exif-component

1.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript deprecated

Client-side EXIF parser for JPEG/TIFF images. Version 1.0.1 is the latest release. This is a fork of ExifReader with a simplified API, designed specifically for the Component package manager (not npm). It extracts metadata tags from an ArrayBuffer input. The package has not been updated since 2014 and targets legacy browser and Node.js environments. For modern usage, consider using the original ExifReader or exifr.

Common errors

error TypeError: exif is not a function ↓

cause Incorrect import style: using named import or ES import syntax on a CommonJS module that exports a single function.

fix

Use const exif = require('exif-component'); instead of import { exif } from 'exif-component'; or import exif from 'exif-component';.

error Error: First argument must be an ArrayBuffer ↓

cause Passing a Node.js Buffer or plain string instead of an ArrayBuffer.

fix

Convert Buffer to ArrayBuffer before calling exif: const arrayBuffer = buffer.buffer.slice(buffer.byteOffset, buffer.byteOffset + buffer.byteLength);

Warnings

deprecated This package is a fork of ExifReader with a simplified API but has not been updated since 2014. Consider using the original ExifReader or exifr for modern applications. ↓

fix Use exifr (https://www.npmjs.com/package/exifr) or ExifReader (https://www.npmjs.com/package/exifreader) instead.

gotcha This package uses the Component package manager, not npm. Installation via npm will not work as expected. ↓

fix Install using component install component/exif or directly from GitHub. Alternatively, migrate to an npm-published EXIF library.

gotcha The library expects an ArrayBuffer, not a Buffer or Blob. Node.js users must convert Buffer to ArrayBuffer manually. ↓

fix Use buffer.buffer.slice(buffer.byteOffset, buffer.byteOffset + buffer.byteLength) to convert a Node.js Buffer to an ArrayBuffer.

Install

npm install exif-component

yarn add exif-component

pnpm add exif-component

Imports

exif
wrong
```
import exif from 'exif-component';
```
correct
```
const exif = require('exif-component');
```
Package uses CommonJS and is not ESM-compatible. Default export is a function.
exif
wrong
```
import { exif } from 'exif-component';
```
correct
```
const { exif } = require('exif-component');
```
Named import is incorrect; the package exports a single function directly.

Quickstart

Reads a JPEG file, converts the Node.js Buffer to an ArrayBuffer, and parses EXIF tags using the exif function.

const fs = require('fs');
const exif = require('exif-component');

// Read an image file as buffer
const buffer = fs.readFileSync('image.jpg');
// Convert to ArrayBuffer
const arrayBuffer = buffer.buffer.slice(buffer.byteOffset, buffer.byteOffset + buffer.byteLength);
// Parse EXIF
try {
  const tags = exif(arrayBuffer);
  console.log(JSON.stringify(tags, null, 2));
} catch (err) {
  console.error('Failed to parse EXIF:', err.message);
}