Node.js Style Guide

• Formatting

  • Use 2 spaces for indentation (no tabs)
  • Use UNIX-style newlines (\n)
  • No trailing whitespace
  • Use semicolons
  • Limit lines to 80 characters
  • Use single quotes (except for JSON)
  • Opening braces go on the same line
  • Declare one variable per var statement

• Naming Conventions

  • Use lowerCamelCase for variables, properties and function names
  • Use UpperCamelCase for class names
  • Use UPPERCASE for constants
  • Use descriptive names (avoid single characters and uncommon abbreviations)

• Variables

  • Use trailing commas in multiline object and array literals
  • Put short declarations on a single line
  • Only quote object keys when necessary

• Conditionals

  • Always use the === operator
  • Use multi-line format for ternary operators
  • Use descriptive variables for non-trivial conditions

• Functions

  • Write small functions (aim for ~15 lines or less)
  • Return early from functions to avoid deep nesting
  • Name your closures for better debugging
  • Avoid nested closures
  • For method chaining, use one method per line with indentation

• Comments

  • Use slashes for both single line and multi-line comments
  • Write comments that explain higher-level mechanisms
  • Don't comment on obvious code

• Best Practices

  • Avoid Object.freeze, Object.preventExtensions, Object.seal, with, and eval
  • Put all requires at the top of file
  • Avoid using getters and setters with side effects
  • Never extend built-in prototypes