Awesome
USB Library for Node.JS
Node.JS library for communicating with USB devices.
This is a refactoring / rewrite of Christopher Klein's node-usb.
Prerequisites
Node.js >= v10.20.0, which includes npm
.
Windows
On Windows, if you get LIBUSB_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED
when attempting to open your device, it's possible your device doesn't have a WinUSB driver for libusb to use.
You can install one using Zadig or another approach is to use the UsbDK Backend of libusb by immediately calling usb.useUsbDkBackend()
.
Note that you cannot use multiple drivers on Windows as they get exclusive access to the device. So if you want to switch between drivers (e.g. using a printer with this software or the system), you will need to uninstall/install drivers as required.
For further info, check How to use libusb on Windows in the libusb's wiki.
Linux
On Linux, you'll need libudev to build libusb if a prebuild is not available. On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install build-essential libudev-dev
You may need to modify your udev and permission rules in order to access your desired device. Along the lines of:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="USB-VENDOR-ID", ATTR{idProduct}=="USB-PRODUCT-ID", MODE="0660", GROUP="GROUP-YOUR-USER-IS-IN"
Troubleshooting
For libusb issues, please refer to the FAQ at https://github.com/libusb/libusb/wiki/FAQ
Installation
Native modules are bundled using prebuildify
, so installation should be as simple as installing the package.
With npm
:
npm install usb
With yarn
:
yarn add usb
Note: the library is now written in TypeScript
, so a separate types file is not longer required to be installed (e.g. don't install @types/usb
).
License
Note that the compiled Node extension includes libusb, and is thus subject to the LGPL.
Limitations
Does not support:
- Configurations other than the default one
- Isochronous transfers
Getting Started
Use the following examples to kickstart your development. Once you have a desired device, use the APIs below to interact with it.
Migrating to v2.0.0
The legacy API exists on an object called usb
on the main import and the convenience functions exist as top level objects.
To use v2.0.0
simply update your import statements and the function calls;
// import * as usb from 'usb';
// const devices: usb.Device[] = usb.getDeviceList();
import { usb, getDeviceList } from 'usb';
const devices: usb.Device[] = getDeviceList();
List all legacy devices
import { getDeviceList } from 'usb';
const devices = getDeviceList();
for (const device of devices) {
console.log(device); // Legacy device
}
Find legacy device by vid/pid
import { findByIds } from 'usb';
const device = findByIds(0x59e3, 0x0a23);
if (device) {
console.log(device); // Legacy device
}
Find legacy device by SerialNumber
import { findBySerialNumber } from 'usb';
(async () => {
// Uses a blocking call, so is async
const device = await findBySerialNumber('TEST_DEVICE');
if (device) {
console.log(device); // Legacy device
}
})();
Turn legacy Device into WebUSB compatible device
import { findBySerialNumber, WebUSBDevice } from 'usb';
(async () => {
// Uses a blocking call, so is async
const device = await findBySerialNumber('TEST_DEVICE');
// Uses blocking calls, so is async
const webDevice = await WebUSBDevice.createInstance(device);
if (webDevice) {
console.log(webDevice); // WebUSB device
}
})();
Use WebUSB approach to find a device
import { webusb } from 'usb';
(async () => {
// Returns first matching device
const device = await webusb.requestDevice({
filters: [{}]
})
console.log(device); // WebUSB device
})();
Use WebUSB approach to find a device with custom selection method
import { WebUSB } from 'usb';
(async () => {
const customWebUSB = new WebUSB({
// This function can return a promise which allows a UI to be displayed if required
devicesFound: devices => devices.find(device => device.serialNumber === 'TEST_DEVICE')
});
// Returns device based on injected 'devicesFound' function
const device = await customWebUSB.requestDevice({
filters: [{}]
})
console.log(device); // WebUSB device
})();
Use WebUSB approach to list authorised devices
import { webusb } from 'usb';
(async () => {
// The default webusb instance follows the WebUSB spec and only returns authorised devices
const devices = await webusb.getDevices();
for (const device of devices) {
console.log(device); // WebUSB device
}
})();
Use WebUSB approach to list all devices
import { WebUSB } from 'usb';
(async () => {
const customWebUSB = new WebUSB({
// Bypass checking for authorised devices
allowAllDevices: true
});
// Uses blocking calls, so is async
const devices = await customWebUSB.getDevices();
for (const device of devices) {
console.log(device); // WebUSB device
}
})();
Electron
Please refer to the maintained example for using node-usb
in electron:
https://github.com/node-usb/node-usb-example-electron
If using a packaging system for electron, ensure the node-usb
library does not get recompiled as the correct binaries are already shipped with the package. For example, for electron-builder, use these settings:
- buildDependenciesFromSource: true
- nodeGypRebuild: false
- npmRebuild: false
APIs
Since v2.0.0
, the node-usb
library supports two APIs:
WebUSB
which follows the WebUSB Specification (recommended)Legacy API
which retains the previous 'non-blocking' API
Convenience methods also exist to easily list or find devices as well as convert between a legacy usb.Device device and WebUSB device.
Full auto-generated API documentation can be seen here:
https://node-usb.github.io/node-usb/
Convenience Functions
getDeviceList()
Return a list of legacy Device
objects for the USB devices attached to the system.
findByIds(vid, pid)
Convenience method to get the first legacy device with the specified VID and PID, or undefined
if no such device is present.
findBySerialNumber(serialNumber)
Convenience method to get a promise of the legacy device with the specified serial number, or undefined
if no such device is present.
getWebUsb()
Return the navigator.usb
instance if it exists, otherwise a webusb
instance.
WebUSBDevice
WebUSB Device class for wrapping a legacy Device into a WebUSB device
WebUSBDevice.createInstance(device)
Convenience method to return a promise of a WebUSB device based on a legacy device
WebUSB
Please refer to the WebUSB specification which be found here:
https://wicg.github.io/webusb/
Implementation Status
USB
- getDevices()
- requestDevice()
USBDevice
- usbVersionMajor
- usbVersionMinor
- usbVersionSubminor
- deviceClass
- deviceSubclass
- deviceProtocol
- vendorId
- productId
- deviceVersionMajor
- deviceVersionMinor
- deviceVersionSubminor
- manufacturerName
- productName
- serialNumber
- configuration
- configurations
- opened
- open()
- close()
- selectConfiguration()
- claimInterface()
- releaseInterface()
- selectAlternateInterface()
- controlTransferIn()
- controlTransferOut() -
bytesWritten
always equals the initial buffer length - transferIn()
- transferOut() -
bytesWritten
always equals the initial buffer length - clearHalt()
- reset()
- isochronousTransferIn()
- isochronousTransferOut()
- forget()
Events
- connect
- disconnect
Legacy API
usb
Legacy usb object.
usb.LIBUSB_*
Constant properties from libusb
usb.getDeviceList()
Return a list of legacy Device
objects for the USB devices attached to the system.
usb.pollHotplug
Force polling loop for hotplug events.
usb.setDebugLevel(level : int)
Set the libusb debug level (between 0 and 4)
usb.useUsbDkBackend()
On Windows, use the USBDK backend of libusb instead of WinUSB
Device
Represents a USB device.
.busNumber
Integer USB device number
.deviceAddress
Integer USB device address
.portNumbers
Array containing the USB device port numbers, or undefined
if not supported on this platform.
.deviceDescriptor
Object with properties for the fields of the device descriptor:
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- bcdUSB
- bDeviceClass
- bDeviceSubClass
- bDeviceProtocol
- bMaxPacketSize0
- idVendor
- idProduct
- bcdDevice
- iManufacturer
- iProduct
- iSerialNumber
- bNumConfigurations
.configDescriptor
Object with properties for the fields of the configuration descriptor:
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- wTotalLength
- bNumInterfaces
- bConfigurationValue
- iConfiguration
- bmAttributes
- bMaxPower
- extra (Buffer containing any extra data or additional descriptors)
.allConfigDescriptors
Contains all config descriptors of the device (same structure as .configDescriptor above)
.parent
Contains the parent of the device, such as a hub. If there is no parent this property is set to null
.
.open()
Open the device. All methods below require the device to be open before use.
.close()
Close the device.
.controlTransfer(bmRequestType, bRequest, wValue, wIndex, data_or_length, callback(error, data))
Perform a control transfer with libusb_control_transfer
.
Parameter data_or_length
can be a integer length for an IN transfer, or a Buffer for an out transfer. The type must match the direction specified in the MSB of bmRequestType.
The data
parameter of the callback is always undefined for OUT transfers, or will be passed a Buffer for IN transfers.
A package is available to calculate bmRequestType if needed.
.setConfiguration(id, callback(error))
Set the device configuration to something other than the default (0). To use this, first call .open(false)
(which tells it not to auto configure), then before claiming an interface, call this method.
.getStringDescriptor(index, callback(error, data))
Perform a control transfer to retrieve a string descriptor
.getBosDescriptor(callback(error, bosDescriptor))
Perform a control transfer to retrieve an object with properties for the fields of the Binary Object Store descriptor:
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- wTotalLength
- bNumDeviceCaps
.getCapabilities(callback(error, capabilities))
Retrieve a list of Capability objects for the Binary Object Store capabilities of the device.
.interface(interface)
Return the interface with the specified interface number.
.interfaces
List of Interface objects for the interfaces of the default configuration of the device.
.timeout
Timeout in milliseconds to use for control transfers.
.reset(callback(error))
Performs a reset of the device. Callback is called when complete.
Interface
.endpoint(address)
Return the InEndpoint or OutEndpoint with the specified address.
.endpoints
List of endpoints on this interface: InEndpoint and OutEndpoint objects.
.interface
Integer interface number.
.altSetting
Integer alternate setting number.
.setAltSetting(altSetting, callback(error))
Sets the alternate setting. It updates the interface.endpoints
array to reflect the endpoints found in the alternate setting.
.claim()
Claims the interface. This method must be called before using any endpoints of this interface.
.release([closeEndpoints], callback(error))
Releases the interface and resets the alternate setting. Calls callback when complete.
It is an error to release an interface with pending transfers. If the optional closeEndpoints parameter is true, any active endpoint streams are stopped (see Endpoint.stopStream
), and the interface is released after the stream transfers are cancelled. Transfers submitted individually with Endpoint.transfer
are not affected by this parameter.
.isKernelDriverActive()
Returns false
if a kernel driver is not active; true
if active.
.detachKernelDriver()
Detaches the kernel driver from the interface.
.attachKernelDriver()
Re-attaches the kernel driver for the interface.
.descriptor
Object with fields from the interface descriptor -- see libusb documentation or USB spec.
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- bInterfaceNumber
- bAlternateSetting
- bNumEndpoints
- bInterfaceClass
- bInterfaceSubClass
- bInterfaceProtocol
- iInterface
- extra (Buffer containing any extra data or additional descriptors)
Capability
.type
Integer capability type.
.data
Buffer capability data.
.descriptor
Object with fields from the capability descriptor -- see libusb documentation or USB spec.
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- bDevCapabilityType
Endpoint
Common base for InEndpoint and OutEndpoint, see below.
.direction
Endpoint direction: "in"
or "out"
.
.transferType
Endpoint type: usb.LIBUSB_TRANSFER_TYPE_BULK
, usb.LIBUSB_TRANSFER_TYPE_INTERRUPT
, or usb.LIBUSB_TRANSFER_TYPE_ISOCHRONOUS
.
.descriptor
Object with fields from the endpoint descriptor -- see libusb documentation or USB spec.
- bLength
- bDescriptorType
- bEndpointAddress
- bmAttributes
- wMaxPacketSize
- bInterval
- bRefresh
- bSynchAddress
- extra (Buffer containing any extra data or additional descriptors)
.timeout
Sets the timeout in milliseconds for transfers on this endpoint. The default, 0
, is infinite timeout.
.clearHalt(callback(error))
Clear the halt/stall condition for this endpoint.
InEndpoint
Endpoints in the IN direction (device->PC) have this type.
.transfer(length, callback(error, data))
Perform a transfer to read data from the endpoint.
If length is greater than maxPacketSize, libusb will automatically split the transfer in multiple packets, and you will receive one callback with all data once all packets are complete.
this
in the callback is the InEndpoint object.
.startPoll(nTransfers=3, transferSize=maxPacketSize)
Start polling the endpoint.
The library will keep nTransfers
transfers of size transferSize
pending in
the kernel at all times to ensure continuous data flow. This is handled by the
libusb event thread, so it continues even if the Node v8 thread is busy. The
data
and error
events are emitted as transfers complete.
.stopPoll(cb)
Stop polling.
Further data may still be received. The end
event is emitted and the callback
is called once all transfers have completed or canceled.
Event: data(data : Buffer)
Emitted with data received by the polling transfers
Event: error(error)
Emitted when polling encounters an error. All in flight transfers will be automatically canceled and no further polling will be done. You have to wait for the end
event before you can start polling again.
Event: end
Emitted when polling has been canceled
OutEndpoint
Endpoints in the OUT direction (PC->device) have this type.
.transfer(data, callback(error))
Perform a transfer to write data
to the endpoint.
If length is greater than maxPacketSize, libusb will automatically split the transfer in multiple packets, and you will receive one callback once all packets are complete.
this
in the callback is the OutEndpoint object.
Event: error(error)
Emitted when the stream encounters an error.
Event: end
Emitted when the stream has been stopped and all pending requests have been completed.
UsbDetection
usb.on('attach', function(device) { ... });
Attaches a callback to plugging in a device
.
usb.on('detach', function(device) { ... });
Attaches a callback to unplugging a device
.
usb.refHotplugEvents();
Restore (re-reference) the hotplug events unreferenced by unrefHotplugEvents()
usb.unrefHotplugEvents();
Listening to events will prevent the process to exit. By calling this function, hotplug events will be unreferenced by the event loop, allowing the process to exit even when listening for the attach
and detach
events.
Migrating from node-usb-detection
If you have been referred here by node-usb-detection
, the following may be helpful for you to update your existing code.
usbDetect.startMonitoring() & usbDetect.stopMonitoring()
There is no direct equivalent to these methods. This is handled automatically for you when you add and remove event listeners.
You may find usb.unrefHotplugEvents()
useful as it is intended to help with exit conditions.
usbDetect.find()
You can instead use usb.getDeviceList()
. Be aware that this will do an enumeration to find all of the devices, and not look at a cache of the known devices. If you call it too often it may have a performance impact.
To find a specific device by vid and pid, call usb.findByIds
. e.g. usb.findByIds(0x12, 0x34)
.
usbDetect.on('add', function(device) { ... })
These should be changed to usb.on('attach', function(device) { ... })
.
There is no equivalent to filter based on the vid or pid, instead you should do a check inside the callback you provide.
The contents of the device object has also changed.
usbDetect.on('remove', function(device) { ... })
These should be changed to usb.on('detach', function(device) { ... })
.
There is no equivalent to filter based on the vid or pid, instead you should do a check inside the callback you provide.
The contents of the device object has also changed.
usbDetect.on('change', function(device) { ... })
There is no direct equivalent to this. Instead you can listen to both attach
and detach
to get the same behaviour.
Development
The library is based on native bindings wrapping the libusb library.
Setup
Libusb is included as a submodule, clone this repository and then the submodule as follows:
git clone https://github.com/node-usb/node-usb
cd node-usb
git submodule update --init
Alternatively, if you want to build this library against your system libusb
set the use_system_libusb
variable to true
in the binding.gyp and libusb.gypi files.
Building
The package uses prebuildify
to generate the native binaries using an install
script and TypeScript
for the binding code using the compile
script. The package can be built as follows:
yarn
yarn compile
The native binaries can be rebuilt with:
yarn rebuild
Note: On Linux, you'll need libudev to build libusb. On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install build-essential libudev-dev
Testing
To execute the unit tests, Run:
yarn test
Some tests require an attached STM32F103 Microprocessor USB device with specific firmware.
yarn full-test
yarn valgrind
Releasing
Please refer to the Wiki for release instructions.