A fast, modern and low-memory approach to processing a big JSON:

npm install @botejs/core

import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
import { open, fromFile } from '@botejs/core';

// 181 MB GeoJSON:
// { type: "...", features: [{ properties: { STREET: "..." }}] }
const filePath = fileURLToPath(new URL('../citylots.json', import.meta.url));

await using cursor = await open(fromFile(filePath));

const byStreet = await cursor
  .iter('features', {
    select: ['properties', 'STREET'],
  })
  .reduce((tally, street) => {
    if (typeof street === 'string') {
      tally.set(street, (tally.get(street) ?? 0) + 1);
    }
    return tally;
  }, new Map());

console.log([...byStreet].sort((a, b) => b[1] - a[1]).slice(0, 10));

Given a seekable or forward source and a path, it retrieves values out of a JSON, without loading the whole thing in-memory.

Here's a run of snippet above (Apple M1 Pro 2021, default settings, RUNS=100, Node v26):

For comparison notes, go here.

• Modern AsyncIterator API with helpers that emulate the tc39 ones
• Validate with Standard Schema, avoiding those pesky unknowns
• Supports multiple sources of data (e.g. file, network, stream) or write a custom one. (see sources.js for the built-in ones)
• For forward-only sources, there's support for replaying/buffering, allowing navigation to previous values

• Node.js >= 22.18.0
• ESM-only
• Platforms
  • macOS (Apple Silicon aarch64 and Intel x86_64)
  • Linux x64 (x86_64, glibc)
  • Windows x64 (x86_64, MSVC)
  • More if requested :)

• open(source, options?): Cursor
• fromFile(path, options?)
• fromBuffer(bytes, options?)
• fromHttpRange(url, options?)
• fromHttpRequest(url, options?)
• fromReadable(produce, options?)
• cursor.get(...path, schema?)
• cursor.has(...path, schema?)
• cursor.hop(...path)
• cursor.iter(...path, options?): IterStream
• cursor.close()
• IterStream
• Errors

const cursor = await open(source: Source, options?: SeekableOpenOptions): Promise<RootCursor>;

Opens a cursor over a source. The returned RootCursor owns the underlying reader: close() (or letting an await using scope end) releases it exactly once. A seekable source supports the index cache and repeated, out-of-order queries; a forward source is a single pass and rejects the cache knobs.

import { open, fromFile } from '@botejs/core';

await using cursor = await open(fromFile('./users.json'));
console.log(await cursor.get('users', 0, 'name'));

await using cursor = await open(fromFile('./big.json'), {
  arrayIndexInterval: 8,
  indexCacheEntries: 4096,
  objectMemberCap: 256,
});

const source = fromFile(path: string, options?: { chunkBytes?: number }): SeekableSource;

A seekable source over a local file. Opens a handle on open() and reads byte ranges on demand, so large files are never fully read, only the chunks a query touches. chunkBytes (a non-zero multiple of 64) overrides the read granularity.

await using cursor = await open(fromFile('./users.json', { chunkBytes: 128 * 1024 }));

const source = fromBuffer(bytes: Uint8Array | ArrayBuffer, options?: { chunkBytes?: number }): SeekableSource;

A seekable source over JSON already resident in memory - data you fetched or built yourself rather than a file on disk.

await using cursor = await open(fromBuffer(new TextEncoder().encode('{"ok":true}')));
console.log(await cursor.get('ok')); // -> true

const source = fromHttpRange(url: string, options?: { chunkBytes?: number; init?: RequestInit }): SeekableSource;

A seekable source over a remote file using HTTP range requests. A HEAD discovers the length and confirms Accept-Ranges: bytes; each read then fetches only its byte window. init is merged into every request (headers, credentials, an AbortSignal).

await using cursor = await open(
  fromHttpRange('https://example.com/big.json', {
    init: { headers: { authorization: 'Bearer ...' } },
  }),
);
console.log(await cursor.get('users', 1000, 'name'));

const source = fromReadable(produce: () => ReadableStream | NodeReadable, options?: ReadableOptions): ForwardSource;

A forward-only source backed by a re-openable readable stream. Pass a thunk that produces a fresh stream (a live Readable cannot be re-streamed), not the stream itself. Each cursor operation is an independent scan from the start, so a second query rewinds, which by default throws (see rewind).

import { createReadStream } from 'node:fs';

await using cursor = await open(fromReadable(() => createReadStream('./events.json')));
for await (const event of cursor.iter('events')) {
  console.log(event.type);
}

await using cursor = await open(
  fromReadable(() => createReadStream('./events.json.gz'), {
    decode: (raw) => raw.pipeThrough(new DecompressionStream('gzip')),
    rewind: 'replay',
  }),
);

const source = fromHttpRequest(url: string, options?: HttpRequestOptions): ForwardSource;

A forward-only source over an HTTP response body, streamed in one pass (GET by default). The forward counterpart to fromHttpRange: prefer it when you scan once and the server has no range support. Takes the same decode/rewind options as fromReadable, plus init merged into every fetch.

await using cursor = await open(
  fromHttpRequest('https://example.com/events.json', {
    init: { headers: { authorization: 'Bearer ...' } },
    rewind: 'buffer',
  }),
);
console.log(await cursor.get('events', 0, 'type'));

const value = await cursor.get(...path: Segment[], schema?: StandardSchema): Promise<unknown>;

Reads and decodes the value at path, returning a real JS value, or undefined if the path is absent (distinct from a present JSON null). With no segments it decodes the whole document. Reading a whole container materializes all of it, so prefer iter for large arrays/objects.

const name = await cursor.get('users', 0, 'name'); // -> "Ada"
const missing = await cursor.get('users', 0, 'nope'); // -> undefined
const nulled = await cursor.get('users', 0, 'deletedAt'); // -> null (the member exists)

import { z } from 'zod';

const age = await cursor.get('users', 0, 'age', z.number()); // typed as number

const exists = await cursor.has(...path: Segment[], schema?: StandardSchema): Promise<boolean>;

Reports whether a value exists at path without decoding it. A member explicitly set to JSON null still counts as present; an out-of-range array index is absent.

if (await cursor.has('users', 0, 'email')) {
  console.log(await cursor.get('users', 0, 'email'));
}
console.log(await cursor.has('users', 999)); // -> false on a shorter array

import { z } from 'zod';

if (await cursor.has('users', 0, 'email', z.string().email())) {
  console.log('has a well-formed email');
}

const child = await cursor.hop(...path: Segment[]): Promise<Cursor | null>;

Resolves path to a container and hands back a new cursor anchored there, so further get/has/iter/hop run relative to it. Returns null when nothing lives at the path. A child shares the root's source and lifetime. Closing the root closes it too, and there is nothing to close on the child itself.

const user = await cursor.hop('users', 0);
if (user) {
  console.log(await user.get('name'));
  const city = await (await user.hop('address'))?.get('city');
}

const stream = cursor.iter(...path: Segment[], options?: IterOptions | StandardSchema): IterStream;

Streams the members of the array or object at path one item at a time, so a million-element array never lands in memory all at once. An empty path iterates the root container; iterating an object yields its values (use withKey for the names). Returns an IterStream.

for await (const user of cursor.iter('users')) {
  console.log(user.name);
}

for await (const row of cursor.iter('users', {
  select: { id: 'id', email: ['contact', 'email'] },
  schema: z.object({ id: z.number(), email: z.string() }),
  onInvalid: 'skip',
})) {
  console.log(row.id, row.email);
}

await cursor.close(): Promise<void>;

Releases the underlying source (file handle, fetch body, etc.). Idempotent, and only on the root cursor. Prefer await using so it runs automatically when the scope ends; call it directly when you cannot use that syntax.

const cursor = await open(fromFile('./users.json'));
try {
  console.log(await cursor.get('users', 0, 'name'));
} finally {
  await cursor.close();
}

iter returns a lazy, single-pass pipeline that mirrors the TC39 async iterator helpers.

const firstFive = await cursor
  .iter('users', { select: 'name' })
  .filter((name) => name.startsWith('A'))
  .take(5)
  .toArray();

Supports map, filter, take, drop, toArray, forEach, reduce, find, some and every

Everything bote throws extends BoteError (catch that to catch anything; branch on .code for the kind). The concrete types are PathError, ValidationError, MalformedJsonError, SourceReadError, ForwardReplayError, and ClosedCursorError. Most carry the path where the fault occurred.

import { BoteError, ValidationError } from '@botejs/core';

try {
  await cursor.get('users', 0, 'age', z.number());
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof ValidationError) {
    console.error(err.issues);
  }
}

Pre-1.0. Still in development and APIs may change based on feedback, bugs and holy divinations from the coding gods.

After a lot of chaos, I'm finally-kinda-sorta happy with the public API. Major breaking changes seems to be slowing down so feedback from the community and dogfooding on my end is what's next.

MIT.