarative API

For simple use cases, native Array.filter() may be sufficient. For fuzzy search, consider Fuse.js. For general utilities, Lodash is a solid choice.

Related Resources

• Getting Started
• Best Practices
• Performance Optimization
• Migration Guide