Parsing data with .parse()
Use the .parse() method to validate input against a schema. If validation succeeds, .parse() returns a strongly-typed deep clone of the input. If validation fails, it throws a ZodError instance.
parsing
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Async parsing with .parseAsync()
When a schema uses asynchronous APIs like async refinements or async transforms, use the .parseAsync() method instead of .parse(). This is an awaitable method that handles async operations.
Safe parsing with .safeParse()
Use .safeParse() to avoid try/catch blocks. It returns a discriminated union result object with either a success case containing result.data (the parsed value) or a failure case containing result.error (the ZodError). Check result.success to determine which case occurred.
Async safe parsing with .safeParseAsync()
When a schema uses asynchronous APIs like async refinements or async transforms, use the .safeParseAsync() method instead of .safeParse(). This is an awaitable method that handles async operations and returns the same discriminated union result object.
Three methods for processing schemas: parse, decode, encode
All Zod schemas can process inputs in both forward and backward directions using three methods: .parse() (Input to Output, unknown input type), .decode() (Input to Output, strongly-typed input), and .encode() (Output to Input, strongly-typed input).
Codec variants: async and safe
Codecs support async transforms and have safe variants: .decode(), .decodeAsync(), .safeDecode(), and .safeDecodeAsync(). The safe variants return { success: true, data } or { success: false, error: ZodError } instead of throwing.
Codec type signature example
stringToDate.decode("2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z") returns Date; stringToDate.decodeAsync("2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z") returns Promise<Date>; stringToDate.safeDecode("2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z") returns { success: true, data: Date } | { success: false, error: ZodError }.
Codec use case: network boundary transformation
Codecs are particularly useful when parsing data at a network boundary. A single Zod schema can be shared between client and server to convert between network-friendly formats (like JSON) and richer JavaScript representations.
Top-level parsing functions in zod/v4/core
zod/v4/core provides top-level parsing functions since core schema classes have no methods: z.parse(schema, value), z.safeParse(schema, value), z.parseAsync(schema, value), and z.safeParseAsync(schema, value).
Parsing methods: parse and safeParse
The parse() method is used for parsing data against a schema. The safeParse() method is the safe variant. Both have async versions: parseAsync() and safeParseAsync().