A JavaScript library for doing geometry.
1.1k
Stars
52
Forks
0
Open issues
6
Contributors
AI Analysis
Geometric.js is a lightweight JavaScript library for performing computational geometry operations on points, lines, polygons, and angles using plain arrays as data structures. It serves developers who need geometry utilities for visualization, data visualization, or spatial calculations in web and Node.js environments. It is specialized for 2D geometry work rather than general-purpose programming.
Inferred from signals mentioned in the README (tests, CI, type safety) — not a review of the actual code.
AI's overall editorial judgment — not an average of the bars above, can weigh other factors too.
Minimal JavaScript geometry library prioritizing simplicity over comprehensiveness
Geometric.js is a JavaScript library for point, line, polygon, and angle operations using plain arrays as data structures. It targets developers building interactive visualizations, maps, and graphics who prefer functional APIs without class hierarchies. Adoption appears modest but stable, with primary use likely in data visualization and educational contexts rather than production GIS systems.
Created in late 2018 by Harry Stevens, a data journalist at The Washington Post. The library emerged from the need for lightweight, array-based geometry operations in interactive storytelling and visualization projects. No major version breaks or pivots documented; steady refinement trajectory.
Stars accumulated slowly but consistently—roughly 1,096 stars over 7.5 years suggests organic, niche adoption rather than viral growth. Recent activity (4 stars in 7 days as of 2026-06-19) indicates stable but not accelerating interest. Library appears to have found its audience among visualization developers rather than competing for mainstream geometry-compute market share.
Adoption not verified. No case studies, enterprise users, or production deployment documentation in README. NPM download metrics are referenced but not cited with numbers. Harry Stevens' Washington Post affiliation suggests use in editorial graphics, but no specific projects documented. Presence on npm with maintained CI suggests real usage, but scale and scope remain opaque.
Appears modular based on README examples showing functional imports (pointTranslate, lineRotate, polygonScale). Data model is deliberately primitive—arrays represent geometry primitives, avoiding custom classes. Likely designed for tree-shaking and minimal bundle impact. README does not detail internal organization, algorithm choices, or numerical precision handling.
README references a test suite that 'builds the package, runs runtime tests, and checks the TypeScript declarations' but provides no metrics on coverage percentage or test count. Presence of CI badge and TypeScript declarations suggests quality discipline, but test extent is not documented.
Last push 2026-06-19 (12 days before analysis date) indicates active maintenance. CI workflow active. No evidence of backlog accumulation or abandoned issues in README. However, low recent star velocity and modest fork count (52) suggest maintainer may be distributing attention across other projects. Repository does not appear stagnant, but growth activity is measured.
ADOPT IF: you need lightweight, array-based geometry operations in JavaScript; prefer functional APIs over class hierarchies; want minimal bundle overhead in visualization projects; and are comfortable with a narrow, curated feature set. AVOID IF: you require industrial-strength GIS capabilities, need spatial indexing/query performance, or expect comprehensive numerical stability documentation. MONITOR IF: you are choosing between Geometric.js and a more comprehensive library—validate that the reduced scope actually maps to your use case, as adoption evidence is limited and documentation of real-world constraints is sparse.
Independent dimensions
Mainstream potential
3/10
Technical importance
5/10
Adoption evidence
3/10
- Maintainer bus factor: single author with no documented governance or succession plan; project longevity depends on one person's continued interest.
- Limited adoption evidence: no public case studies or production deployments documented; installed base is opaque; community feedback loops may be weak.
- Sparse algorithm documentation: README does not detail numerical precision, edge-case handling, or performance characteristics of geometric operations; robustness for production use unclear.
- Narrow feature set by design: intentional simplicity may become a ceiling; any major capability gap requires forking or augmentation.
- Modest ecosystem visibility: 1,096 stars and stable but slow growth may reflect genuine niche fit or lack of discoverability; hard to distinguish without adoption data.
Geometric.js will likely remain a specialized utility for visualization and educational use, neither growing into a mainstream library nor declining into obsolescence. Slow, steady maintenance is probable; major feature expansion is unlikely given design philosophy. Niche adoption may deepen within data journalism and interactive graphics communities.
Explore similar
Newsletter
Get analyses like this every Monday
Free weekly digest of the most interesting open-source discoveries.
Languages
Information
- Language
- JavaScript
- License
- MIT
- Last updated
- 3w ago
- Created
- 93mo ago
- Analyzed with
- anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5
Stars over time
Contributors over time
Top 100 contributors only — repos with more will plateau at 100.
Open issues
No open issues — clean slate.
Open pull requests
No open pull requests.
Top contributors
Recent releases
Similar repos
| Repository | Stars | Week Δ | Language | Score | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
HarryStevens/geometric
this
|
1.1k | +1 | JavaScript | 8/10 | 3w ago |
 svgdotjs/svg.js
|
11.8k | — | JavaScript | 7/10 | 10mo ago |
 josdejong/mathjs
|
15.1k | — | JavaScript | 8/10 | 2mo ago |
 jsxgraph/jsxgraph
|
1.4k | — | JavaScript | 8/10 | 1d ago |
 Turfjs/turf
|
10.4k | — | TypeScript | 8/10 | 1w ago |
 BrunoLevy/geogram
|
2.5k | — | C++ | 8/10 | 1w ago |
Broader mathematical library covering algebra, calculus, and symbolic math. Geometric.js is narrowly focused on geometric primitives; mathjs is general-purpose computation. Different categories rather than direct competition.
Interactive geometry software library emphasizing visualization and construction. Comparable star count but jsxgraph includes rendering; Geometric.js is pure computation. jsxgraph likely heavier; Geometric.js lighter for embedding.
Polygon triangulation library. Single-purpose, highly optimized. Geometric.js is multi-operation; earcut is specialized utility. Complementary rather than competing.
Interactive map editing plugin. UI-driven, map-specific. Geometric.js provides primitives. Different use cases; Geometric.js is a lower-level tool.
SVG manipulation library with some geometric capabilities. Geometric.js is computation-first, SVG-agnostic. svg.js is rendering-first. Orthogonal concerns; may be used together.
