Music metadata parser for Node.js, supporting virtual any audio and tag format.
npm install music-metadata







music-metadata module is ideal for developers working on media applications, music players, or any project that requires access to detailed audio file metadata.
bash
npm install music-metadata
`
or using yarn:
`bash
yarn add music-metadata
`
API Documentation
$3
Node.js specific functions to read an audio file or stream:
1. File Parsing: Parse audio files directly from the filesystem using the parseFile function
1. Stream Parsing: Parse audio metadata from a Node.js Readable stream using the parseStream function.
Cross-platform functions available to read an audio file or stream:
There are multiple ways to parse (read) audio tracks:
1. Web Stream Parsing: Parse audio data from a web-compatible ReadableStream using the parseWebStream function.
1. Blob Parsing: Parse audio metadata from a (Web API) Blob or File using the parseBlob function.
1. Buffer Parsing: Parse audio metadata from a Uint8Array or Buffer using the parseBuffer function.
1. Tokenizer Parsing: Use a custom or third-party strtok3 ITokenizer to parse using the parseFromTokenizer function.
> [!NOTE]
> Direct file access in Node.js is generally faster because it can 'jump' to various parts of the file without reading intermediate data.
$3
These functions are tailored for Node.js environments and leverage Node.js-specific APIs,
making them incompatible with browser-based JavaScript engines.
#### parseFile function
The parseFile function is intended for extracting metadata from audio files on the local filesystem in a Node.js environment.
It reads the specified file, parses its audio metadata, and returns a promise that resolves with this information.
##### Syntax
`ts
parseFile(filePath: string, options?: IOptions): Promise
`
##### Parameters
- filePath: string
The path to the media file from which metadata should be extracted.
This should be a valid path to an audio file on the local filesystem.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional configuration object that allows customization of the parsing process.
These options can include whether to calculate the file's duration, skip embedded cover art,
or other parsing behaviors.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to an IAudioMetadata object containing metadata about the audio file.
The metadata includes details such as the file format, codec, duration, bit rate, and any embedded tags like album, artist, or track information.
##### Usage Notes
- This function is Node.js-only and relies on Node.js-specific APIs to access the filesystem.
- For browser environments, consider using the parseBlob to parse File object objects.
##### Example:
The following example demonstrates how to use the parseFile function to read metadata from an audio file:
`js
import { parseFile } from 'music-metadata';
import { inspect } from 'node:util';
(async () => {
try {
const filePath = 'test/samples/MusicBrainz - Beth Hart - Sinner\'s Prayer [id3v2.3].V2.mp3';
const metadata = await parseFile(filePath);
// Output the parsed metadata to the console in a readable format
console.log(inspect(metadata, { showHidden: false, depth: null }));
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
})();
`
#### parseStream function
The parseStream function is used to parse metadata from an audio track provided as a Node.js Readable stream.
This is particularly useful for processing audio data that is being streamed or piped from another source, such as a web server or file system.
##### Syntax:
`ts
parseStream(stream: Readable, fileInfo?: IFileInfo | string, options?: IOptions): Promise
`
##### Parameters:
- stream: Readable:
The Node.js Readable stream from which the audio data is read.
This stream should provide the raw audio data to be analyzed.
- fileInfo: IFileInfo (optional)
An object containing file-related information or a string representing the MIME-type of the audio stream.
The fileInfo parameter can help the parser to correctly identify the audio format and may include:
- mimeType: A string representing the MIME-type (e.g., audio/mpeg).
If provided, it is assumed the streamed file content is to be the MIME-type.
If not provided, the parser will attempt to determine the format based on the content of the stream.
- size: The total size of the audio stream in bytes (useful for streams with a known length).
- path: A string representing the file path or filename, which can also assist in determining the format.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional object containing additional parsing options.
These options allow you to customize the parsing process,
such as whether to calculate the duration or skip cover art extraction.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to an IAudioMetadata object containing detailed metadata about the audio stream.
This metadata includes information about the format, codec, duration, bitrate, and any embedded tags such as artist, album, or track information.
##### Usage Notes
- This function is only available in Node.js environments, as it relies on the Node.js stream API.
##### Example:
The following example demonstrates how to use the parseStream function to read metadata from an audio stream:
`js
import { parseStream } from 'music-metadata';
import { createReadStream } from 'fs';
(async () => {
try {
// Create a readable stream from a file
const audioStream = createReadStream('path/to/audio/file.mp3');
// Parse the metadata from the stream
const metadata = await parseStream(audioStream, { mimeType: 'audio/mpeg'});
// Log the parsed metadata
console.log(metadata);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
})();
`
$3
These functions are designed to be cross-platform,
meaning it can be used in both Node.js and web browsers.
#### parseWebStream function
The parseWebStream function is used to extract metadata from an audio track provided as a web-compatible ReadableStream.
This function is ideal for applications running in web environments, such as browsers,
where audio data is streamed over the network or read from other web-based sources.
##### Syntax
`ts
parseWebStream(webStream: ReadableStream, fileInfo?: IFileInfo | string, options?: IOptions): Promise
`
##### Parameters
- webStream: ReadableStream
A ReadableStream that provides the audio data to be parsed.
This stream should emit Uint8Array chunks, representing the raw audio data.
- fileInfo: IFileInfo (optional)
An object containing file-related information or a string representing the MIME-type of the audio stream.
The fileInfo parameter can help the parser to correctly identify the audio format and may include:
- mimeType: A string representing the MIME-type (e.g., audio/mpeg).
If provided, it is assumed the streamed file content is to be the MIME-type.
If not provided, the parser will attempt to determine the format based on the content of the stream.
- size: The total size of the audio stream in bytes (useful for streams with a known length).
- path: A string representing the file path or filename, which can also assist in determining the format.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional object containing additional parsing options.
These options allow you to customize the parsing process,
such as whether to calculate the duration or skip cover art extraction.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to an IAudioMetadata object containing detailed metadata about the audio stream.
This metadata includes information about the format, codec, duration, bitrate, and any embedded tags such as artist, album, or track information.
##### Example
Here’s an example of how to use the parseWebStream function to extract metadata from an audio stream in a web application:
`js
import { parseWebStream } from 'music-metadata';
(async () => {
try {
// Fetch the audio file
const response = await fetch('https://github.com/Borewit/test-audio/raw/refs/heads/master/Various%20Artists%20-%202008%20-%20netBloc%20Vol%2013%20-%20Color%20in%20a%20World%20of%20Monochrome%20%5BAAC-40%5D/1.02.%20Solid%20Ground.m4a');
// Extract the Content-Length header and convert it to a number
const contentLength = response.headers.get('Content-Length');
const size = contentLength ? parseInt(contentLength, 10) : undefined;
// Parse the metadata from the web stream
const metadata = await parseWebStream(response.body, {
mimeType: response.headers.get('Content-Type'),
size // Important to pass the content-length
});
console.log(metadata);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
})();
`
The example uses the fetch API to retrieve an audio file from a URL.
The response.body provides a ReadableStream that is then passed to parseWebStream.
#### parseBlob function
Parses metadata from an audio file represented as a Blob.
This function is suitable for use in environments that support the ReadableStreamBYOBReader, which is available in Node.js 20 and above.
##### Syntax
`ts
parseBlob(blob: Blob, options?: IOptions = {}): Promise
`
##### Parameters
- blob: Blob
The Blob object containing the audio data to be parsed.
This can be a file or any binary data. If the Blob is an instance of File, its name will be used as the file path in the metadata.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional configuration object that specifies parsing options.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to the metadata of the audio file.
##### Example
`js
import { parseBlob } from 'music-metadata';
(async () => {
const fileInput = document.querySelector('input[type="file"]');
const file = fileInput.files[0];
try {
const metadata = await parseBlob(file);
console.log(metadata);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
})();
`
#### parseBuffer function
Parses metadata from an audio file where the audio data is held in a Uint8Array or Buffer.
This function is particularly useful when you already have audio data in memory.
##### Syntax
`ts
parseBuffer(buffer: Uint8Array, fileInfo?: IFileInfo | string, opts?: IOptions = {}): Promise
`
##### Parameters
- uint8Array: Uint8Array
A Uint8Array containing the audio data to be parsed.
- fileInfo: IFileInfo | string (optional)
An object containing file information such as mimeType and size.
Alternatively, you can pass a MIME-type string directly.
This helps the parser understand the format of the audio data.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional configuration object that specifies parsing options.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to the metadata of the audio file.
##### Example
`js
import { parseBuffer } from 'music-metadata';
import fs from 'fs';
(async () => {
const buffer = fs.readFileSync('path/to/audio/file.mp3');
try {
const metadata = await parseBuffer(buffer, { mimeType: 'audio/mpeg' });
console.log(metadata);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
})();
`
#### parseFromTokenizer function
Parses metadata from an audio source that implements the strtok3 ITokenizer interface.
This is a low-level function that provides flexibility for advanced use cases,
such as parsing metadata from streaming audio or custom data sources.
This also enables special read modules like:
- streaming-http-token-reader for chunked HTTP(S) reading, using HTTP range requests.
##### Syntax
`ts
parseFromTokenizer(tokenizer: ITokenizer, options?: IOptions): Promise
`
##### Parameters
- tokenizer: ITokenizer
An instance of an ITokenizer that provides access to the audio data.
The tokenizer abstracts the reading process, enabling support for various types of sources, including streams, buffers, or custom data readers.
- options: IOptions (optional)
An optional configuration object that specifies parsing options.
##### Returns
- Promise:
A promise that resolves to the metadata of the audio source, including information like the title, artist, album, and more.
##### Example
``js
import { fromNodeProviderChain } from '@aws-sdk/credential-providers';
import { S3Client } from '@aws-sdk/client-s3';
import { makeTokenizer } from '@tokenizer/s3';
import { parseFromTokenizer as mmParseFromTokenizer } from 'music-metadata';
// Configure the S3 client
const s3 = new S3Client({
region: 'eu-west-2',
credentials: fromNodeProviderChain(),
});
// Helper function to create a tokenizer for S3 objects
async function makeS3TestDataTokenizer(key, options) {
return await makeTokenizer(s3, {
Bucket: 'music-metadata',
Key: key,
}, options);
}
// Function to read and log metadata from an S3 object
async function readMetadata() {
try {
// Create a tokenizer for the specified S3 object
const tokenizer = await makeS3TestDataTokenizer('path/to/audio/file.mp3', { disableChunked: false });
// Parse the metadata from the tokenizer
const metadata = await mmParseFromTokenizer(tokenizer);
// Log the retrieved metadata
console.log(metadata);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error parsing metadata:', error.message);
}
}
// Execute the metadata reading function
readMetadata();
``
##### Additional Resources
- strtok3 - Learn more about the ITokenizer interface and how to implement it for various use cases.
- AWS SDK for JavaScript - Documentation on using the AWS SDK to interact with S3 and other AWS services.
- @tokenizer/s3 - Example of ITokenizer implementation.
$3
music-metadata provides a robust and extensible error handling system with custom error classes that inherit from the standard JavaScript Error.
All possible parsing errors are part of a union type UnionOfParseErrors, ensuring that every error scenario is accounted for in your code.
#### Union of Parse Errors
All parsing errors extend from the base class ParseError and are included in the UnionOfParseErrors type:
`ts
export type UnionOfParseErrors =
| CouldNotDetermineFileTypeError
| UnsupportedFileTypeError
| UnexpectedFileContentError
| FieldDecodingError
| InternalParserError;
`
#### Error Types
- CouldNotDetermineFileTypeError: Raised when the file type cannot be determined.
- UnsupportedFileTypeError: Raised when an unsupported file type is encountered.
- UnexpectedFileContentError: Raised when the file content does not match the expected format.
- FieldDecodingError: Raised when a specific field in the file cannot be decoded.
- InternalParserError: Raised for internal parser errors.
$3
#### orderTags function
Utility to Converts the native tags to a dictionary index on the tag identifier
`ts
orderTags(nativeTags: ITag[]): [tagId: string]: any[]
`
`js
import { parseFile, orderTags } from 'music-metadata';
import { inspect } from 'util';
(async () => {
try {
const metadata = await parseFile('../test/samples/MusicBrainz - Beth Hart - Sinner\'s Prayer [id3v2.3].V2.mp3');
const orderedTags = orderTags(metadata.native['ID3v2.3']);
console.log(inspect(orderedTags, { showHidden: false, depth: null }));
} catch (error) {
console.error(error.message);
}
})();
`
#### ratingToStars function
Can be used to convert the normalized rating value to the 0..5 stars, where 0 an undefined rating, 1 the star the lowest rating and 5 the highest rating.
`ts
ratingToStars(rating: number): number
`
#### selectCover function
Select cover image based on image type field, otherwise the first picture in file.
`ts
export function selectCover(pictures?: IPicture[]): IPicture | null
`
`js
import { parseFile, selectCover } from 'music-metadata';
(async () => {
const {common} = await parseFile(filePath);
const cover = selectCover(common.picture); // pick the cover image
}
)();
`
#### getSupportedMimeTypes function
Returns a list of supported MIME-types. This may include some MIME-types which are not formally recognized.
$3
- duration: boolean (default: false)
When true, the parser will read the entire media file _if necessary_ to determine the duration.
This is only applicable in cases where duration cannot be reliably inferred without full file analysis.
Note that enabling this option does not guarantee that duration will be available,
only that the parser will attempt to calculate it when possible, even if it requires reading the full file.
- includeChapters: boolean (default: false)
When true, the MP4 parser scans the mdat atom for chapters.
- mkvUseIndex: boolean (default: false)
When true, the parser uses the SeekHead index in Matroska (MKV) files to skip segment and cluster elements.
This experimental feature can improve performance, but:
- Metadata not listed in the SeekHead may be skipped.
- If the SeekHead is missing, this option has no effect.
- observer: (update: MetadataEvent) => void;:
Callback function triggered when common tags or format properties are updated during parsing.
Allows real-time monitoring of metadata as it becomes available.
- skipCovers: boolean (default: false)
When true, embedded cover art (images) will not be extracted.
Useful for reducing memory and processing when cover images are unnecessary.
- skipPostHeaders: boolean (default: false)
When true, tag headers located at the end of the file will not be read.
This is particularly beneficial for streaming input, as it avoids the need to read the entire stream.
> [!NOTE]
> - The duration option is typically included in most cases, but setting it to true ensures that the entire file is parsed if necessary to get an accurate duration.
> - Using mkvUseIndex can improve performance in Matroska files, but be aware of potential side effects, such as missing metadata due to skipped elements.
$3
If the returned promise resolves, the metadata (TypeScript IAudioMetadata interface) contains:
- metadata.format Audio format information
- metadata.common Is a generic (abstract) way of reading metadata information.
- metadata.trackInfo Is a generic (abstract) way of reading metadata information.
- metadata.native List of native (original) tags found in the parsed audio file.
#### metadata.format
The questionmark ? indicates the property is optional.
Audio format information. Defined in the TypeScript IFormat interface:
- format.container?: string Audio encoding format. e.g.: 'flac'
- format.codec? Name of the codec (algorithm used for the audio compression)
- format.codecProfile?: string Codec profile / settings
- format.tagTypes?: TagType[] List of tagging formats found in parsed audio file
- format.duration?: number Duration in seconds
- format.bitrate?: number Number bits per second of encoded audio file
- format.sampleRate?: number Sampling rate in Samples per second (S/s)
- format.bitsPerSample?: number Audio bit depth
- format.lossless?: boolean True if lossless, false for lossy encoding
- format.numberOfChannels?: number Number of audio channels
- format.creationTime?: Date Track creation time
- format.modificationTime?: Date Track modification / tag update time
- format.trackGain?: number Track gain in dB
- format.albumGain?: number Album gain in dB
#### metadata.trackInfo
To support advanced containers like Matroska or MPEG-4, which may contain multiple audio and video tracks, the experimental- metadata.trackInfo has been added,
metadata.trackInfo is either undefined or has an array of trackInfo
##### trackInfo
Audio format information. Defined in the TypeScript IFormat interface:
- trackInfo.type?: TrackType Track type
- trackInfo.codecName?: string Codec name
- trackInfo.codecSettings?: string Codec settings
- trackInfo.flagEnabled?: boolean Set if the track is usable, default: true
- trackInfo.flagDefault?: boolean Set if that track (audio, video or subs) SHOULD be active if no language found matches the user preference.
- trackInfo.flagLacing?: boolean Set if the track may contain blocks using lacing
- trackInfo.name?: string A human-readable track name.
- trackInfo.language?: string Specifies the language of the track
- trackInfo.audio?: IAudioTrack, see trackInfo.audioTrack
- trackInfo.video?: IVideoTrack, see trackInfo.videoTrack
##### trackInfo.audioTrack
- audioTrack.samplingFrequency?: number
- audioTrack.outputSamplingFrequency?: number
- audioTrack.channels?: number
- audioTrack.channelPositions?: Buffer
- audioTrack.bitDepth?: number
##### trackInfo.videoTrack
- videoTrack.flagInterlaced?: boolean
- videoTrack.stereoMode?: number
- videoTrack.pixelWidth?: number
- videoTrack.pixelHeight?: number
- videoTrack.displayWidth?: number
- videoTrack.displayHeight?: number
- videoTrack.displayUnit?: number
- videoTrack.aspectRatioType?: number
- videoTrack.colourSpace?: Buffer
- videoTrack.gammaValue?: number
#### metadata.common
Common tag documentation is automatically generated.
Examples
In order to read the duration of a stream (with the exception of file streams), in some cases you should pass the size of the file in bytes.
`js
import { parseStream } from 'music-metadata';
import { inspect } from 'util';
(async () => {
const metadata = await parseStream(someReadStream, {mimeType: 'audio/mpeg', size: 26838}, {duration: true});
console.log(inspect(metadata, {showHidden: false, depth: null}));
someReadStream.close();
}
)();
`
$3
Via metadata.common.picture you can access an array of cover art if present.
Each picture has this interface:
`ts
/**
* Attached picture, typically used for cover art
*/
export interface IPicture {
/**
* Image mime type
*/
format: string;
/**
* Image data
*/
data: Buffer;
/**
* Optional description
*/
description?: string;
/**
* Picture type
*/
type?: string;
}
`
To assign img HTML-object you can do something like:
`js
import {uint8ArrayToBase64} from 'uint8array-extras';
img.src = data:${picture.format};base64,${uint8ArrayToBase64(picture.data)};
`
Dependencies
Dependency diagram:
`mermaid
graph TD;
MMN("music-metadata (Node.js entry point)")-->MMP
MMN-->FTN
MMP("music-metadata (primary entry point)")-->S(strtok3)
MMP-->TY(token-types)
MMP-->FTP
MMP-->UAE
FTN("file-type (Node.js entry point)")-->FTP
FTP("file-type (primary entry point)")-->S
S(strtok3)-->TO("@tokenizer/token")
TY(token-types)-->TO
TY-->IE("ieee754")
FTP-->TY
NS("node:stream")
FTN-->NS
FTP-->UAE(uint8array-extras)
style NS fill:#F88,stroke:#A44
style IE fill:#CCC,stroke:#888
style FTN fill:#FAA,stroke:#A44
style MMN fill:#FAA,stroke:#A44
`
Dependency list:
- tokenizer-token
- strtok3
- token-types
- file-type
- @tokenizer-token
CommonJS backward compatibility
Using Node.js ≥ 22, which is support loading ESM module via require
`js
const mm = require('music-metadata');
`
For older Node.js version < 22, you need to dynamically import music-metadata:
`js
(async () => {
// Dynamically loads the ESM module in a CommonJS project
const mm = await import('music-metadata');
})();
`
For CommonJS TypeScript projects, I recommend to avoid using commonjs for the TypeScript compiler module option,
and either use node16 or nodenext, which enable utilizing dynamic import.
If you do want to use the classic commonjs option, this is how you can get the _dynamic import_ to work.
`js
import {loadEsm} from 'load-esm';
(async () => {
// Dynamically loads the ESM module in a CommonJS project
const mm = await loadEsm('music-metadata');
})();
`
When you use Node.js version ≥ 22, which supports loading ESM modules via require, this compensates for that issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
$3
What is important that file parsing should be done in a sequential manner.
In a plain loop, due to the asynchronous character (like most JavaScript functions), it would cause all the files to run in parallel which is will cause your application to hang in no time.
There are multiple ways of achieving this:
1. Using recursion
`js
import { parseFile } from 'music-metadata';
function parseFiles(audioFiles) {
const audioFile = audioFiles.shift();
if (audioFile) {
return parseFile(audioFile).then(metadata => {
// Do great things with the metadata
return parseFiles(audioFiles); // process rest of the files AFTER we are finished
})
}
}
`
1. Use async/await
Use async/await
`js
import { parseFile } from 'music-metadata';
// it is required to declare the function 'async' to allow the use of await
async function parseFiles(audioFiles) {
for (const audioFile of audioFiles) {
// await will ensure the metadata parsing is completed before we move on to the next file
const metadata = await parseFile(audioFile);
// Do great things with the metadata
}
}
`
$3
If the TypeScript compiler option moduleResolution
is set to "bundler", it does not set the ECMAScript "node"` condition, causing the Node specific function fail to import.