Exporting Excel Files on the Server with js-xlsx and exceljs

In a previous article the author described exporting table data to CSV on the frontend, but for paginated backend management systems a server‑side solution is needed to export all data, especially when the user wants a single file.

This follow‑up tutorial switches the output format to XLSX and demonstrates two popular Node.js libraries: js-xlsx and exceljs . It first shows how to create simple test data and then builds a minimal HTTP server that returns the generated XLSX file as a download.

For js-xlsx , the author provides a code example (illustrated with screenshots) that creates a workbook, adds data, and streams the file to the client. Although the library has many stars, the author notes that its documentation is lacking and the overall experience is unsatisfactory.

Next, the article introduces exceljs , which the author prefers. It demonstrates creating the same test data, configuring row and column dimensions, hiding elements, applying styles such as bold fonts, borders, colors, and merging cells. Screenshots highlight the ease of setting these properties and the resulting spreadsheet appearance.

The author concludes that exceljs offers more flexibility and better documentation than js-xlsx , making it the recommended choice for server‑side Excel generation.