welshman-lib

name	welshman-lib
description	Use this skill when working with @welshman/lib: general-purpose utilities including LRU cache, EventEmitter, Deferred promises, TaskQueue, URL normalization, or other standalone helpers.

welshman/lib — General Utilities

@welshman/lib is a lightweight TypeScript utility library that forms the foundation of the welshman nostr stack. It provides common helpers used across all sibling packages: array/object manipulation, numeric helpers, async primitives, caching, event emission, and encoding utilities. It depends on @scure/base (for bech32/utf8 encoding) and events (Node.js EventEmitter polyfill).

Installation

npm install @welshman/lib
# or
pnpm add @welshman/lib

Key Exports

Deferred Promises

Export	Description
Deferred<T, E>	Type: a Promise<T> with .resolve(T) and .reject(E) methods attached
defer<T, E>()	Creates a Deferred<T, E> — a promise with exposed .resolve() and .reject()
makePromise<T, E>(executor)	Creates a strongly-typed promise with typed error

E defaults to T when omitted. defer<void>() for a signal-style deferred. thunk.complete in @welshman/app is a Deferred<void>.

import { defer } from '@welshman/lib'

const ready = defer<void>()
socket.on('open', () => ready.resolve())
await ready

EventEmitter

Export	Description
Emitter	Extends Node.js EventEmitter; all events also fire on the '*' listener with the event name prepended

import { Emitter } from '@welshman/lib'

const bus = new Emitter()
bus.on('*', (eventType, ...args) => console.log(eventType, args))
bus.emit('login', { pubkey: '...' })

LRU Cache

Export	Description
LRUCache<K, V>	LRU cache; evicts least-recently-used entries when full
cached(options)	Memoizes a function with an LRU backing cache; exposes .cache and .pop()
simpleCache(getValue)	Minimal memoization wrapper with default settings

import { LRUCache, cached } from '@welshman/lib'

const cache = new LRUCache<string, number>(100)
cache.set('x', 42)
cache.get('x')  // 42
cache.pop('x')  // 42 and removes entry

const getProfile = cached({
  maxSize: 500,
  getKey: ([pubkey]: [string]) => pubkey,
  getValue: ([pubkey]: [string]) => fetchProfile(pubkey),
})
getProfile.pop(pubkey) // invalidate one entry

Task Queue

Export	Description
TaskQueue<Item>	Processes items asynchronously in configurable batches

Options: batchSize, batchDelay (ms), processItem. Methods: .push(item), .remove(item), .start(), .stop(), .clear(), .process(), .subscribe(cb).

import { TaskQueue } from '@welshman/lib'

const queue = new TaskQueue<string>({
  batchSize: 10,
  batchDelay: 0,
  processItem: async (item) => { /* handle */ },
})
queue.start()
queue.push('task-1')

URL Normalization

Export	Description
normalizeUrl(url, options?)	Normalizes a URL string (ported from sindresorhus/normalize-url)
stripProtocol(url)	Removes the protocol prefix (http://, wss://, etc.)
displayUrl(url)	Strips protocol, www., and trailing slash for display
displayDomain(url)	Extracts just the domain from a URL

import { normalizeUrl, displayUrl, displayDomain } from '@welshman/lib'

normalizeUrl('sindresorhus.com/about.html#contact', { stripHash: true })
// => 'http://sindresorhus.com/about.html'
displayUrl('https://www.example.com/path/')  // => 'example.com/path'
displayDomain('relay.damus.io/path')         // => 'relay.damus.io'

Note: normalizeUrl defaults to http:// protocol. Pass { defaultProtocol: 'https' } if needed.

Async Utilities

Export	Description
sleep(ms)	Returns a promise that resolves after ms milliseconds
yieldThread()	Yields to the event loop (microtask break)
poll(options)	Polls until a condition is met or an AbortSignal fires; options: { signal, condition, interval? }
throttle(ms, fn)	Returns a throttled version of fn
throttleWithValue(ms, fn)	Throttled function that returns the cached return value between updates
batch(t, fn)	First call fires fn([item]) immediately; subsequent calls within t ms are collected and fn is called with all accumulated items
batcher(t, execute)	Collects calls for t ms, then calls execute with all accumulated requests; each individual call returns a Promise<U> resolved with its result from the batch. Unlike batch, the first call is also deferred — nothing fires immediately.
race(threshold, promises)	Resolves when threshold fraction of promises complete

Timestamp / Time Constants

Export	Description
MINUTE, HOUR, DAY, WEEK, MONTH, QUARTER, YEAR	Duration constants in seconds
LOCALE	User's default locale string
TIMEZONE	User's timezone offset string (e.g. +05:30)
now()	Current Unix timestamp in seconds
ago(unit, count?)	Unix timestamp from count units ago — e.g. ago(DAY, 7)
int(unit, count?)	Multiplies a time unit by count — e.g. int(HOUR, 2) = 7200
ms(seconds)	Converts seconds to milliseconds
secondsToDate(ts) / dateToSeconds(date)	Convert between Unix seconds and Date
createLocalDate(dateString, timezone?)	Parses a date string as a local date in the given timezone
formatTimestamp(ts)	Formats Unix seconds as a short datetime string
formatTimestampAsDate(ts)	Formats Unix seconds as a long date string
formatTimestampAsTime(ts)	Formats Unix seconds as a time string
formatTimestampRelative(ts)	Formats Unix seconds as "x minutes ago"

Note: All time constants are in seconds, not milliseconds. Use ms(n) to convert for setTimeout.

Number Utilities

Export	Description
ensureNumber(x)	parseFloat(x) — accepts string | number
num(x)	Returns x || 0 — converts undefined to 0
add(x, y) / sub(x, y) / mul(x, y) / div(x, y)	Arithmetic with undefined-safe operands
inc(x) / dec(x)	Increment / decrement (undefined-safe)
lt(x, y) / lte(x, y) / gt(x, y) / gte(x, y)	Comparisons (undefined-safe)
max(xs) / min(xs) / sum(xs) / avg(xs)	Aggregates over (number | undefined)[]
between([low, high], n)	n > low && n < high (exclusive)
within([low, high], n)	n >= low && n <= high (inclusive)
clamp([min, max], n)	Constrains n to the range
round(precision, x)	Rounds to precision decimal places

Array / Sequence Utilities

All return new arrays — no mutation.

Export	Description
first(xs) / last(xs)	First/last element (undefined if empty)
ffirst(xs)	First element of the first iterable in a nested iterable
take(n, xs) / drop(n, xs)	Slice from start / drop from start
concat(...xs)	Flattens vararg arrays into one, skipping any argument that is undefined
append(x, xs) / prepend(x, xs)	Add element to end / start
remove(x, xs)	Remove all occurrences of x
removeAt(i, xs)	Remove element at index i
splitAt(n, xs)	Split into [xs.slice(0, n), xs.slice(n)]
insertAt(n, x, xs)	Insert x at index n
replaceAt(n, x, xs)	Replace element at index n with x
uniq(xs) / uniqBy(f, xs)	Deduplicate
sort(xs)	Sorted copy (natural order)
sortBy(f, xs)	Sort by key function
groupBy(f, xs)	Returns Map<K, T[]>
indexBy(f, xs)	Returns Map<K, T> (last item wins per key)
countBy(f, xs)	Returns Map<K, number>
partition(f, xs)	Split into [passing, failing]
chunk(n, xs)	Split into fixed-size chunks of length n
chunks(n, xs)	Split into exactly n chunks
toggle(x, xs)	Add if absent, remove if present (pure)
union(a, b) / intersection(a, b) / difference(a, b) / without(a, b)	Set operations
sample(n, xs) / shuffle(xs) / choice(xs)	Random selection / shuffle / single random pick
flatten(xs)	Flatten one level
ensurePlural(x)	Wraps a value in [x] if it isn't already an array
removeUndefined(xs)	Filters out undefined values
overlappingPairs(xs)	Returns [[xs[0],xs[1]], [xs[1],xs[2]], ...]
range(a, b, step?)	Generator yielding numbers from a to b (exclusive)
enumerate(xs)	Generator yielding [index, item] tuples
pluck<T>(k, xs)	Maps xs to xs[k]
fromPairs(pairs)	Creates an object from [key, value] tuples
initArray(n, f)	Creates an array of length n using generator f
isIterable(x) / toIterable(x)	Check / wrap as iterable
map(f, xs) / filter(f, xs) / reject(f, xs)	Iterable-safe versions (accept any Iterable<T>)
find(f, xs) / some(f, xs)	Iterable-safe find / any-match

Object Utilities

Export	Description
isPojo(obj)	Returns true if value is a plain object (not class instance, null, or array)
pick(keys, obj) / omit(keys, obj)	Include / exclude keys
omitVals(vals, obj)	Remove entries whose value is in vals
filterVals(f, obj)	Keep entries where f(value) is truthy
mapKeys(f, obj) / mapVals(f, obj)	Transform keys or values
mergeLeft(a, b) / mergeRight(a, b)	Shallow merge — left/right wins on conflicts
deepMergeLeft(a, b) / deepMergeRight(a, b)	Deep merge — left/right wins on conflicts
switcher(key, map)	Lookup with implicit map.default fallback
mapPop(k, m)	Gets and deletes key from a Map<K, T> — returns T | undefined

Note: mergeLeft(a, b) means a wins — it spreads b first, then a on top.

TypeScript Utility Types

import type { Override, MakeOptional, MakeNonOptional, Obj, Maybe, MaybeAsync } from '@welshman/lib'

type UserWithRole = Override<User, { role: 'admin' | 'user' }>
type DraftUser = MakeOptional<User, 'id' | 'createdAt'>
type FullUser = MakeNonOptional<User>
type AnyRecord = Obj          // Record<string, any>
type MaybeStr = Maybe<string> // string | undefined

Functional / Combinator Helpers

Export	Description
noop	No-op function
identity(x)	Returns x unchanged
always(x)	Returns a function that always returns x
not(x)	Logical NOT
complement(f)	Returns (...args) => !f(...args)
tap(f)	Returns (x) => { f(x); return x } — runs a side effect and passes the value through
bind(f, ...args)	Partially applies f with leading args
equals(a, b)	Deep equality (handles arrays, Sets, plain objects)
tryCatch(f, onError?)	Calls f, swallows errors, returns undefined on failure
thrower(message)	Returns a function that throws new Error(message) when called
once(f)	Wraps f so it only executes once
memoize(f)	Single-slot memoization: caches last call; re-runs when args change
call(f)	Calls f() immediately — IIFE alternative; useful with async
ifLet(x, f)	Calls f(x) only if x is defined
doLet(x, f)	Calls f(x) and returns the result — scoped binding without a variable
isDefined(x) / isUndefined(x) / assertDefined(x)	undefined checks (not null)

Curried Collection Helpers

Useful as .filter() / .map() callbacks:

Export	Description
eq(v) / ne(v)	x => x === v / x => x !== v
prop(k)	x => x[k] — pluck a property
propIn(k, xs)	x => xs.includes(x[k]) — property is in list
nth(i)	xs => xs[i] — element at index
nthEq(i, v)	xs => xs[i] === v
nthNe(i, v)	xs => xs[i] !== v
nthIn(i, vs)	xs => vs.includes(xs[i])
nthNotIn(i, vs)	xs => !vs.includes(xs[i])
spec(values)	x => all key-value pairs in values match x
member(xs)	x => xs.includes(x)
assoc(k, v)	obj => ({ ...obj, [k]: v }) — add/update property
dissoc(k)	obj => omit([k], obj) — remove property

import { eq, prop, nth, nthEq, nthIn, nthNotIn, spec, member, assoc, dissoc } from '@welshman/lib'

events.filter(spec({ kind: 1 }))          // kind === 1
events.map(prop('id'))                     // pluck id
tags.filter(nthEq(0, 'p'))               // tags where tag[0] === 'p'
tags.filter(nthIn(0, ['p', 'e']))         // tags where tag[0] is 'p' or 'e'
tags.filter(nthNotIn(0, ['p', 'e']))      // tags where tag[0] is neither
items.filter(member(['a', 'b']))           // items in the set
items.map(assoc('seen', true))            // add property
items.map(dissoc('secret'))               // remove property

Bech32 / Hex / Binary Encoding

Export	Description
hexToBech32(prefix, hex)	Encodes hex string to bech32 (e.g. npub, note)
bech32ToHex(b32)	Decodes bech32 to hex
bytesToHex(buffer)	ArrayBuffer | Uint8Array to hex string
hexToBytes(hex)	Hex string to Uint8Array
sha256(data)	SHA-256 hash of binary data — async, returns hex string
textEncoder	Shared TextEncoder instance
textDecoder	Shared TextDecoder instance

JSON / Storage / Network

Export	Description
parseJson(str)	Safe JSON.parse — returns undefined on error or empty input
getJson(key) / setJson(key, val)	localStorage get/set with JSON serialization
fetchJson(url, opts?)	Fetch JSON with optional method/headers/body
postJson(url, data, opts?)	POST JSON to a URL
uploadFile(url, file)	Upload a File object via multipart/form-data POST
on(target, event, cb)	Type-safe .on() wrapper — returns an unsubscribe () => void

Randomness / IDs

Export	Description
randomId()	Generates a random string ID
randomInt(min?, max?)	Random integer in range (inclusive; default 0–9)

String Utilities

Export	Description
ellipsize(s, len, suffix?)	Truncates at word boundary with an ellipsis suffix (default "...")
displayList(xs, conj?, n?)	Oxford-comma list — e.g. "a, b, and c"
hash(s)	Numeric hash from a string

Map / Set Helpers

import { addToKey, pushToKey, addToMapKey, pushToMapKey } from '@welshman/lib'

// Object-keyed (Record<string, Set<T>> / Record<string, T[]>)
addToKey(byTag, 'p', pubkey)     // adds to Set at key 'p'
pushToKey(byKind, '1', eventId)  // appends to array at key '1'

// Map-keyed (Map<K, Set<T>> / Map<K, T[]>)
addToMapKey(m, relay, eventId)
pushToMapKey(m, relay, eventId)

Common Patterns

Pattern 1 — Batching writes (IndexedDB / relay)

batch(t, f) — first call fires immediately; subsequent calls within t ms are accumulated and flushed together.

import { batch, on } from '@welshman/lib'
import type { RepositoryUpdate } from '@welshman/net'

on(
  repository,
  'update',
  batch(3000, async (updates: RepositoryUpdate[]) => {
    const toAdd = updates.flatMap(u => u.added)
    const toRemove = new Set(updates.flatMap(u => u.removed))

    const tx = db.transaction('events', 'readwrite')
    await Promise.all([
      ...toAdd.map(e => tx.store.put(e)),
      ...Array.from(toRemove).map(id => tx.store.delete(id)),
      tx.done,
    ])
  }),
)

Pattern 2 — Grouping and indexing nostr events

import { groupBy, indexBy, sortBy } from '@welshman/lib'

const byKind = groupBy((e) => e.kind, events)       // Map<number, Event[]>
const byId   = indexBy((e) => e.id, events)         // Map<string, Event>
const sorted = sortBy((e) => -e.created_at, events) // newest first

Pattern 3 — Relative timestamp display

import { now, ago, DAY, formatTimestampRelative } from '@welshman/lib'

const recentEvents = events.filter(e => e.created_at > ago(DAY, 7))
const label = formatTimestampRelative(event.created_at) // "3 hours ago"

Pattern 4 — Subscribing to EventEmitter-based objects with on

on(target, event, handler) returns an unsubscribe function:

import { on } from '@welshman/lib'
import { repository } from '@welshman/app'

const unsub = on(repository, 'update', updates => {
  console.log('added', updates.flatMap(u => u.added).length, 'events')
})

// Later:
unsub()

Pattern 5 — IIFE alternative with call

import { call } from '@welshman/lib'

call(async () => {
  const data = await fetchJson('/something')
})

Integration Notes

• All welshman packages depend on @welshman/lib — Deferred, Emitter, time constants, and collection utilities are shared across @welshman/net, @welshman/store, @welshman/util, etc.
• @welshman/net uses Emitter (via Tracker, Repository, WrapManager), batch, and LRUCache internally. Socket extends Node's built-in EventEmitter directly.
• @welshman/app thunks use Deferred<void> — thunk.complete resolves when all relays have responded or timed out.
• batcher is used in @welshman/net for deduplicating concurrent fetch requests — pass it an execute function that returns results in the same order as its inputs.