Based on Airbnb JavaScript Style Guide.
A mostly reasonable approach to JavaScript
Other Style Guides
-
1.1 Primitives: When you access a primitive type you work directly on its value.
string
number
boolean
null
undefined
symbol
bigint
const foo = 1; let bar = foo; bar = 9; console.log(foo, bar); // => 1, 9
-
1.2 Complex: When you access a complex type you work on a reference to its value.
object
array
function
const foo = [1, 2]; const bar = foo; bar[0] = 9; console.log(foo[0], bar[0]); // => 9, 9
-
2.1 Use
const
for all of your references; avoid usingvar
. eslint:prefer-const
,no-const-assign
Why? This ensures that you can’t reassign your references, which can lead to bugs and difficult to comprehend code.
// bad var a = 1; var b = 2; // good const a = 1; const b = 2;
-
2.2 If you must reassign references, use
let
instead ofvar
. eslint:no-var
Why?
let
is block-scoped rather than function-scoped likevar
.// bad var count = 1; if (true) { count += 1; } // good, use the let. let count = 1; if (true) { count += 1; }
-
2.3 Note that both
let
andconst
are block-scoped.// const and let only exist in the blocks they are defined in. { let a = 1; const b = 1; } console.log(a); // ReferenceError console.log(b); // ReferenceError
-
3.1 Use the literal syntax for object creation. eslint:
no-new-object
// bad const item = new Object(); // good const item = {};
-
3.2 Use computed property names when creating objects with dynamic property names.
Why? They allow you to define all the properties of an object in one place.
function getKey(k) { return `a key named ${k}`; } // bad const obj = { id: 5, name: 'San Francisco', }; obj[getKey('enabled')] = true; // good const obj = { id: 5, name: 'San Francisco', [getKey('enabled')]: true, };
-
3.3 Use object method shorthand. eslint:
object-shorthand
// bad const atom = { value: 1, addValue: function (value) { return atom.value + value; }, }; // good const atom = { value: 1, addValue: (value) => { return atom.value + value; }, };
-
3.4 Use property value shorthand. eslint:
object-shorthand
Why? It is shorter and descriptive.
const lukeSkywalker = 'Luke Skywalker'; // bad const obj = { lukeSkywalker: lukeSkywalker, }; // good const obj = { lukeSkywalker, };
-
3.5 Only quote properties that are invalid identifiers. eslint:
quote-props
Why? In general we consider it subjectively easier to read. It improves syntax highlighting, and is also more easily optimized by many JS engines.
// bad const bad = { 'foo': 3, 'bar': 4, 'data-blah': 5, }; // good const good = { foo: 3, bar: 4, 'data-blah': 5, };
-
3.6 Do not call
Object.prototype
methods directly, such ashasOwnProperty
,propertyIsEnumerable
, andisPrototypeOf
. eslint:no-prototype-builtins
Why? These methods may be shadowed by properties on the object in question - consider
{ hasOwnProperty: false }
- or, the object may be a null object (Object.create(null)
).// bad console.log(object.hasOwnProperty(key)); // good console.log(Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(object, key)); // best const has = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty; // cache the lookup once, in module scope. console.log(has.call(object, key)); /* or */ import has from 'has'; // https://www.npmjs.com/package/has console.log(has(object, key));
-
3.7 Prefer the object spread operator over
Object.assign
to shallow-copy objects. Use the object rest operator to get a new object with certain properties omitted. eslint:prefer-object-spread
// very bad const original = { a: 1, b: 2 }; const copy = Object.assign(original, { c: 3 }); // this mutates `original` ಠ_ಠ delete copy.a; // so does this // bad const original = { a: 1, b: 2 }; const copy = Object.assign({}, original, { c: 3 }); // copy => { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 } // good const original = { a: 1, b: 2 }; const copy = { ...original, c: 3 }; // copy => { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 } const { a, ...noA } = copy; // noA => { b: 2, c: 3 }
-
4.1 Use the literal syntax for array creation. eslint:
no-array-constructor
// bad const items = new Array(); // good const items = [];
-
4.2 Use Array#push instead of direct assignment to add items to an array.
const someStack = []; // bad someStack[someStack.length] = 'abracadabra'; // good someStack.push('abracadabra');
-
4.3 Use array spreads
...
to copy arrays.// bad const len = items.length; const itemsCopy = []; let i; for (i = 0; i < len; i += 1) { itemsCopy[i] = items[i]; } // good const itemsCopy = [...items];
-
4.4 To convert an iterable object to an array, use spreads
...
instead ofArray.from
.const foo = document.querySelectorAll('.foo'); // good const nodes = Array.from(foo); // best const nodes = [...foo];
-
4.5 Use
Array.from
for converting an array-like object to an array.const arrLike = { 0: 'foo', 1: 'bar', 2: 'baz', length: 3 }; // bad const arr = Array.prototype.slice.call(arrLike); // good const arr = Array.from(arrLike);
-
4.6 Use
Array.from
instead of spread...
for mapping over iterables, because it avoids creating an intermediate array.// bad const baz = [...foo].map(bar); // good const baz = Array.from(foo, bar);
-
4.7 Use return statements in array method callbacks. It’s ok to omit the return if the function body consists of a single statement returning an expression without side effects, following 8.2. eslint:
array-callback-return
// good [1, 2, 3].map((x) => { const y = x + 1; return x * y; }); // good [1, 2, 3].map((x) => x + 1); // bad - no returned value means `acc` becomes undefined after the first iteration [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]].reduce((acc, item, index) => { const flatten = acc.concat(item); }); // good [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]].reduce((acc, item, index) => { const flatten = acc.concat(item); return flatten; }); // bad inbox.filter((msg) => { const { subject, author } = msg; if (subject === 'Mockingbird') { return author === 'Harper Lee'; } else { return false; } }); // good inbox.filter((msg) => { const { subject, author } = msg; if (subject === 'Mockingbird') { return author === 'Harper Lee'; } return false; });
-
4.8 Use line breaks after open and before close array brackets if an array has multiple lines
// bad const arr = [ [0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5], ]; const objectInArray = [{ id: 1, }, { id: 2, }]; const numberInArray = [ 1, 2, ]; // good const arr = [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]]; const objectInArray = [ { id: 1, }, { id: 2, }, ]; const numberInArray = [ 1, 2, ];
-
5.1 Use object destructuring when accessing and using multiple properties of an object. eslint:
prefer-destructuring
Why? Destructuring saves you from creating temporary references for those properties, and from repetitive access of the object. Repeating object access creates more repetitive code, requires more reading, and creates more opportunities for mistakes. Destructuring objects also provides a single site of definition of the object structure that is used in the block, rather than requiring reading the entire block to determine what is used.
// bad function getFullName(user) { const firstName = user.firstName; const lastName = user.lastName; return `${firstName} ${lastName}`; } // good function getFullName(user) { const { firstName, lastName } = user; return `${firstName} ${lastName}`; }
-
5.2 Use array destructuring. eslint:
prefer-destructuring
const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4]; // bad const first = arr[0]; const second = arr[1]; // good const [first, second] = arr;
-
5.3 Use object destructuring for multiple return values, not array destructuring.
Why? You can add new properties over time or change the order of things without breaking call sites.
// bad function processInput(input) { // then a miracle occurs return [left, right, top, bottom]; } // the caller needs to think about the order of return data const [left, __, top] = processInput(input); // good function processInput(input) { // then a miracle occurs return { left, right, top, bottom }; } // the caller selects only the data they need const { left, top } = processInput(input);
-
6.1 Use single quotes
''
for strings. eslint:quotes
// bad const name = "Capt. Janeway"; // bad - template literals should contain interpolation or newlines const name = `Capt. Janeway`; // good const name = 'Capt. Janeway';
-
6.2 Strings that cause the line to go over 100 characters should not be written across multiple lines using string concatenation.
Why? Broken strings are painful to work with and make code less searchable.
// bad const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because \ of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do \ with this, you would get nowhere \ fast.'; // bad const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because ' + 'of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do ' + 'with this, you would get nowhere fast.'; // good const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do with this, you would get nowhere fast.';
-
6.3 When programmatically building up strings, use template strings instead of concatenation. eslint:
prefer-template
template-curly-spacing
Why? Template strings give you a readable, concise syntax with proper newlines and string interpolation features.
// bad function sayHi(name) { return 'How are you, ' + name + '?'; } // bad function sayHi(name) { return ['How are you, ', name, '?'].join(); } // bad function sayHi(name) { return `How are you, ${ name }?`; } // good function sayHi(name) { return `How are you, ${name}?`; }
-
6.5 Do not unnecessarily escape characters in strings. eslint:
no-useless-escape
Why? Backslashes harm readability, thus they should only be present when necessary.
// bad const foo = '\'this\' \i\s \"quoted\"'; // good const foo = '\'this\' is "quoted"'; const foo = `my name is '${name}'`;
-
7.1 Avoid function declarations, prefer arrow functions. eslint:
func-style
Why? Function declarations are hoisted, which means that it’s easy - too easy - to reference the function before it is defined in the file. This harms readability and maintainability. If you find that a function’s definition is large or complex enough that it is interfering with understanding the rest of the file, then perhaps it’s time to extract it to its own module!
// bad function foo() { // ... } // good: function expression instead of function declaration const foo = function () { // ... }; // best: arrow function const foo = () => { // ... };
-
7.2 Wrap immediately invoked function expressions in parentheses. eslint:
wrap-iife
Why? An immediately invoked function expression is a single unit - wrapping both it, and its invocation parens, in parens, cleanly expresses this. Note that in a world with modules everywhere, you almost never need an IIFE.
// immediately-invoked function expression (IIFE) (function () { console.log('Welcome to the Internet. Please follow me.'); }());
- 7.3 Never declare a function in a non-function block (
if
,while
, etc). Assign the function to a variable instead. Browsers will allow you to do it, but they all interpret it differently, which is bad news bears. eslint:no-loop-func
-
7.4 Note: ECMA-262 defines a
block
as a list of statements. A function declaration is not a statement.// bad if (currentUser) { function test() { console.log('Nope.'); } } // good let test; if (currentUser) { test = () => { console.log('Yup.'); }; }
-
7.5 Never name a parameter
arguments
. This will take precedence over thearguments
object that is given to every function scope.// bad function foo(name, options, arguments) { // ... } // good function foo(name, options, args) { // ... }
-
7.6 Never use
arguments
, opt to use rest syntax...
instead. eslint:prefer-rest-params
Why?
...
is explicit about which arguments you want pulled. Plus, rest arguments are a real Array, and not merely Array-like likearguments
.// bad function concatenateAll() { const args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments); return args.join(''); } // good function concatenateAll(...args) { return args.join(''); }
-
7.7 Use default parameter syntax rather than mutating function arguments.
// really bad function handleThings(opts) { // No! We shouldn’t mutate function arguments. // Double bad: if opts is falsy it'll be set to an object which may // be what you want but it can introduce subtle bugs. opts = opts || {}; // ... } // still bad function handleThings(opts) { if (opts === void 0) { opts = {}; } // ... } // good function handleThings(opts = {}) { // ... }
-
7.8 Avoid side effects with default parameters.
Why? They are confusing to reason about.
var b = 1; // bad function count(a = b++) { console.log(a); } count(); // 1 count(); // 2 count(3); // 3 count(); // 3
-
7.9 Always put default parameters last. eslint:
default-param-last
// bad function handleThings(opts = {}, name) { // ... } // good function handleThings(name, opts = {}) { // ... }
-
7.10 Add as few parameters as possible.
Having many parameters on a function makes refactoring difficult. If a function has lots of parameters and it cannot be broken down, consider using an options object to combine multiple parameters into one.
// bad function handleThings(name, a, b, c, d, e) { // ... } // good function handleThings(name, opts = {}) { const {a, b, c, d, e} = opts; // ... }
-
7.11 Never use the Function constructor to create a new function. eslint:
no-new-func
Why? Creating a function in this way evaluates a string similarly to
eval()
, which opens vulnerabilities.// bad var add = new Function('a', 'b', 'return a + b'); // still bad var subtract = Function('a', 'b', 'return a - b');
-
7.12 Spacing in a function signature. eslint:
space-before-function-paren
space-before-blocks
Why? Consistency is good, and you shouldn’t have to add or remove a space when adding or removing a name.
// bad const f = function(){}; const g = function (){}; const h = function() {}; // good const x = function () {}; const y = function a() {};
-
7.13 Avoid mutating parameters. eslint:
no-param-reassign
Why? Manipulating objects passed in as parameters can cause unwanted variable side effects in the original caller.
// bad - the caller wouldn't expect order to be modified function isFree(order) { order.total = calculateTotal(order); return order.total === 0; } // good function isFree(order) { const total = calculateTotal(order); return total === 0; }
Exceptions are allowed if they are communicated clearly.
// good - the name makes it clear that we modify the lineItem function setLineItemTotals(lineItem, totalWithoutVat) { lineItem.totalWithoutVat = totalWithoutVat; lineItem.vatAmount = calculateVat(totalWithoutVat); lineItem.totalWithVat = totalWithoutVat + lineItem.vatAmount; }
-
7.14 Never reassign parameters. eslint:
no-param-reassign
Why? Reassigning parameters can lead to unexpected behavior, especially when accessing the
arguments
object. It can also cause optimization issues, especially in V8.// bad function f1(a) { a = 1; // ... } function f2(a) { if (!a) { a = 1; } // ... } // good function f3(a) { const b = a || 1; // ... } function f4(a = 1) { // ... }
-
7.15 Prefer the use of the spread operator
...
to call variadic functions. eslint:prefer-spread
Why? It’s cleaner, you don’t need to supply a context, and you can not easily compose
new
withapply
.// bad const x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; console.log.apply(console, x); // good const x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; console.log(...x); // bad new (Function.prototype.bind.apply(Date, [null, 2016, 8, 5])); // good new Date(...[2016, 8, 5]);
-
7.16 Functions with multiline signatures, or invocations, should be indented just like every other multiline list in this guide: with each item on a line by itself, with a trailing comma on the last item. eslint:
function-paren-newline
// bad function foo(bar, baz, quux) { // ... } // good function foo( bar, baz, quux, ) { // ... } // bad console.log(foo, bar, baz); // good console.log( foo, bar, baz, );
-
8.1 When you must use an anonymous function (as when passing an inline callback), use arrow function notation. eslint:
prefer-arrow-callback
,arrow-spacing
Why? It creates a version of the function that executes in the context of
this
, which is usually what you want, and is a more concise syntax.Why not? If you have a fairly complicated function, you might move that logic out into its own named function expression.
// bad [1, 2, 3].map(function (x) { const y = x + 1; return x * y; }); // good [1, 2, 3].map((x) => { const y = x + 1; return x * y; });
-
8.2 If the function body consists of a single statement returning an expression without side effects, omit the braces and use the implicit return. Otherwise, keep the braces and use a
return
statement. eslint:arrow-parens
,arrow-body-style
Why? Syntactic sugar. It reads well when multiple functions are chained together.
// bad [1, 2, 3].map((number) => { const nextNumber = number + 1; `A string containing the ${nextNumber}.`; }); // good [1, 2, 3].map((number) => `A string containing the ${number + 1}.`); // good [1, 2, 3].map((number) => { const nextNumber = number + 1; return `A string containing the ${nextNumber}.`; }); // good [1, 2, 3].map((number, index) => ({ [index]: number, })); // No implicit return with side effects function foo(callback) { const val = callback(); if (val === true) { // Do something if callback returns true } } let bool = false; // bad foo(() => bool = true); // good foo(() => { bool = true; });
-
8.3 In case the expression spans over multiple lines, wrap it in parentheses for better readability.
Why? It shows clearly where the function starts and ends.
// bad ['get', 'post', 'put'].map((httpMethod) => Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call( httpMagicObjectWithAVeryLongName, httpMethod, ) ); // good ['get', 'post', 'put'].map((httpMethod) => ( Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call( httpMagicObjectWithAVeryLongName, httpMethod, ) ));
-
8.4 Always include parentheses around arguments for clarity and consistency. eslint:
arrow-parens
Why? Minimizes diff churn when adding or removing arguments.
// bad [1, 2, 3].map(x => x * x); // good [1, 2, 3].map((x) => x * x); // bad [1, 2, 3].map(number => ( `A long string with the ${number}. It’s so long that we don’t want it to take up space on the .map line!` )); // good [1, 2, 3].map((number) => ( `A long string with the ${number}. It’s so long that we don’t want it to take up space on the .map line!` )); // bad [1, 2, 3].map(x => { const y = x + 1; return x * y; }); // good [1, 2, 3].map((x) => { const y = x + 1; return x * y; });
-
8.5 Avoid confusing arrow function syntax (
=>
) with comparison operators (<=
,>=
). eslint:no-confusing-arrow
// bad const itemHeight = (item) => item.height <= 256 ? item.largeSize : item.smallSize; // bad const itemHeight = (item) => item.height >= 256 ? item.largeSize : item.smallSize; // good const itemHeight = (item) => (item.height <= 256 ? item.largeSize : item.smallSize); // good const itemHeight = (item) => { const { height, largeSize, smallSize } = item; return height <= 256 ? largeSize : smallSize; };
-
8.6 Enforce the location of arrow function bodies with implicit returns. eslint:
implicit-arrow-linebreak
// bad (foo) => bar; (foo) => (bar); // good (foo) => bar; (foo) => (bar); (foo) => ( bar )
-
9.1 Always use
class
. Avoid manipulatingprototype
directly.Why?
class
syntax is more concise and easier to reason about.// bad function Queue(contents = []) { this.queue = [...contents]; } Queue.prototype.pop = function () { const value = this.queue[0]; this.queue.splice(0, 1); return value; }; // good class Queue { constructor(contents = []) { this.queue = [...contents]; } pop() { const value = this.queue[0]; this.queue.splice(0, 1); return value; } }
-
9.2 Use
extends
for inheritance.Why? It is a built-in way to inherit prototype functionality without breaking
instanceof
.// bad const inherits = require('inherits'); function PeekableQueue(contents) { Queue.apply(this, contents); } inherits(PeekableQueue, Queue); PeekableQueue.prototype.peek = function () { return this.queue[0]; }; // good class PeekableQueue extends Queue { peek() { return this.queue[0]; } }
-
9.3 Methods can return
this
to help with method chaining.// bad Jedi.prototype.jump = function () { this.jumping = true; return true; }; Jedi.prototype.setHeight = function (height) { this.height = height; }; const luke = new Jedi(); luke.jump(); // => true luke.setHeight(20); // => undefined // good class Jedi { jump() { this.jumping = true; return this; } setHeight(height) { this.height = height; return this; } } const luke = new Jedi(); luke.jump() .setHeight(20);
-
9.4 It’s okay to write a custom
toString()
method, just make sure it works successfully and causes no side effects.class Jedi { constructor(options = {}) { this.name = options.name || 'no name'; } getName() { return this.name; } toString() { return `Jedi - ${this.getName()}`; } }
-
9.5 Classes have a default constructor if one is not specified. An empty constructor function or one that just delegates to a parent class is unnecessary. eslint:
no-useless-constructor
// bad class Jedi { constructor() {} getName() { return this.name; } } // bad class Rey extends Jedi { constructor(...args) { super(...args); } } // good class Rey extends Jedi { constructor(...args) { super(...args); this.name = 'Rey'; } }
-
9.6 Avoid duplicate class members. eslint:
no-dupe-class-members
Why? Duplicate class member declarations will silently prefer the last one - having duplicates is almost certainly a bug.
// bad class Foo { bar() { return 1; } bar() { return 2; } } // good class Foo { bar() { return 1; } } // good class Foo { bar() { return 2; } }
-
9.7 Class methods should use
this
or be made into a static method unless an external library or framework requires to use specific non-static methods. Being an instance method should indicate that it behaves differently based on properties of the receiver. eslint:class-methods-use-this
// bad class Foo { bar() { console.log('bar'); } } // good - this is used class Foo { bar() { console.log(this.bar); } } // good - constructor is exempt class Foo { constructor() { // ... } } // good - static methods aren't expected to use this class Foo { static bar() { console.log('bar'); } }
-
9.8 Don't use return statements inside constructors. We always expect a constructor to return the constructed instance. eslint:
no-constructor-return
// bad class gotoAndDevelop { constructor(env) { // Do something with env // ... return this.getCompilers(); } // ... } const compilers = new gotoAndDevelop(env); // good class gotoAndDevelop { constructor(env) { // Do something with env // Don't return anything } // ... } const dev = new gotoAndDevelop(env); const compilers = dev.getCompilers();
-
10.1 Always use modules (
import
/export
) over a non-standard module system. You can always transpile to your preferred module system.Why? Modules are the future, let’s start using the future now.
// bad const AirbnbStyleGuide = require('./AirbnbStyleGuide'); module.exports = AirbnbStyleGuide.es6; // ok import AirbnbStyleGuide from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; export { AirbnbStyleGuide.es6 as es6 }; // best import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; export { es6 };
-
10.2 And do not export directly from an import.
Why? Although the one-liner is concise, having one clear way to import and one clear way to export makes things consistent.
// bad export { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; // good import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; export { es6 };
-
10.3 Only import from a path in one place. eslint:
no-duplicate-imports
Why? Having multiple lines that import from the same path can make code harder to maintain.
// bad import foo from 'foo'; // … some other imports … // import { named1, named2 } from 'foo'; // good import foo, { named1, named2 } from 'foo'; // good import foo, { named1, named2, } from 'foo';
-
10.4 Do not export mutable bindings. eslint:
import/no-mutable-exports
Why? Mutation should be avoided in general, but in particular when exporting mutable bindings. While this technique may be needed for some special cases, in general, only constant references should be exported.
// bad let foo = 3; export { foo }; // good const foo = 3; export { foo };
-
10.5 Avoid default exports, always use named exports. eslint:
import/no-default-export
Why? There will almost always be named exports in a project, especially in TypeScript code where a single file often exports one or more types in addition to the primary value. For the sake of consistency, avoid mixing default and named exports/imports. Named exports also provide unambiguous variable names for automatic imports, whereas additional conventions are needed with default exports.
// bad export default function foo() {} // good export function foo() {}
-
10.6 Put all
import
s above non-import statements. eslint:import/first
Why? Since
import
s are hoisted, keeping them all at the top prevents surprising behavior.// bad import foo from 'foo'; foo.init(); import bar from 'bar'; // good import foo from 'foo'; import bar from 'bar'; foo.init();
-
10.7 Multiline imports should be indented just like multiline array and object literals. eslint:
object-curly-newline
Why? The curly braces follow the same indentation rules as every other curly brace block in the style guide, as do the trailing commas.
// bad import {longNameA, longNameB, longNameC, longNameD, longNameE} from 'path'; // good import { longNameA, longNameB, longNameC, longNameD, longNameE, } from 'path';
-
10.8 Disallow Webpack loader syntax in module import statements. eslint:
import/no-webpack-loader-syntax
Why? Since using Webpack syntax in the imports couples the code to a module bundler. Prefer using the loader syntax in
webpack.config.js
.// bad import fooSass from 'css!sass!foo.scss'; import barCss from 'style!css!bar.css'; // good import fooSass from 'foo.scss'; import barCss from 'bar.css';
-
11.1 Prefer JavaScript’s higher-order functions instead of iteration.
Why? This enforces our immutable rule. Dealing with pure functions that return values is easier to reason about than side effects.
Use
map()
/every()
/filter()
/find()
/findIndex()
/reduce()
/some()
/ ... to iterate over arrays, andObject.keys()
/Object.values()
/Object.entries()
to produce arrays so you can iterate over objects.const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; // bad const increasedByOne = []; for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) { increasedByOne.push(numbers[i] + 1); } // good const increasedByOne = numbers.map((num) => num + 1); // bad const evenNumbers = []; numbers.forEach((num) => { if (num % 2 === 0) { evenNumbers.push(num); } }); // good const evenNumbers = numbers.filter((num) => num % 2 === 0); // bad let anyEvenNumbers = false; for (const num of numbers) { if (num % 2 === 0) { anyEvenNumbers = true; break; } } // good const anyEvenNumbers = numbers.some((num) => num % 2 === 0); // bad let sum = 0; for (let num of numbers) { sum += num; } sum === 15; // good const sum = numbers.reduce((total, num) => total + num, 0); sum === 15;
Avoid side effects in functions that should be pure, such as callbacks passed to methods like
.map()
,.filter()
etc.// bad - we expect .map() to return a new array without side effects const increasedByOne = numbers.map((num) => { if (num === 3) { sendEmail(); } return num + 1; }); // good - side effect is separated from pure function const increasedByOne = numbers.map((num) => num + 1); if (numbers.includes(3)) { sendEmail(); }
Do not use
for-in
loops. eslint:no-restricted-syntax
First, look for an array method that might do what you need.
If you don't find one, use
.forEach()
or afor-of
loop instead.// bad - don't use for-in for (let num in numbers) { console.log(num); } // bad - should use .reduce() like above let sum = 0; numbers.forEach((num) => sum += num); // good - iteration is suitable for side effects numbers.forEach((num) => console.log(num));
Prefer
.forEach()
at the end of an array method "chain" over afor-of
loop// bad for (const num of numbers.filter((num) => num % 2 === 0).map((num) => num * 5)) { console.log(num); } // good numbers.filter((num) => num % 2 === 0) .map((num) => num * 5) .forEach((num) => console.log(num));
-
11.2 Make sure the function signature of generators is spaced properly. eslint:
generator-star-spacing
Why?
function
and*
are part of the same conceptual keyword -*
is not a modifier forfunction
,function*
is a unique construct, different fromfunction
.// bad function * foo() { // ... } // bad const bar = function * () { // ... }; // bad const baz = function *() { // ... }; // bad const quux = function*() { // ... }; // bad function*foo() { // ... } // bad function *foo() { // ... } // very bad function * foo() { // ... } // very bad const wat = function * () { // ... }; // good function* foo() { // ... } // good const foo = function* () { // ... };
-
12.1 Use dot notation when accessing properties. eslint:
dot-notation
const luke = { jedi: true, age: 28, }; // bad const isJedi = luke['jedi']; // good const isJedi = luke.jedi;
-
12.2 Use bracket notation
[]
when accessing properties with a variable.const luke = { jedi: true, age: 28, }; function getProp(prop) { return luke[prop]; } const isJedi = getProp('jedi');
-
12.3 Use exponentiation operator
**
when calculating exponentiations. eslint:no-restricted-properties
.// bad const binary = Math.pow(2, 10); // good const binary = 2 ** 10;
-
13.1 Always use
const
orlet
to declare variables. Not doing so will result in global variables. We want to avoid polluting the global namespace. Captain Planet warned us of that. eslint:no-undef
prefer-const
// bad superPower = new SuperPower(); // good const superPower = new SuperPower();
-
13.2 Use one
const
orlet
declaration per variable or assignment. eslint:one-var
Why? It’s easier to add new variable declarations this way, and you never have to worry about swapping out a
;
for a,
or introducing punctuation-only diffs. You can also step through each declaration with the debugger, instead of jumping through all of them at once.// bad const items = getItems(), goSportsTeam = true, dragonball = 'z'; // bad // (compare to above, and try to spot the mistake) const items = getItems(), goSportsTeam = true; dragonball = 'z'; // good const items = getItems(); const goSportsTeam = true; const dragonball = 'z';
-
13.3 Group all your
const
s and then group all yourlet
s.Why? This is helpful when later on you might need to assign a variable depending on one of the previously assigned variables.
// bad let i, len, dragonball, items = getItems(), goSportsTeam = true; // bad let i; const items = getItems(); let dragonball; const goSportsTeam = true; let len; // good const goSportsTeam = true; const items = getItems(); let dragonball; let i; let length;
-
13.4 Assign variables where you need them, but place them in a reasonable place.
Why?
let
andconst
are block scoped and not function scoped.// bad - unnecessary function call function checkName(hasName) { const name = getName(); if (hasName === 'test') { return false; } if (name === 'test') { this.setName(''); return false; } return name; } // good function checkName(hasName) { if (hasName === 'test') { return false; } const name = getName(); if (name === 'test') { this.setName(''); return false; } return name; }
-
13.5 Don’t chain variable assignments. eslint:
no-multi-assign
Why? Chaining variable assignments creates implicit global variables.
// bad (function example() { // JavaScript interprets this as // let a = ( b = ( c = 1 ) ); // The let keyword only applies to variable a; variables b and c become // global variables. let a = b = c = 1; }()); console.log(a); // throws ReferenceError console.log(b); // 1 console.log(c); // 1 // good (function example() { let a = 1; let b = a; let c = a; }()); console.log(a); // throws ReferenceError console.log(b); // throws ReferenceError console.log(c); // throws ReferenceError // the same applies for `const`
-
13.6 Avoid using unary increments and decrements (
++
,--
). eslintno-plusplus
Why? Per the eslint documentation, unary increment and decrement statements are subject to automatic semicolon insertion and can cause silent errors with incrementing or decrementing values within an application. It is also more expressive to mutate your values with statements like
num += 1
instead ofnum++
ornum ++
. Disallowing unary increment and decrement statements also prevents you from pre-incrementing/pre-decrementing values unintentionally which can also cause unexpected behavior in your programs.// bad const array = [1, 2, 3]; let num = 1; num++; --num; let sum = 0; let truthyCount = 0; for (let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) { let value = array[i]; sum += value; if (value) { truthyCount++; } } // good const array = [1, 2, 3]; let num = 1; num += 1; num -= 1; const sum = array.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0); const truthyCount = array.filter(Boolean).length;
-
13.7 Avoid linebreaks before or after
=
in an assignment. If your assignment violatesmax-len
, surround the value in parens. eslintoperator-linebreak
.Why? Linebreaks surrounding
=
can obfuscate the value of an assignment.// bad const foo = superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongFunctionName(); // bad const foo = 'superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongString'; // good const foo = ( superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongFunctionName() ); // good const foo = 'superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongString';
-
13.8 Disallow unused variables. eslint:
no-unused-vars
Why? Variables that are declared and not used anywhere in the code are most likely an error due to incomplete refactoring. Such variables take up space in the code and can lead to confusion by readers.
// bad var some_unused_var = 42; // Write-only variables are not considered as used. var y = 10; y = 5; // A read for a modification of itself is not considered as used. var z = 0; z = z + 1; // Unused function arguments. function getX(x, y) { return x; } // good function getXPlusY(x, y) { return x + y; } var x = 1; var y = a + 2; alert(getXPlusY(x, y)); // 'type' is ignored even if unused because it has a rest property sibling. // This is a form of extracting an object that omits the specified keys. var { type, ...coords } = data; // 'coords' is now the 'data' object without its 'type' property.
-
14.1
var
declarations get hoisted to the top of their closest enclosing function scope, their assignment does not.const
andlet
declarations are blessed with a new concept called Temporal Dead Zones (TDZ). It’s important to know why typeof is no longer safe.// we know this wouldn’t work (assuming there // is no notDefined global variable) function example() { console.log(notDefined); // => throws a ReferenceError } // creating a variable declaration after you // reference the variable will work due to // variable hoisting. Note: the assignment // value of `true` is not hoisted. function example() { console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => undefined var declaredButNotAssigned = true; } // the interpreter is hoisting the variable // declaration to the top of the scope, // which means our example could be rewritten as: function example() { let declaredButNotAssigned; console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => undefined declaredButNotAssigned = true; } // using const and let function example() { console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => throws a ReferenceError console.log(typeof declaredButNotAssigned); // => throws a ReferenceError const declaredButNotAssigned = true; }
-
14.2 Anonymous function expressions hoist their variable name, but not the function assignment.
function example() { console.log(anonymous); // => undefined anonymous(); // => TypeError anonymous is not a function var anonymous = function () { console.log('anonymous function expression'); }; }
-
14.3 Named function expressions hoist the variable name, not the function name or the function body.
function example() { console.log(named); // => undefined named(); // => TypeError named is not a function superPower(); // => ReferenceError superPower is not defined var named = function superPower() { console.log('Flying'); }; } // the same is true when the function name // is the same as the variable name. function example() { console.log(named); // => undefined named(); // => TypeError named is not a function var named = function named() { console.log('named'); }; }
-
14.4 Function declarations hoist their name and the function body.
function example() { superPower(); // => Flying function superPower() { console.log('Flying'); } }
-
For more information refer to JavaScript Scoping & Hoisting by Ben Cherry.
-
15.2 Conditional statements such as the
if
statement evaluate their expression using coercion with theToBoolean
abstract method and always follow these simple rules:- Objects evaluate to true
- Undefined evaluates to false
- Null evaluates to false
- Booleans evaluate to the value of the boolean
- Numbers evaluate to false if +0, -0, or NaN, otherwise true
- Strings evaluate to false if an empty string
''
, otherwise true
if ([0] && []) { // true // an array (even an empty one) is an object, objects will evaluate to true }
-
15.3 Use shortcuts in conditions.
// bad if (isValid === true) { // ... } // good if (isValid) { // ... } // bad - the value might also be null or undefined if (name !== '') { // ... } // good - this avoids empty strings and all other falsy values if (name) { // ... } // bad if (collection.length > 0) { // ... } // good if (collection.length) { // ... } // ok - negative numbers are truthy, only 0 is falsy if (possiblyNegativeNumber > 0) { // ... } // bad - can be misleading since an empty array is truthy in JS, but // falsy in PHP, for example if (collection) { // ... } // best - ensures the array is neither falsy nor empty if (collection?.length) { // ... }
- 15.4 For more information see Truth Equality and JavaScript by Angus Croll.
-
15.5 Use braces to create blocks in
case
anddefault
clauses that contain lexical declarations (e.g.let
,const
,function
, andclass
). eslint:no-case-declarations
Why? Lexical declarations are visible in the entire
switch
block but only get initialized when assigned, which only happens when itscase
is reached. This causes problems when multiplecase
clauses attempt to define the same thing.// bad switch (foo) { case 1: let x = 1; break; case 2: const y = 2; break; case 3: function f() { // ... } break; default: class C {} } // good switch (foo) { case 1: { let x = 1; break; } case 2: { const y = 2; break; } case 3: { function f() { // ... } break; } case 4: bar(); break; default: { class C {} } }
-
15.6 Ternaries should not be nested and generally be single line expressions. eslint:
no-nested-ternary
// bad const foo = maybe1 > maybe2 ? "bar" : value1 > value2 ? "baz" : null; // split into 2 separated ternary expressions const maybeNull = value1 > value2 ? 'baz' : null; // better const foo = maybe1 > maybe2 ? 'bar' : maybeNull; // best const foo = maybe1 > maybe2 ? 'bar' : maybeNull;
-
15.7 Avoid unneeded ternary statements. eslint:
no-unneeded-ternary
// bad const bar = c ? true : false; const baz = c ? false : true; const foo = a ? a : b; // good const bar = !!c; const baz = !c; // good if you want to use b when a is any falsy value (including 0 and '') const foo = a || b; // good if you want to use b ONLY when a is undefined or null const foo = a ?? b; // bad const values = values ? values.map((value) => value.isValid()) : []; // good (assuming values is either an array or undefined or null) const values = (values ?? []).map((value) => value.isValid());
-
15.8 Use the optional chaining operator
?.
instead of a chain of&&
.// bad const authorName = comment && comment.post && comment.post.author && comment.post.author.name; // good const authorName = comment?.post?.author?.name; // bad if (data && data.order && data.order.isCompleted()) { // good if (data?.order?.isCompleted()) { // good for (const item of data?.order?.getItems() ?? []) {
-
15.9 When mixing operators, enclose them in parentheses. The only exception is the standard arithmetic operators:
+
,-
, and**
since their precedence is broadly understood. We recommend enclosing/
and*
in parentheses because their precedence can be ambiguous when they are mixed. eslint:no-mixed-operators
Why? This improves readability and clarifies the developer’s intention.
// bad const foo = a && b < 0 || c > 0 || d + 1 === 0; // bad const bar = a ** b - 5 % d; // bad // one may be confused into thinking (a || b) && c if (a || b && c) { return d; } // bad const bar = a + b / c * d; // good const foo = (a && b < 0) || c > 0 || (d + 1 === 0); // good const bar = a ** b - (5 % d); // good if (a || (b && c)) { return d; } // good const bar = a + (b / c) * d;
-
16.1 Use braces with all blocks. eslint:
curly
// bad if (test) return false; // bad if (test) return false; // good if (test) { return false; } // bad function foo() { return false; } // good function bar() { return false; }
-
16.2 If you’re using multiline blocks with
if
andelse
, putelse
on the same line as yourif
block’s closing brace. eslint:brace-style
// bad if (test) { thing1(); thing2(); } else { thing3(); } // good if (test) { thing1(); thing2(); } else { thing3(); }
-
16.3 If an
if
block always executes areturn
statement, the subsequentelse
block is unnecessary. Areturn
in anelse if
block following anif
block that contains areturn
can be separated into multipleif
blocks. eslint:no-else-return
// bad function foo() { if (x) { return x; } else { return y; } } // bad function cats() { if (x) { return x; } else if (y) { return y; } } // bad function dogs() { if (x) { return x; } else { if (y) { return y; } } } // good function foo() { if (x) { return x; } return y; } // good function cats() { if (x) { return x; } if (y) { return y; } } // good function dogs(x) { if (x) { if (z) { return y; } } else { return z; } }
-
17.1 In case your control statement (
if
,while
etc.) gets too long or exceeds the maximum line length, each (grouped) condition could be put into a new line. The logical operator should begin the line.Why? Requiring operators at the beginning of the line keeps the operators aligned and follows a pattern similar to method chaining. This also improves readability by making it easier to visually follow complex logic.
// bad if ((foo === 123 || bar === 'abc') && doesItLookGoodWhenItBecomesThatLong() && isThisReallyHappening()) { thing1(); } // bad if (foo === 123 && bar === 'abc') { thing1(); } // bad if (foo === 123 && bar === 'abc') { thing1(); } // bad if ( foo === 123 && bar === 'abc' ) { thing1(); } // good if ( foo === 123 && bar === 'abc' ) { thing1(); } // good if ( (foo === 123 || bar === 'abc') && doesItLookGoodWhenItBecomesThatLong() && isThisReallyHappening() ) { thing1(); } // good if (foo === 123 && bar === 'abc') { thing1(); }
-
17.2 Don't use selection operators in place of control statements.
// bad !isRunning && startRunning(); // good if (!isRunning) { startRunning(); }
-
18.1 Use
/** ... */
for multiline comments.// bad // make() returns a new element // based on the passed in tag name // // @param {String} tag // @return {Element} element function make(tag) { // ... return element; } // good /** * make() returns a new element * based on the passed-in tag name */ function make(tag) { // ... return element; }
-
18.2 Use
//
for single line comments. Place single line comments on a newline above the subject of the comment. Put an empty line before the comment unless it’s on the first line of a block.// bad const active = true; // is current tab // good // is current tab const active = true; // bad function getType() { console.log('fetching type...'); // set the default type to 'no type' const type = this.type || 'no type'; return type; } // good function getType() { console.log('fetching type...'); // set the default type to 'no type' const type = this.type || 'no type'; return type; } // also good function getType() { // set the default type to 'no type' const type = this.type || 'no type'; return type; }
-
18.3 Start all comments with a space to make it easier to read. eslint:
spaced-comment
// bad //is current tab const active = true; // good // is current tab const active = true; // bad /** *make() returns a new element *based on the passed-in tag name */ function make(tag) { // ... return element; } // good /** * make() returns a new element * based on the passed-in tag name */ function make(tag) { // ... return element; }
- 18.4 Prefixing your comments with
FIXME
orTODO
helps other developers quickly understand if you’re pointing out a problem that needs to be revisited, or if you’re suggesting a solution to the problem that needs to be implemented. These are different than regular comments because they are actionable. The actions areFIXME: -- need to figure this out
orTODO: -- need to implement
.
-
18.5 Use
// FIXME:
to annotate problems.class Calculator extends Abacus { constructor() { super(); // FIXME: shouldn’t use a global here total = 0; } }
-
18.6 Use
// TODO:
to annotate solutions to problems.class Calculator extends Abacus { constructor() { super(); // TODO: total should be configurable by an options param this.total = 0; } }
-
19.1 Use soft tabs (space character) set to 4 spaces. eslint:
indent
// bad function bar() { ∙let name; } // bad function baz() { ∙∙let name; } // good function foo() { ∙∙∙∙let name; }
-
19.2 Place 1 space before the leading brace. eslint:
space-before-blocks
// bad function test(){ console.log('test'); } // good function test() { console.log('test'); } // bad dog.set('attr',{ age: '1 year', breed: 'Bernese Mountain Dog', }); // good dog.set('attr', { age: '1 year', breed: 'Bernese Mountain Dog', });
-
19.3 Place 1 space before the opening parenthesis in control statements (
if
,while
etc.). Place no space between the argument list and the function name in function calls and declarations. eslint:keyword-spacing
// bad if(isJedi) { fight (); } // good if (isJedi) { fight(); } // bad function fight () { console.log ('Swooosh!'); } // good function fight() { console.log('Swooosh!'); }
-
19.4 Set off operators with spaces. eslint:
space-infix-ops
// bad const x=y+5; // good const x = y + 5;
-
19.5 End files with a single newline character. eslint:
eol-last
// bad import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; // ... export { es6 };
// bad import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; // ... export { es6 };↵ ↵
// good import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide'; // ... export { es6 };↵
-
19.6 Use indentation when making long method chains (more than 2 method chains). Use a leading dot, which emphasizes that the line is a method call, not a new statement. eslint:
newline-per-chained-call
no-whitespace-before-property
// bad $('#items').find('.selected').highlight().end().find('.open').updateCount(); // bad $('#items'). find('.selected'). highlight(). end(). find('.open'). updateCount(); // good $('#items') .find('.selected') .highlight() .end() .find('.open') .updateCount(); // bad const leds = stage.selectAll('.led').data(data).enter().append('svg:svg').classed('led', true) .attr('width', (radius + margin) * 2).append('svg:g') .attr('transform', `translate(${radius + margin},${radius + margin})`) .call(tron.led); // good const leds = stage.selectAll('.led') .data(data) .enter().append('svg:svg') .classed('led', true) .attr('width', (radius + margin) * 2) .append('svg:g') .attr('transform', `translate(${radius + margin},${radius + margin})`) .call(tron.led); // good const leds = stage.selectAll('.led').data(data);
-
19.7 Leave a blank line after blocks and before the next statement.
// bad if (foo) { return bar; } return baz; // good if (foo) { return bar; } return baz; // bad const obj = { foo() { }, bar() { }, }; return obj; // good const obj = { foo() { }, bar() { }, }; return obj; // bad const arr = [ function foo() { }, function bar() { }, ]; return arr; // good const arr = [ function foo() { }, function bar() { }, ]; return arr;
-
19.8 Do not pad your blocks with blank lines. eslint:
padded-blocks
// bad function bar() { console.log(foo); } // bad if (baz) { console.log(qux); } else { console.log(foo); } // bad class Foo { constructor(bar) { this.bar = bar; } } // good function bar() { console.log(foo); } // good if (baz) { console.log(qux); } else { console.log(foo); }
-
19.9 Do not use multiple blank lines to pad your code. eslint:
no-multiple-empty-lines
// bad class Person { constructor(fullName, email, birthday) { this.fullName = fullName; this.email = email; this.setAge(birthday); } setAge(birthday) { const today = new Date(); const age = this.getAge(today, birthday); this.age = age; } getAge(today, birthday) { // .. } } // good class Person { constructor(fullName, email, birthday) { this.fullName = fullName; this.email = email; this.setAge(birthday); } setAge(birthday) { const today = new Date(); const age = getAge(today, birthday); this.age = age; } getAge(today, birthday) { // .. } }
-
19.10 Do not add spaces inside parentheses. eslint:
space-in-parens
// bad function bar( foo ) { return foo; } // good function bar(foo) { return foo; } // bad if ( foo ) { console.log(foo); } // good if (foo) { console.log(foo); }
-
19.11 Do not add spaces inside brackets. eslint:
array-bracket-spacing
// bad const foo = [ 1, 2, 3 ]; console.log(foo[ 0 ]); // good const foo = [1, 2, 3]; console.log(foo[0]);
-
19.12 Add spaces inside curly braces. eslint:
object-curly-spacing
// bad const foo = {clark: 'kent'}; // good const foo = { clark: 'kent' };
-
19.13 Avoid having lines of code that are longer than 100 characters (including whitespace). Note: per above, long strings are exempt from this rule, and should not be broken up. eslint:
max-len
Why? This ensures readability and maintainability.
// bad const foo = someValue1 && someValue2 && someValue3 && someValue4 && someValue5 && someValue6 && someValue7; // bad $.ajax({ method: 'POST', url: 'https://airbnb.com/', data: { name: 'John' } }).done(() => console.log('Congratulations!')).fail(() => console.log('You have failed this city.')); // good const foo = someValue1 && someValue2 && someValue3 && someValue4 && someValue5 && someValue6 && someValue7; // good $.ajax({ method: 'POST', url: 'https://airbnb.com/', data: { name: 'John' }, }) .done(() => console.log('Congratulations!')) .fail(() => console.log('You have failed this city.'));
-
19.14 Require consistent spacing inside an open block token and the next token on the same line. This rule also enforces consistent spacing inside a close block token and previous token on the same line. eslint:
block-spacing
// bad function foo() {return true;} if (foo) { bar = 0;} // good function foo() { return true; } if (foo) { bar = 0; }
-
19.15 Avoid spaces before commas and require a space after commas. eslint:
comma-spacing
// bad var foo = 1,bar = 2; var arr = [1 , 2]; // good var foo = 1, bar = 2; var arr = [1, 2];
-
19.16 Enforce spacing inside of computed property brackets. eslint:
computed-property-spacing
// bad obj[foo ] obj[ 'foo'] var x = {[ b ]: a} obj[foo[ bar ]] // good obj[foo] obj['foo'] var x = { [b]: a } obj[foo[bar]]
-
19.17 Avoid spaces between functions and their invocations. eslint:
func-call-spacing
// bad func (); func (); // good func();
-
19.18 Enforce spacing between keys and values in object literal properties. eslint:
key-spacing
// bad var obj = { foo : 42 }; var obj2 = { foo:42 }; // good var obj = { foo: 42 };
- 19.19 Avoid trailing spaces at the end of lines. eslint:
no-trailing-spaces
-
19.20 Avoid multiple empty lines, only allow one newline at the end of files, and avoid a newline at the beginning of files. eslint:
no-multiple-empty-lines
// bad - multiple empty lines var x = 1; var y = 2; // bad - 2+ newlines at end of file var x = 1; var y = 2; // bad - 1+ newline(s) at beginning of file var x = 1; var y = 2; // good var x = 1; var y = 2;
-
20.1 Leading commas: Nope. eslint:
comma-style
// bad const story = [ once , upon , aTime ]; // good const story = [ once, upon, aTime, ]; // bad const hero = { firstName: 'Ada' , lastName: 'Lovelace' , birthYear: 1815 , superPower: 'computers' }; // good const hero = { firstName: 'Ada', lastName: 'Lovelace', birthYear: 1815, superPower: 'computers', };
-
20.2 Additional trailing comma: Yup. eslint:
comma-dangle
Why? This leads to cleaner git diffs. Also, transpilers like Babel will remove the additional trailing comma in the transpiled code which means you don’t have to worry about the trailing comma problem in legacy browsers.
// bad - git diff without trailing comma const hero = { firstName: 'Florence', - lastName: 'Nightingale' + lastName: 'Nightingale', + inventorOf: ['coxcomb chart', 'modern nursing'] }; // good - git diff with trailing comma const hero = { firstName: 'Florence', lastName: 'Nightingale', + inventorOf: ['coxcomb chart', 'modern nursing'], };
// bad const hero = { firstName: 'Dana', lastName: 'Scully' }; const heroes = [ 'Batman', 'Superman' ]; // good const hero = { firstName: 'Dana', lastName: 'Scully', }; const heroes = [ 'Batman', 'Superman', ]; // bad function createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf ) { // does nothing } // good function createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf, ) { // does nothing } // good (note that a comma must not appear after a "rest" element) function createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf, ...heroArgs ) { // does nothing } // bad createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf ); // good createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf, ); // good (note that a comma must not appear after a "rest" element) createHero( firstName, lastName, inventorOf, ...heroArgs );
-
Why? When JavaScript encounters a line break without a semicolon, it uses a set of rules called Automatic Semicolon Insertion to determine whether or not it should regard that line break as the end of a statement, and (as the name implies) place a semicolon into your code before the line break if it thinks so. ASI contains a few eccentric behaviors, though, and your code will break if JavaScript misinterprets your line break. These rules will become more complicated as new features become a part of JavaScript. Explicitly terminating your statements and configuring your linter to catch missing semicolons will help prevent you from encountering issues.
// bad - raises exception const luke = {} const leia = {} [luke, leia].forEach((jedi) => jedi.father = 'vader') // bad - raises exception const reaction = "No! That’s impossible!" (async function meanwhileOnTheFalcon() { // handle `leia`, `lando`, `chewie`, `r2`, `c3p0` // ... }()) // bad - returns `undefined` instead of the value on the next line - always happens when `return` is on a line by itself because of ASI! function foo() { return 'search your feelings, you know it to be foo' } // good const luke = {}; const leia = {}; [luke, leia].forEach((jedi) => { jedi.father = 'vader'; }); // good const reaction = "No! That’s impossible!"; (async function meanwhileOnTheFalcon() { // handle `leia`, `lando`, `chewie`, `r2`, `c3p0` // ... }()); // good function foo() { return 'search your feelings, you know it to be foo'; }
- 22.1 Perform type coercion at the beginning of the statement.
-
22.2 Strings: eslint:
no-new-wrappers
// => this.reviewScore = 9; // bad const totalScore = new String(this.reviewScore); // typeof totalScore is "object" not "string" // bad const totalScore = this.reviewScore + ''; // invokes this.reviewScore.valueOf() // bad const totalScore = this.reviewScore.toString(); // isn’t guaranteed to return a string // good const totalScore = String(this.reviewScore);
-
22.3 Numbers: Use
Number
for type casting andparseInt
always with a radix for parsing strings. eslint:radix
no-new-wrappers
Why? The
parseInt
function produces an integer value dictated by interpretation of the contents of the string argument according to the specified radix. Leading whitespace in string is ignored. If radix isundefined
or0
, it is assumed to be10
except when the number begins with the character pairs0x
or0X
, in which case a radix of 16 is assumed. This differs from ECMAScript 3, which merely discouraged (but allowed) octal interpretation. Many implementations have not adopted this behavior as of 2013. And, because older browsers must be supported, always specify a radix.const inputValue = '4'; // bad const val = new Number(inputValue); // bad const val = +inputValue; // bad const val = inputValue >> 0; // bad const val = parseInt(inputValue); // good const val = Number(inputValue); // good const val = parseInt(inputValue, 10);
-
22.4 If for whatever reason you are doing something wild and
parseInt
is your bottleneck and need to use Bitshift for performance reasons, leave a comment explaining why and what you’re doing.// good /** * parseInt was the reason my code was slow. * Bitshifting the String to coerce it to a * Number made it a lot faster. */ const val = inputValue >> 0;
-
22.5 Note: Be careful when using bitshift operations. Numbers are represented as 64-bit values, but bitshift operations always return a 32-bit integer (source). Bitshift can lead to unexpected behavior for integer values larger than 32 bits. Discussion. Largest signed 32-bit Int is 2,147,483,647:
2147483647 >> 0; // => 2147483647 2147483648 >> 0; // => -2147483648 2147483649 >> 0; // => -2147483647
-
22.6 Booleans: eslint:
no-new-wrappers
const age = 0; // bad const hasAge = new Boolean(age); // good const hasAge = Boolean(age); // best const hasAge = !!age;
-
23.1 Avoid single letter names. Be descriptive with your naming. eslint:
id-length
// bad function q() { // ... } // good function query() { // ... }
-
23.2 Use camelCase when naming objects, functions, and instances. eslint:
camelcase
// bad const OBJEcttsssss = {}; const this_is_my_object = {}; function c() {} // good const thisIsMyObject = {}; function thisIsMyFunction() {}
-
23.3 Use PascalCase only when naming constructors or classes. eslint:
new-cap
// bad function user(options) { this.name = options.name; } const bad = new user({ name: 'nope', }); // good class User { constructor(options) { this.name = options.name; } } const good = new User({ name: 'yup', });
-
23.4 Do not use trailing or leading underscores. eslint:
no-underscore-dangle
Why? JavaScript does not have the concept of privacy in terms of properties or methods. Although a leading underscore is a common convention to mean “private”, in fact, these properties are fully public, and as such, are part of your public API contract. This convention might lead developers to wrongly think that a change won’t count as breaking, or that tests aren’t needed. tl;dr: if you want something to be “private”, it must not be observably present.
// bad this.__firstName__ = 'Panda'; this.firstName_ = 'Panda'; this._firstName = 'Panda'; // good this.firstName = 'Panda'; // good, in environments where WeakMaps are available // see https://kangax.github.io/compat-table/es6/#test-WeakMap const firstNames = new WeakMap(); firstNames.set(this, 'Panda');
-
23.5 Don’t save references to
this
. Use arrow functions or Function#bind.// bad function foo() { const self = this; return function () { console.log(self); }; } // bad function foo() { const that = this; return function () { console.log(that); }; } // good function foo() { return () => { console.log(this); }; }
-
23.6 Use PascalCase when you export a constructor / class / singleton / function library / bare object.
const AirbnbStyleGuide = { es6: { }, }; export { AirbnbStyleGuide };
-
23.9 You may optionally uppercase constants.
// bad export let REASSIGNABLE_VARIABLE = 'do not use let with uppercase variables'; // good export const DEFAULT_LANG = 'et';
- 24.1 Accessor functions for properties are not required.
-
24.2 Do not use JavaScript getters/setters as they cause unexpected side effects and are harder to test, maintain, and reason about. Instead, if you do make accessor functions, use
getVal()
andsetVal('hello')
.// bad class Dragon { get age() { // ... } set age(value) { // ... } } // good class Dragon { getAge() { // ... } setAge(value) { // ... } }
-
24.3 If the property/method is a
boolean
, useisVal()
orhasVal()
.// bad if (!dragon.age()) { return false; } // good if (!dragon.hasAge()) { return false; }
-
24.4 It’s okay to create
get()
andset()
functions, but be consistent.class Jedi { constructor(options = {}) { const lightsaber = options.lightsaber || 'blue'; this.set('lightsaber', lightsaber); } set(key, val) { this[key] = val; } get(key) { return this[key]; } }
-
25.1 When attaching data payloads to events (whether DOM events or something more proprietary like Backbone events), pass an object literal (also known as a "hash") instead of a raw value. This allows a subsequent contributor to add more data to the event payload without finding and updating every handler for the event. For example, instead of:
// bad $(this).trigger('listingUpdated', listing.id); // ... $(this).on('listingUpdated', (e, listingID) => { // do something with listingID });
prefer:
// good $(this).trigger('listingUpdated', { listingID: listing.id }); // ... $(this).on('listingUpdated', (e, data) => { // do something with data.listingID });
You might not need jQuery. Think twice before using jQuery for something that is available for use via native DOM APIs.
-
26.1 Do not prefix jQuery object variables with a
$
.// bad const $sidebar = $('.sidebar'); // bad const $sidebarBtn = $('.sidebar-btn'); // good const sidebar = $('.sidebar');
-
26.2 Cache jQuery lookups.
// bad function setSidebar() { $('.sidebar').hide(); // ... $('.sidebar').css({ 'background-color': 'pink', }); } // good function setSidebar() { const sidebar = $('.sidebar'); sidebar.hide(); // ... sidebar.css({ 'background-color': 'pink', }); }
-
26.4 Use
find
with scoped jQuery object queries.// bad $('ul', '.sidebar').hide(); // bad $('.sidebar').find('ul').hide(); // good $('.sidebar ul').hide(); // good $('.sidebar > ul').hide(); // good const sidebar = $('.sidebar'); sidebar.find('ul').hide();
- 26.5 Name queried element objects inside each appropriately.
// good
$('.sidebar').each((element: HTMLElement) => {
const sidebar = $(element);
});
- 27.1 Refer to Kangax’s ES5 compatibility table.
- 28.1 This is a collection of links to the various ES6+ features.
- Arrow Functions
- Classes
- Object Shorthand
- Object Concise
- Object Computed Properties
- Template Strings
- Destructuring
- Default Parameters
- Rest
- Array Spreads
- Let and Const
- Exponentiation Operator
- Iterators and Generators
- Modules
-
28.2 Do not use TC39 proposals that have not reached stage 3.
Why? They are not finalized, and they are subject to change or to be withdrawn entirely. We want to use JavaScript, and proposals are not JavaScript yet.
The Standard Library contains utilities that are functionally broken but remain for legacy reasons.
-
29.1 Use
Number.isNaN
instead of globalisNaN
. eslint:no-restricted-globals
Why? The global
isNaN
coerces non-numbers to numbers, returning true for anything that coerces to NaN. If this behavior is desired, make it explicit.// bad isNaN('1.2'); // false isNaN('1.2.3'); // true // good Number.isNaN('1.2.3'); // false Number.isNaN(Number('1.2.3')); // true
-
29.2 Use
Number.isFinite
instead of globalisFinite
. eslint:no-restricted-globals
Why? The global
isFinite
coerces non-numbers to numbers, returning true for anything that coerces to a finite number. If this behavior is desired, make it explicit.// bad isFinite('2e3'); // true // good Number.isFinite('2e3'); // false Number.isFinite(parseInt('2e3', 10)); // true
TypeScript saves you time catching errors and providing fixes before you run code.
-
30.1 Use strict mode in TypeScript.
Set
"strict": true,
in yourtsconfig.json
to catch subtle bugs and enforce best practices.
-
30.2 Specify return types for functions that return object literals. eslint:
require-return-types-for-object-literals
This helps to catch bugs when you accidentally include extraneous properties in a directly returned object literal.
For example, in this code, TypeScript won't help you catch the slightly different property name:
interface User { name: string isDisabled?: boolean } const createUser = () => ({ name: 'Steve', disabled: true }) const user: User = createUser()
Also, searching for all usages of the
name
property in an IDE would not list this function. Neither would you be able to navigate to the definition from the property in the literal.But if you specify the return type -
const createUser = (): User => ...
- the error is caught and code navigation works as expected.// bad const fn = () => { return { foo: 'bar' }; }; // good const fn = (): Foo => { return { foo: 'bar' }; }; // bad const fn = () => ({ foo: 'bar' }); // good const fn = (): Foo => ({ foo: 'bar' }); // ok - we're returning a typed variable instead of a literal const fn = () => { const foo: Foo = { foo: 'bar' }; return foo; }; // ok - we're not returning an object literal const fn1 = () => 'foo'; // string literal const fn2 = () => foo; // variable - may hold an object const fn3 = () => foo(); // expression - may evaluate to an object
-
30.3 Avoid excessive type annotations.
There are cases where annotating code elements with explicit types is highly useful or even necessary, for example:
- Function parameters
- Return types of some functions, such as:
- Module boundaries (exported functions)
- The scenario described above
- Where TypeScript is unable to infer the correct type
- Where it improves code readability and/or type checking performance
However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
Use of the ESLint typedef rule is discouraged, even by its own documentation:
Note: requiring type annotations unnecessarily can be cumbersome to maintain and generally reduces code readability. TypeScript is often better at inferring types than easily written type annotations would allow.
Instead of enabling
typedef
, it is generally recommended to use the--noImplicitAny
and--strictPropertyInitialization
compiler options to enforce type annotations only when useful.Both of the recommended compiler options are enabled in strict mode.
When tools like TypeScript and ESLint allow either specifying or omitting the type, use your best judgement and these examples to decide:
// good const text = 'text'; const value = 42; const [first, second] = array; const { name, role } = user; // unnecessary in most cases const text: string = 'text'; const value: number = 42; const [first, second]: [string, string] = array; const { name, role }: { name: string, role: string } = user; // bad (and an error in TypeScript strict mode) const logSize = (size) => console.log(size); // good const logSize = (size: number) => console.log(size); // good const logSize = (size: number): void => console.log(size); // bad const logSize: (size: number) => void = (size: number): void => console.log(size); // good strings.map((str) => str.length); // unnecessary in most cases strings.map((str: string) => str.length);
-
30.4 Never use
any
type.Use
unknown
if you truly don't know the type.unknown
enforces using type guards to check the actual type of variable, whileany
does not.// bad const foo = (bar: any) => { return bar.test; // possible runtime error, no compile error } const foo = (bar: unknown) => { return bar.test; // compile error } // good interface TestData { test: string; } const barIsTest = (obj: unknown): obj is TestData => { return typeof obj === "object" && !! obj && "test" in obj; } const fooUnknown = (bar: unknown) => { if (barIsTest(bar)) { return bar.test; // no compile error } return; }
-
30.5
null
vsundefined
.Use
null
type to mark a variable explicitly empty.undefined
is filled from default values, whilenull
is not.interface ButtonData { value?: string | null } const renderButton = (data?: ButtonData): string | null => { const { value = 'defaultValue', } = data return value; } renderButton() // -> "defaultValue" renderButton({ value: 'myValue' }) // -> "myValue" renderButton({ value: null }) // -> null renderButton({ value: undefined }) // -> "defaultValue"
-
30.6 Do not add prefixes to types and interfaces.
Types and interfaces should have descriptive, distinct names. It is not necessary to prefix types and interfaces when they are named appropriately.
// worst interface IButton { text: string; } type TType = 'primary' | 'secondary'; // bad interface IButtonProps { text: string; } type TButtonType = 'primary' | 'secondary'; // good interface ButtonData { text: string; } type ButtonType = 'primary' | 'secondary';
-
30.7
type
vsinterface
.Use
interface
instead oftype
for object-like types, wherever possible. Interfaces perform better.// bad type Foo = { foo: string; } type Bar = Foo & { bar: string; } // good interface Foo { foo: string; } interface Bar extends Foo { bar: string; }
Using types is still OK if the base type is a union, as that cannot be extended as an interface:
// OK interface FooA { fooA: string; } interface FooB { fooB: string; } type Foo = FooA | FooB; type Bar = Foo & { bar: string; }
-
30.8 Export types only when they are part of the public API
// This should be exported because render function is exported. export interface RenderData { text: string; } export const render = (data: RenderData) => { return format({ text: data.text }); }); // This should not be exported because it is used in an internal function that is not exported. interface FormatData = { text: string; } const format = (data: FormatData) => data.text;
-
30.9 Using modifiers
Access modifiers is a tool to help you to prevent accidentally breaking encapsulation. Ask yourself if you intend the member to be something that's internal to the class, class hierarchy or public, and choose access level accordingly.
Examples:
- A field
internalCounter
should probably be private since it's mutable and an implementation detail. - An internal
beforeRender()
method called right before rendering and used as a hook in subclasses should be protected. - A
render()
method which is called from external code should be public.
class Foo { private renderCounter: number = 0; public render(): void { this.beforeRender(); // render } protected beforeRender(): void { this.renderCounter += 1; } }
- A field
-
30.10 Property order
In object literals, prefer the same property order as in the interface declaration.
interface TextField { id: string; value: string; onChange: (newValue: string) => void; attributes?: Attributes; } // bad const textField: TextField = { attributes, value: 'foo', id: 'bar', onChange: handleChange, }; // good const textField: TextField = { id: 'bar', value: 'foo', onChange: handleChange, attributes, };
Note: this may become less clear in certain situations, for example when one interface extends another.
Therefore it is not always a strictly enforcable rule - simply try to order the properties in a way that feels "natural".
- On Layout & Web Performance
- String vs Array Concat
- Try/Catch Cost In a Loop
- Bang Function
- jQuery Find vs Context, Selector
- innerHTML vs textContent for script text
- Long String Concatenation
- Are JavaScript functions like
map()
,reduce()
, andfilter()
optimized for traversing arrays? - Loading...
Learning ES6+
Maybe Read This
Tools
Other Style Guides
- Google JavaScript Style Guide
- Google JavaScript Style Guide (Old)
- jQuery Core Style Guidelines
- Principles of Writing Consistent, Idiomatic JavaScript
- StandardJS
Other Styles
- Naming this in nested functions - Christian Johansen
- Conditional Callbacks - Ross Allen
- Popular JavaScript Coding Conventions on GitHub - JeongHoon Byun
- Multiple var statements in JavaScript, not superfluous - Ben Alman
Further Reading
- Understanding JavaScript Closures - Angus Croll
- Basic JavaScript for the impatient programmer - Dr. Axel Rauschmayer
- You Might Not Need jQuery - Zack Bloom & Adam Schwartz
- ES6 Features - Luke Hoban
- Frontend Guidelines - Benjamin De Cock
- clean-code-javascript
Books
- JavaScript: The Good Parts - Douglas Crockford
- JavaScript Patterns - Stoyan Stefanov
- Pro JavaScript Design Patterns - Ross Harmes and Dustin Diaz
- High Performance Web Sites: Essential Knowledge for Front-End Engineers - Steve Souders
- Maintainable JavaScript - Nicholas C. Zakas
- JavaScript Web Applications - Alex MacCaw
- Pro JavaScript Techniques - John Resig
- Smashing Node.js: JavaScript Everywhere - Guillermo Rauch
- Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja - John Resig and Bear Bibeault
- Human JavaScript - Henrik Joreteg
- Superhero.js - Kim Joar Bekkelund, Mads Mobæk, & Olav Bjorkoy
- JSBooks - Julien Bouquillon
- Third Party JavaScript - Ben Vinegar and Anton Kovalyov
- Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript - David Herman
- Eloquent JavaScript - Marijn Haverbeke
- You Don’t Know JS: ES6 & Beyond - Kyle Simpson
Blogs
- JavaScript Weekly
- JavaScript, JavaScript...
- Bocoup Weblog
- Adequately Good
- NCZOnline
- Perfection Kills
- Ben Alman
- Dmitry Baranovskiy
- nettuts
Podcasts
(The MIT License)
Copyright (c) 2012 Airbnb
Copyright (c) 2021 gotoAndPlay
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the 'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
We encourage you to fork this guide and change the rules to fit your team’s style guide. Below, you may list some amendments to the style guide. This allows you to periodically update your style guide without having to deal with merge conflicts.