Javascript data validation benchmark

🛠️ How to run the benchmark

Clone the Repository

Open your terminal and run:

git clone [email protected]:typescript-tutorial/data-validation-benchmark.git

Install Dependencies

Make sure you have Node.js and npm installed. Then run:

npm install

Run the Benchmark

Run the Benchmark with typescript directly:

npx tsx ./src/app.ts

🚀 Benchmark Result:

Rank	Library	Ops/sec	RME (%)	Samples	Size (min+gz)	Relative Speed (vs fastest)	Times Slower than Ajv	Note
🥇 1	Ajv	6,091,923	0.76%	100	📦 ~114 KB	🏆 1.00× (fastest)	🏆 1×	⚡ Fastest + Heavier bundle
🥈 2	xvalidators	1,246,188	1.29%	92	⚡ ~3.8 KB	~20.46% of Ajv	~4.9×	🔥 Very Fast + Small
🥉 3	Zod	939,381	0.31%	96	🧱 ~25 KB	~15.42% of Ajv	~6.5×	🐇 Fast + Medium Size
4	Valibot	859,490	0.24%	95	⚡ ~4 KB	~14.11% of Ajv	~7.1×	🐇 Fast + Small Size
5	Joi	344,710	0.37%	93	📦 ~80 KB	~5.56% of Ajv	~17.7×	🐢 Slow + Heavy Size
6	Yup	115,048	0.34%	91	🧱 ~28 KB	~1.89% of Ajv	~52.9×	🐢 Slowest + Medium Size + Frontend-oriented

🔍 Key Insights

✅ Ajv

• Top performer with ~6.09 million ops/sec.
• Best for JSON Schema validation, high-throughput services.
• Ideal for performance-critical Node.js or edge runtimes.

✅ xvalidators

• ~4.9x slower than Ajv, but ~1.3x faster than Zod, and even faster than Valibot.
• xvalidators is focused on bundle small size + performance, good for frontend.
• Excellent TypeScript inference, flexible custom rules.
• Very good for internal tools, low-code platforms, or apps that require typed validation

⚖️ Zod vs. Valibot

• Nearly similar in ops/sec, suggesting similar architecture or design trade-offs.
• Good for TypeScript-first developer experience but noticeably slower than Ajv/xvalidators.
• Both offer great DX.
• Valibot is focused on bundle size + performance, good for frontend.
• Zod still preferred if you need ecosystem maturity and developer ergonomics.

❌ Joi and Yup

• Significantly slower, not suited for performance-sensitive applications.
• Useful in some backend contexts (Joi) or form validation (Yup), but not recommended when performance matters.

🏁 Recommendation by Use Case

Use Case	Library	Reason
High-throughput backend APIs	Ajv	Fastest JSON Schema validator
Minimal frontend apps with type-safe apps and custom rules	xvalidators	Good speed, excellent TypeScript integration
Minimal frontend apps	Valibot	Lightweight and efficient
DX-focused development	Zod	Clean syntax, popular, ideal for prototypes
Legacy/enterprise backend apps	Joi	Powerful features, but low performance
Form validation in React (Formik)	Yup	Integrated with form tools, but slow

📌 Summary

• If you need speed: → Ajv
• If you want typescript + good speed + small: → xvalidators
• If you prefer a big community support over speed: → Zod or Valibot
• If you already use Formik or legacy stack: → Yup or Joi