Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

unpkg VS cdnjs

Compare unpkg VS cdnjs and see what are their differences

unpkg logo unpkg

The CDN for everything on npm

cdnjs logo cdnjs

An open source community driven JS/CSS CDN.
  • unpkg Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-18
  • cdnjs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-17

unpkg features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Unpkg provides a simple and straightforward way to include any npm package in a web project by directly using a URL, without additional setup or configuration.
  • CDN Performance
    Being a Content Delivery Network (CDN), unpkg ensures fast and reliable delivery of assets, as files are served from locations closest to the user geographically.
  • Automatic Updates
    With unpkg, you can link directly to a package's latest version, ensuring your project always uses the most up-to-date version available.
  • Broad Compatibility
    Unpkg works with any package on npm, providing access to a vast library of JavaScript modules and assets that can be easily integrated into web applications.

Possible disadvantages of unpkg

  • Version Control
    Relying on automatic updates can introduce breaking changes due to version mismatches, potentially leading to unstable builds or unexpected behavior.
  • Single Point of Failure
    If unpkg's server experiences downtime or issues, your application could be disrupted, since dependencies are served from this external source.
  • Lack of Customization
    Unpkg does not support certain custom configurations or optimizations that might be possible with local bundling tools or custom CDNs.
  • Security Concerns
    Serving third-party scripts directly from a CDN could introduce security vulnerabilities if the integrity and authenticity of the scripts are not properly verified.

cdnjs features and specs

  • Wide range of libraries
    cdnjs offers a vast collection of JavaScript libraries, allowing developers to access and integrate them easily into their projects.
  • Enhanced Performance
    By using a CDN like cdnjs, resources are delivered from servers closest to the user, reducing loading times and improving website performance.
  • Reliability
    cdnjs is supported by well-established infrastructure, ensuring uptime and reliability when serving files.
  • Easy Versioning
    Developers can easily specify which version of a library they wish to use, providing control and flexibility in management.
  • Cost-effective
    Being a free service, cdnjs allows developers to leverage CDN capabilities without incurring costs.

Possible disadvantages of cdnjs

  • Dependency on Third-party
    Relying on an external CDN means that developers are dependent on their uptime and service quality.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using a CDN can lead to potential data privacy issues, as user requests are routed through third-party servers.
  • Version Mismatch
    If not carefully managed, there can be inconsistencies in library versions across different environments, leading to potential conflicts.
  • Limited Offline Support
    Since cdnjs relies on internet connectivity, access to these libraries is compromised if there is no or poor internet connection.

Analysis of cdnjs

Overall verdict

  • Yes, cdnjs is generally considered a good service for hosting front-end libraries.

Why this product is good

  • cdnjs is a widely-used content delivery network that provides developers with access to a large repository of open-source JavaScript and CSS libraries. It's known for its reliability, speed, and ease of use. The platform is backed by Cloudflare, ensuring fast delivery and minimized latency. Additionally, cdnjs offers a vast selection of libraries, regular updates, and easy integration into web projects.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a reliable CDN to host JavaScript and CSS libraries.
  • Projects requiring quick and easy access to popular front-end libraries.
  • Web applications that need to ensure optimal performance and fast loading times.
  • Teams seeking a hassle-free way to manage and include third-party libraries in their codebase.

unpkg videos

072 Generating the Unpkg URL

More videos:

cdnjs videos

Making Your Web Site Faster With CDNJS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to unpkg and cdnjs)
CDN
36 36%
64% 64
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
25 25%
75% 75
Image Optimisation
31 31%
69% 69

User comments

Share your experience with using unpkg and cdnjs. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, unpkg should be more popular than cdnjs. It has been mentiond 31 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

unpkg mentions (31)

  • Shadow DOM: Master Web Component Encapsulation for Modern JavaScript Apps
    // Feature detection and polyfill loading (function() { // Check if Shadow DOM is supported if (!('attachShadow' in Element.prototype)) { console.log('Shadow DOM not supported - loading polyfill'); // Load the polyfill const script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://unpkg.com/@webcomponents/webcomponentsjs/webcomponents-bundle.js'; script.onload = () => { ... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • CSS-zero: opinionated CSS starter kit for your "nobuild" application
    Bold move to call it "no build" when it requires me to install Ruby, Rails and this package. Not to mention that if I really want a "no build" tailwind I could simply add this single line: - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • trimMiddle() - the missing String trim command
    To use it in your own products, either use npm -​i trimmiddle or use the client-side version via unpkg. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Comprehensive Guide: Integrating a Drag-and-Drop Form Builder for Camunda.
    Const formEngine = document.createElement('script'); formEngine.crossOrigin = true; formEngine.src = 'https://unpkg.com/@react-form-builder/viewer-bundle@1.2.0/dist/index.umd.js'; document.body.append(formEngine);. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Run0 – systemd based alternative to sudo announced
    Just a short reminder that Lennart is working for Microsoft. https://unpkg.com/@material-design-icons/svg@0.14.13/outlined/refresh.svg. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

cdnjs mentions (16)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing unpkg and cdnjs, you can also consider the following products

jsDelivr - A free, fast, and reliable Open Source CDN for npm and GitHub with the largest network and best performance from all OSS CDNs. Serving 100 billion requests per month.

CloudFlare - Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.

raw.githack.com - raw.githack.com serves raw files from github.com with proper Content-Type headers (like rawgit.

Amazon CloudFront - Amazon CloudFront is a content delivery web service.

Statically - The free optimization & CDN for images, CSS, JavaScript, and open source.

KeyCDN - KeyCDN is a high-performance Content Delivery Network (CDN). Lowest price globally at $0.04/GB with HTTP/2 Support and free Origin Shield.