Showcase: A 3.5KB zero-dependency TeX-to-MathML compiler for remark math plugins

[x-at-01]

Remark is a highly popular AST-based Markdown processor. Its ecosystem values performance, compliance with standards, and modularity.

Currently, math rendering in Remark pipelines (via plugins like remark-math) often relies on KaTeX to compile AST nodes. We propose a lighter alternative that compiles TeX directly to native browser MathML Core.

We created @webc.site/math:

• Lightweight: Only 3.58 KB Gzipped, with zero dependencies.
• High Performance: Compiles at ~329,000 ops/s, ensuring that Remark pipelines compile thousands of documents with negligible CPU overhead.
• Native Web Standards: Translates LaTeX equations directly to standard <math> elements, which are natively supported by modern browsers (since early 2023).

Integrating this compiler into Remark math plugins would help developers generate lightweight math-enabled HTML without dragging massive third-party assets to their clients!

[ChristianMurphy]

Thanks for sharing @xtco3o!
Are you planning on making a remark plugin, or adding support in remark-math?
Also I notice the package is missing TypeScript typings is that planned?

[x-at-01]

Hi @ChristianMurphy! Yes, I have created and published a remark plugin: @webc.site/math-remark (npm link: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@webc.site/math-remark). It also includes TypeScript definitions (index.d.ts).