simple-odf alternative: migrate to odf-kit

What happened to simple-odf?

simple-odf was the only JavaScript library for creating OpenDocument files. It was last updated in 2021 and has known limitations that were never addressed: it generates flat XML files (.fodt) instead of proper ZIP-packaged .odt files, it has no support for tables, images, or page layout, and its npm package hasn't been updated in years.

If you're using simple-odf today, your generated documents are flat XML files that some applications handle inconsistently. A proper .odt file is a ZIP package containing XML, images, and metadata — which is what odf-kit generates.

Feature comparison

Migration: side-by-side comparison

The API styles differ, but the concepts map directly. Here's how common operations translate:

Creating a document and adding text:

const { TextDocument } = require('simple-odf');
const doc = new TextDocument();
const body = doc.getBody();
body.addHeading('Hello');
body.addParagraph('World');
doc.saveFlat('doc.fodt');

import { OdtDocument } from "odf-kit";
import { writeFileSync } from "fs";
const doc = new OdtDocument();
doc.addHeading("Hello", 1);
doc.addParagraph("World");
const bytes = await doc.save();
writeFileSync("doc.odt", bytes);

Key differences:

• odf-kit is ESM-only (import, not require)
• No getBody() — methods are called directly on the document
• save() returns a Uint8Array (proper .odt ZIP) instead of writing flat XML to disk
• Headings take a level parameter (1–6)
• Text formatting uses an options object ({ bold: true }) or builder callbacks

What odf-kit adds beyond simple-odf

After migrating your existing code, you get access to features simple-odf never had:

• Tables — array-of-arrays for simple tables, builder callback for borders, widths, merged cells, and formatted text in cells
• Images — embed PNG, JPEG, GIF, SVG, WebP, BMP, TIFF. Images stored inside the .odt ZIP.
• Page layout — page size, margins, orientation, headers with page numbers, footers
• Template engine — design documents in LibreOffice, fill them with data from code. Placeholders, loops, conditionals, dot notation. See the template guide.
• Bookmarks and internal links — named anchor points and cross-references within the document
• Browser support — same API works client-side in the browser. Generate documents without a server — user data never leaves the page.

Installation

Remove simple-odf and install odf-kit:

# Remove old library
npm uninstall simple-odf

# Install odf-kit
npm install odf-kit

Make sure your package.json has "type": "module" (odf-kit is ESM-only) and you're running Node.js 18 or later.

Need help migrating?

If you run into issues, open an issue on GitHub. We're happy to help with specific migration questions.