When comparing Fabric.js vs ZIM, the Slant community recommends Fabric.js for most people. In the question“What are the best JavaScript drawing libraries?” Fabric.js is ranked 8th while ZIM is ranked 29th. The most important reason people chose Fabric.js is:
Fabric supports node.js, and has an npm package available for server side rendering with all the dependencies handled for you. This allows you to provide graceful degradation for image fallbacks to canvas or SVG content.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Out of the box Node.js support
Fabric supports node.js, and has an npm package available for server side rendering with all the dependencies handled for you. This allows you to provide graceful degradation for image fallbacks to canvas or SVG content.
Pro Vector focused API
Drawing objects in fabric are vector focused, so everything is easily transformable. It makes it easy to create complex pathed shapes, add gradients, or filters. Although fabric is great for vector rendering, it also has image support as well.
Pro Outputs to canvas and SVG and JSON
When it comes to format compatibility, Fabric is the best, with the ability to output to Canvas, SVG, and JSON. SVG provides backwards compatibility for older browsers, and JSON allows you to store rendered output for later use.
Pro Great interaction with SVG, excellent coding
If you are about to customize the library to your needs, this is the project of choice! Great programming work!
Pro Good support for SVG multi-line text
Allows creating multi-line text that can even be interactively edited by user interaction.
Pro Browser only version now available
If the node-canvas dependency is a problem you can now look for npm install fabric@x.y.z-browser
Pro ZIM lets you write less code
Here is a chart of examples showing ZIM at 37% less code the developer writes when compared to other frameworks such as PixiJS, Flutter, CreateJS, PaperJS, P5js, Phaser and the DOM.
Pro ZIM supports chaining
It is quite common in ZIM to not even store an object in a variable as chaining is available for almost all methods and there are short chainable methods for most properties.
new Circle().center().drag();
new Rectangle()
.loc(100,100)
.alp(0) // alpha
.animate({x:200, alpha:1}, .5);
Pro ZIM has dynamic parameters
new Tile(new Circle(20, series(red, blue, green), 10, 10).center();
// tiles 10x10 circles with colors is series of red, blue or green
new Emitter([new Circle(), new Rectangle()]).center();
// emits random circles and rectangles
interval({min:1, max:3}, ()=>{});
// each interval is between 1 and 3 seconds
So passing in a series lets you pick in order, passing in an array lets you pick randomly, passing in a min/max range picks from the range, passing in a function picks the result of the function. These can be applied to all styles too.
Pro ZIM has Style on the Canvas
Style = {
color:red,
Button:{
color:blue;
}
}
new Circle().center(); // red
new Button().center(); // blue
Pro The ZIM DUO technique of providing regular parameters or a configuration object literal is very handy.
For instance:
new Rectangle(100,100,undefined,undefined,undefined,20).center();
or
new Rectangle({width:100, height:100, corner:20}).center();
Cons
Con No front-end only version via Node
NPM package has major dependencies.