base64-media-helper 🚀

A powerful, lightweight TypeScript library for seamless media file conversions between Base64, Files, and URLs.

🌟 Features

• 📁 Convert files to Base64 effortlessly.
• 🔄 Convert Base64 strings back to files.
• 🌐 Download files from URLs.
• 🔗 Create object URLs from files.
• 💻 Full TypeScript support.
• 🌍 Works with both browsers and Node.js.

📦 Installation

Install the library via npm:

npm install base64-media-helper

🚀 Quick Start

Import the Library

import MediaConverter from 'base64-media-helper';

📘 Usage Examples

1. File to Base64 Conversion

// Convert a file to a Base64 string
const fileInput = document.querySelector('input[type="file"]');
fileInput?.addEventListener('change', async (e) => {
  const file = (e.target as HTMLInputElement).files?.[0];
  if (file) {
    try {
      const base64String = await MediaConverter.fileToBase64(file);
      console.log(base64String);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Conversion failed', error);
    }
  }
});

2. Base64 to File Conversion

// Convert Base64 string back to a file
const base64String = 'data:image/png;base64,...'; // Your Base64 string
const file = MediaConverter.base64ToFile(
  base64String,
  'converted-image.png',
  'image/png'
);
console.log(file);

3. URL to File Conversion

// Download a file from a URL
const imageUrl = 'https://example.com/image.jpg';
try {
  const file = await MediaConverter.urlToFile(imageUrl, 'downloaded-image.jpg');
  console.log(file);

  // Optional: Create an object URL to display
  const objectUrl = MediaConverter.fileToUrl(file);
  document.getElementById('previewImage').src = objectUrl;
} catch (error) {
  console.error('URL conversion failed', error);
}

4. File to Object URL

// Create a displayable URL from a file
const file = new File(['Hello, world!'], 'example.txt', { type: 'text/plain' });
const objectUrl = MediaConverter.fileToUrl(file);
console.log(objectUrl);

API Methods

fileToBase64(file: File): Promise<string>

• Converts a File object to a Base64 string.
• Returns a Promise resolving to the Base64 representation.

base64ToFile(base64: string, filename: string, mimeType: string): File

• Converts a Base64 string back to a File object.
• Requires filename and MIME type.
• Returns a new File instance.

urlToFile(url: string, filename?: string): Promise<File>

• Downloads a file from a given URL.
• Optional filename (defaults to the URL's filename).
• Returns a Promise resolving to a File object.

fileToUrl(file: File): string

• Creates an object URL for a given file.
• Returns a string URL that can be used for displaying or downloading.

🛡️ Error Handling

Each method includes built-in error handling. Use try-catch blocks or .catch() with Promises to manage potential conversion errors.

try {
  const base64 = await MediaConverter.fileToBase64(file);
} catch (error) {
  // Handle conversion errors
  console.error('Conversion failed:', error);
}

🔍 Browser Compatibility

Supports modern browsers with:

• File
• FileReader
• Blob
• fetch

Compatible with ES6+ environments.

💡 Tips

• Check file sizes for large media conversions.
• Use MIME types accurately for proper file handling.
• Be mindful of memory usage when working with large files.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

🌈 Author

Dinesh Basnet
Happy coding! 🚀