diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 51b8375..e871e21 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,21 @@
# web-worker
-A web-compatible Worker implementation atop Node's [worker_threads](https://nodejs.org/api/worker_threads.html).
+Native cross-platform Web Workers. Works in published npm modules.
-**Features and differences from worker_threads:**
+```js
+import Worker from 'web-worker';
+
+const worker = new Worker('data:,postMessage("hello")');
+worker.onmessage = e => console.log(e.data); // "hello"
+```
+
+**In Node**, it's a web-compatible Worker implementation atop Node's [worker_threads](https://nodejs.org/api/worker_threads.html).
+
+**In the browser** (and when bundled for the browser), it's simply an alias of `Worker`.
+
+### Features
+
+_Here's how this is different from worker_threads:_
- makes Worker code compatible across browser and Node
- uses DOM-style events (Event.data, Event.type, etc)
@@ -13,6 +26,41 @@ A web-compatible Worker implementation atop Node's [worker_threads](https://node
### Usage Example
+
+| main.js | worker.js |
+|
+
+```js
+import Worker from 'web-worker';
+
+const worker = new Worker('./worker.js');
+
+worker.addEventListener('message', e => {
+ console.log(e.data) // "hiya!"
+});
+
+worker.postMessage('hello');
+```
+
+ |
+
+```js
+addEventListener('message', e => {
+ if (e.data === 'hello') {
+ postMessage('hiya!');
+ }
+});
+```
+
+ |
+
+
+
+### Module Workers
+
+Module Workers are supported in Node 12.8+ using this plugin, leveraging Node's native ES Modules support.
+In the browser, they can be used natively in Chrome 80+, or in all browsers via [worker-plugin] or [rollup-plugin-off-main-thread]. As with classic workers, there is no difference in usage between Node and the browser:
+
| main.mjs | worker.mjs |
|
@@ -21,30 +69,31 @@ A web-compatible Worker implementation atop Node's [worker_threads](https://node
import Worker from 'web-worker';
const worker = new Worker('./worker.mjs', {
- type: 'module'
+ type: 'module'
});
worker.addEventListener('message', e => {
- console.log(e.data) // ['main.mjs', 'worker.mjs']
+ console.log(e.data) // "200 OK"
});
-worker.postMessage('ls');
+worker.postMessage('https://httpstat.us/200');
```
|
```js
-import fs from 'fs';
+import fetch from 'isomorphic-fetch';
-addEventListener('message', e => {
- if (e.data === 'ls') {
- const ls = fs.readdirSync('.');
- postMessage(ls);
- }
+addEventListener('message', async e => {
+ const url = e.data;
+ const res = await fetch(url)
+ const text = await res.text();
+ postMessage(text);
});
```
|
+
### Data URLs
Instantiating Worker using a Data URL is supported in both module and classic workers:
@@ -57,3 +106,14 @@ worker.addEventListener('message', e => {
console.log(e.data) // 42
});
```
+
+### Special Thanks
+
+This module aims to provide a simple and forgettable piece of infrastructure,
+and as such it needed an obvious and descriptive name.
+[@calvinmetcalf](https://github.com/calvinmetcalf), who you may recognize as the author of [Lie](https://github.com/calvinmetcalf/lie) and other fine modules, gratiously offered up the name from his `web-worker` package.
+Thanks Calvin!
+
+
+[worker-plugin]: https://github.com/googlechromelabs/worker-plugin
+[rollup-plugin-off-main-thread]: https://github.com/surma/rollup-plugin-off-main-thread