Braces version 2.3.2 refines the popular brace expansion library, offering developers a robust and efficient way to generate strings based on Bash-like brace patterns. Compared to version 2.3.1, this release exhibits a streamlined dependency structure, indicated by a reduced file count from 12 to 8 and a smaller unpacked size, decreasing from 94768 bytes to 59699 bytes. This suggests potential performance improvements and a lighter footprint for projects incorporating the library. The most notable difference lies in the dependencies themselves. Version 2.3.1 utilizes "kind-of" and "define-property" which are notably absent in the newer 2.3.2. The removal of these dependencies likely reflects an optimization effort, possibly replacing those functionalities with more efficient or integrated solutions, potentially removing bloat.
Developers should be aware of these changes, especially if relying on specific behaviors related to the removed dependencies. The core functionality, supporting the Bash 4.3 braces specification for safer and faster brace expansion in JavaScript, remains consistent across both versions. Both versions provide critical features like complete bash support and the MIT license. However, users migrating to 2.3.2 should test their code to ensure no unexpected side effects arise from the dependency changes. The update ultimately signals a refined, more efficient iteration of an already valuable tool for string generation and pattern matching.
All the vulnerabilities related to the version 2.3.2 of the package
Uncontrolled resource consumption in braces
The NPM package braces fails to limit the number of characters it can handle, which could lead to Memory Exhaustion. In lib/parse.js, if a malicious user sends "imbalanced braces" as input, the parsing will enter a loop, which will cause the program to start allocating heap memory without freeing it at any moment of the loop. Eventually, the JavaScript heap limit is reached, and the program will crash.
