Airbnb JavaScript Style Guide() {
A mostly reasonable approach to JavaScript
Note: this guide assumes you are using Babel, and requires that you use babel-preset-airbnb or the equivalent. It also assumes you are installing shims/polyfills in your app, with airbnb-browser-shims or the equivalent.
This guide is available in other languages too. See Translation
Other Style Guides
Table of Contents
- Types
- References
- Objects
- Arrays
- Destructuring
- Strings
- Functions
- Arrow Functions
- Classes & Constructors
- Modules
- Iterators and Generators
- Properties
- Variables
- Hoisting
- Comparison Operators & Equality
- Blocks
- Control Statements
- Comments
- Whitespace
- Commas
- Semicolons
- Type Casting & Coercion
- Naming Conventions
- Accessors
- Events
- jQuery
- ECMAScript 5 Compatibility
- ECMAScript 6+ (ES 2015+) Styles
- Standard Library
- Testing
- Performance
- Resources
- In the Wild
- Translation
- The JavaScript Style Guide Guide
- Chat With Us About JavaScript
- Contributors
- License
- Amendments
Types
-
1.1 Primitives: When you access a primitive type you work directly on its value.
string
number
boolean
null
undefined
symbol
const foo = 1; let bar = foo; bar = 9; console.log(foo, bar); // => 1, 9
- Symbols cannot be faithfully polyfilled, so they should not be used when targeting browsers/environments that don’t support them natively.
-
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
References
-
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
Objects
-
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 Group your shorthand properties at the beginning of your object declaration.
Why? It’s easier to tell which properties are using the shorthand.
const anakinSkywalker = 'Anakin Skywalker'; const lukeSkywalker = 'Luke Skywalker'; // bad const obj = { episodeOne: 1, twoJediWalkIntoACantina: 2, lukeSkywalker, episodeThree: 3, mayTheFourth: 4, anakinSkywalker, }; // good const obj = { lukeSkywalker, anakinSkywalker, episodeOne: 1, twoJediWalkIntoACantina: 2, episodeThree: 3, mayTheFourth: 4, };
-
3.6 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, };
-
3.7 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));
-
3.8 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.// 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 }
Arrays
-
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, ];
Destructuring
-
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.
// 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} ${lastName}`; } // best function getFullName({ firstName, lastName }) { return `${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);
Strings
-
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}'`;
Functions
-
7.1 Use named function expressions instead of function declarations. 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! Don’t forget to explicitly name the expression, regardless of whether or not the name is inferred from the containing variable (which is often the case in modern browsers or when using compilers such as Babel). This eliminates any assumptions made about the Error’s call stack. (Discussion)
// bad function foo() { // ... } // bad const foo = function () { // ... }; // good // lexical name distinguished from the variable-referenced invocation(s) const short = function longUniqueMoreDescriptiveLexicalFoo() { // ... };
-
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