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rwaldron/idiomatic.js

25,695Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5DormantLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A style guide for writing clean, consistent JavaScript code that looks like one person wrote it, regardless of team size.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Coding conventions
      Formatting rules
      Naming standards
      Pattern guidance
    How to use it
      Read the guide
      Team agreement
      Pair with linters
    Use cases
      New projects
      Team onboarding
      Open source
    Scope
      Language level
      Framework agnostic
      Multi-language docs

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Establish a shared coding standard when starting a new JavaScript project with a team.

USE CASE 2

Onboard new developers by giving them a single reference document for code style expectations.

USE CASE 3

Coordinate code style across open-source projects with many contributors from different backgrounds.

USE CASE 4

Pair with linting tools like ESLint to automatically enforce style rules in your codebase.

Tech stack

JavaScript

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

Idiomatic.js is a style guide, a written document, not a software tool, that lays out principles for writing JavaScript code that is clean, consistent, and readable. The core idea is simple: no matter how many different people work on a codebase, all the code should look as if one person wrote it. That means agreeing on things like how to format whitespace, how to name variables, how to structure functions, and how to handle common patterns in the language. It works as a reference document rather than an automated enforcer. Developers read it, agree to follow its conventions for a project, and use linting tools like eslint or jshint (mentioned in the guide) to catch deviations automatically. You would use this when starting a new JavaScript project and wanting to establish a shared coding standard, or when onboarding new team members and needing a common reference. It is especially useful in open-source projects where many contributors work on the same code. Idiomatic.js has been translated into many languages including German, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and more, making it accessible to a global audience. There is no specific runtime or framework required, these are language-level conventions applicable to any JavaScript project.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I'm starting a new JavaScript project with a team. How do I use idiomatic.js to set up our coding standards?
Prompt 2
Show me the key sections of idiomatic.js that cover variable naming, function structure, and whitespace formatting.
Prompt 3
How do I integrate idiomatic.js conventions with ESLint configuration for my project?
Prompt 4
I need to onboard a new developer. What parts of idiomatic.js should I highlight first?
Prompt 5
Which idiomatic.js rules are most important for keeping a large open-source codebase consistent?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.