BitLab

A Node.js CLI playground for exploring how data is represented inside computers.

BitLab converts values between:

• binary
• decimal
• hexadecimal
• octal

The tool also displays:

• UTF-8 byte representations
• machine endianness
• character encoding information

The project is focused on understanding:

• binary systems
• encoding
• buffers
• bytes
• low-level data representation

Features

Interactive REPL

Start an interactive terminal session.

Command:

bitlab

Example:

bitlab >

Requirements:

• keep terminal session active
• accept user input continuously
• process values in real time
• support exit command

Feature Breakdown

1. Number System Conversion

Convert numbers into:

• binary
• hexadecimal
• octal
• decimal

Example Input:

255

Example Output:

Decimal : 255
Binary  : 11111111
Hex     : FF
Octal   : 377

Requirements:

• detect numeric input
• support positive integers
• keep output aligned and readable

2. Character Encoding Viewer

Display UTF-8 byte representation for characters and strings.

Example Input:

A

Example Output:

Character : A
UTF-8     : 41
Binary    : 01000001

3. UTF-8 Byte Viewer

Display UTF-8 bytes for text input.

Example Input:

hello

Example Output:

68 65 6C 6C 6F

Requirements:

• convert text into byte buffer
• display bytes in hexadecimal format
• support unicode characters

4. Unicode Character Support

Support unicode input.

Example Input:

₹

Example Output:

UTF-8 Bytes : E2 82 B9

Purpose:

• demonstrate multi-byte character encoding
• show difference between characters and bytes

5. Endianness Detection

Display current machine byte order.

Example Output:

Machine Endianness : Little Endian

Requirements:

• detect endianness using Node.js APIs
• support Windows, Linux, and macOS

6. Byte Order Mark (BOM) Detection

Detect BOM sequences inside file or buffer input.

Supported Types:

• UTF-8 BOM
• UTF-16 LE BOM
• UTF-16 BE BOM

Purpose:

• demonstrate encoding metadata
• understand how text encodings are identified

Supported Commands

Start Interactive Mode

bitlab

Exit Interactive Mode

exit

Convert Number

255

Convert Character

A

Convert Unicode Character

₹

Project Structure

bitlab/
│
├── converters/
│   ├── binary.js
│   ├── decimal.js
│   ├── hex.js
│   ├── octal.js
│   └── utf8.js
│
├── repl/
│   └── startRepl.js
│
├── utils/
│   ├── formatter.js
│   ├── parser.js
│   ├── endian.js
│   └── bom.js
│
├── index.js
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── .gitignore

Requirements

• support interactive CLI usage
• support unicode characters
• keep output readable
• separate converters into modules
• handle invalid input safely
• support Windows, Linux, and macOS

Error Cases To Handle

• empty input
• unsupported values
• invalid numeric conversion
• malformed unicode input
• unsupported encoding sequences

Technical Concepts Used

• binary systems
• hexadecimal conversion
• octal conversion
• UTF-8 encoding
• buffers
• bytes
• endianness
• readline interface
• interactive terminal applications

Learning Goals

This project is focused on understanding:

• how computers represent data
• how text becomes bytes
• how encoding systems work
• how binary values are stored
• how terminal REPL applications function

Final Result

A terminal-based binary and encoding playground for experimenting with:

• number system conversion
• UTF-8 encoding
• byte representation
• machine-level data formatting