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wtf is spinner?

fieldju/spinner — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2024-10-14

Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5StaleSetup · easy

TL;DR

A Node.js package that shows animated terminal spinners for long-running CLI tasks, supporting multiple independent spinners running at once.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Terminal spinners
      Success or fail marks
      Concurrent spinners
    Tech stack
      Node.js
      JavaScript
    Use cases
      Show progress in CLI
      Parallel task feedback
      Disable in library mode
    Audience
      CLI tool developers
    Notable
      Requires Node.js 20 plus
      Verbose option disables spinner

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Show an animated spinner in the terminal while a CLI command runs.

REASON 2

Run several independent spinners at once for parallel tasks like downloads or processing.

REASON 3

Display a checkmark or X mark automatically when a task succeeds or fails.

REASON 4

Disable spinner output when the package is used as a library instead of a CLI.

What's in the stack?

Node.jsJavaScript

How it stacks up

fieldju/spinner0verflowme/alarm-clock0xhassaan/nn-from-scratch
Stars——0
Language—CSSPython
Last pushed2024-10-142022-10-03—
MaintenanceStaleDormant—
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity1/52/54/5
Audiencedevelopervibe coderdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Node.js version 20 or higher.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to run three spinners in parallel using async/await with this package.
Prompt 2
Write CLI code that starts a spinner, updates its message, then calls succeed() or failed().
Prompt 3
Explain how to disable the spinner output when using this package as a library.
Prompt 4
Help me add progress spinners to a Node.js CLI tool that downloads multiple files.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is spinner?

A Node.js package that shows animated terminal spinners for long-running CLI tasks, supporting multiple independent spinners running at once.

Is spinner actively maintained?

Stale — no commits in 1-2 years (last push 2024-10-14).

How hard is spinner to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is spinner for?

Mainly developer.

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