
TypeScript Style Guide
Introduction
TypeScript Style Guide provides a concise set of conventions and best practices used to create consistent, maintainable code.
As projects grow in size and complexity, maintaining code quality and ensuring consistent practices becomes increasingly challenging. Defining and following a standard way to write TypeScript applications brings consistent codebase and faster development cycles.
Table of Contents
About Guide
As any code style guide is opinionated, this is no different as it tries to set conventions (sometimes arbitrary) that govern our code.
Since "consistency is the key", style guide strives to enforce majority of the rules by using automated tooling as ESLint, TypeScript, Prettier, etc.
Still certain design and architectural decisions must be followed which are described with conventions bellow.
Disclaimer
You don't have to follow every convention exactly as it is written in guide, decide what works best for your product and team and stay consistent with your codebase.
Requirements
Style Guide requires you to use:
- TypeScript v5
- typescript-eslint v6 with
strict-type-checked
,stylistic-type-checked
configurations enabled.
Style Guide assumes using, but is not limited to:
- React as UI library for frontend conventions.
- Jest and Testing Library for testing conventions.
TLDR
- Strive for data immutability. ⭣
- Embrace const assertions. ⭣
- Avoid type assertions. ⭣
- Strive for functions to be pure, stateless and have single responsibility. ⭣
- Majority of function arguments should be required (use optional sparingly). ⭣
- Strong emphasis to keep naming conventions consistent and readable. ⭣
- Use named exports. ⭣
- Code is organized and grouped by feature. Collocate code as close as possible to where it's relevant. ⭣
- UI components must only show derived state and send events, nothing more (no business logic). ⭣
- Test business logic, not implementation details. ⭣
Data Immutability
Majority of the data should be immutable (use Readonly
, ReadonlyArray
, always return new array, object etc). To keep cognitive load for future developers low, try to keep data objects small.
As an exception mutations should be used sparingly in cases where truly necessary: complex objects, performance reasoning etc.
Types
Type Inference
As rule of thumb, explicitly declare a type when it help narrows it.
// ❌ Avoid - Type can be inferred
const userRole: string = 'admin'; // Type 'string'
const employees = new Map<string, number>([['gabriel', 32]]);
const [isActive, setIsActive] = useState<boolean>(false);
// ✅ Use
const USER_ROLE = 'admin'; // Type 'admin'
const employees = new Map([['gabriel', 32]]); // Type 'Map<string, number>'
const [isActive, setIsActive] = useState(false); // Type 'boolean'
// ❌ Avoid - Type can be narrowed
const employees = new Map(); // Type 'Map<any, any>'
employees.set('lea', 'foo-anything');
type UserRole = 'admin' | 'guest';
const [userRole, setUserRole] = useState('admin'); // Type 'string'
// ✅ Use
const employees = new Map<string, number>(); // Type 'Map<string, number>'
employees.set('gabriel', 32);
type UserRole = 'admin' | 'guest';
const [userRole, setUserRole] = useState<UserRole>('admin'); // Type 'UserRole'
Return Types
Including return type annotations is highly encouraged, altought not required (eslint rule).
Consider benefits when explicitly typing the return value of a function:
- Return values makes it clear and easy to understand to any calling code what type is returned.
- In the case where there is no return value, the calling code doesn't try to use the undefined value when it shouldn't.
- Surface potential type errors faster in the future if there are code changes that change the return type of the function.
- Easier to refactor, since it ensures that the return value is assigned to a variable of the correct type.
- Similar to writing tests before implementation (TDD), defining function arguments and return type, gives you the opportunity to discuss the feature functionality and its interface ahead of implementation.
- Although type inference is very convenient, adding return types can save TypeScript compiler a lot of work.
Template Literal Types
Embrace using template literal types, instead of just (wide) string
type.
Template literal types have many applicable use cases e.g. API endpoints, routing, internationalization, database queries, CSS typings ...
// ❌ Avoid
const userEndpoint = '/api/usersss'; // Type 'string' - no error
// ✅ Use
type ApiRoute = 'users' | 'posts' | 'comments';
type ApiEndpoint = `/api/${ApiRoute}`;
const userEndpoint: ApiEndpoint = '/api/users';
// ❌ Avoid
const homeTitleTranslation = 'transltion.hom.title'; // Type 'string' - no error
// ✅ Use
type LocaleKeyPages = 'home' | 'about' | 'contact';
type TranslationKey = `translation.${LocaleKeyPages}.${string}`;
const homeTitleTranslation: TranslationKey = 'translation.home.title';
// ❌ Avoid
const color = 'blue-450'; // Type 'string' - no error
// ✅ Use
type BaseColor = 'blue' | 'red' | 'yellow' | 'gray';
type Variant = 50 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400;
// Type blue-50, blue-100, blue-200, blue-300, blue-400, red-50, red-100, #AD3128 ...
type Color = `${BaseColor}-${Variant}` | `#${string}`;
Type any & unknown
any
data type must not be used as it represents literally “any” value that TypeScript defaults to and skips type checking since it cannot infer the type. As such, any
is dangerous, it can mask severe programming errors.
When dealing with ambiguous data type use unknown
, which is the type-safe counterpart of any
.
unknown
doesn't allow dereferencing all properties (anything can be assigned to unknown
, but unknown
isn’t assignable to anything).
// ❌ Avoid any
const foo: any = 'five';
const bar: number = bar; // no type error
// ✅ Use unknown
const foo: unknown = 5;
const bar: number = foo; // type error - Type 'unknown' is not assignable to type 'number'
// Narrow the type before dereferencing it using:
// Type guard
const isNumber = (num: unknown): num is number => {
return typeof num === 'number';
};
if (!isNumber(foo)) {
throw Error(`API provided a fault value for field 'foo':${foo}. Should be a number!`);
}
const bar: number = foo;
// Type assertion
const bar: number = foo as number;
Type & Non-nullability Assertions
Type assertions user as User
and non-nullability assertions user!.name
are unsafe. Both only silence TypeScript compiler and increase the risk of crashing application at runtime.
They can only be used as an exceptions (e.g. third party library types mismatch, dereferencing unknown
etc.) with strong rational why being introduced into codebase.
type User = { id: string; username: string; avatar: string | null };
// ❌ Avoid type assertions
const user = { name: 'Nika' } as User;
// ❌ Avoid non-nullability assertions
renderUserAvatar(user!.avatar); // Runtime error
const renderUserAvatar = (avatar: string) => {...}
Type Error
If TypeScript error can't be mitigated, as last resort use @ts-expect-error
to suppress it (eslint rule). If at any future point suppressed line becomes error-free, TypeScript compiler will indicate it.
@ts-ignore
is not allowed, while @ts-expect-error
can be used with provided description (eslint rule).
// ❌ Avoid @ts-ignore
// @ts-ignore
const result = doSomething('hello');
// ✅ Use @ts-expect-error with description
// @ts-expect-error: The library definition is wrong, doSomething accepts string as an argument.
const result = doSomething('hello');
Type Definition
TypeScript offers two options for type definitions - type
and interface
. As they come with some functional differences in most cases they can be used interchangeably. We try to limit syntax difference and pick one for consistency.
All types must be defined with type
alias (eslint rule).
// ❌ Avoid interface definitions
interface UserRole = 'admin' | 'guest'; // invalid - interface can't define (commonly used) type unions
interface UserInfo {
name: string;
role: 'admin' | 'guest';
}
// ✅ Use type definition
type UserRole = 'admin' | 'guest';
type UserInfo = {
name: string;
role: UserRole;
};
In case of declaration merging (e.g. extending third-party library types) use interface
and disable lint rule.
// types.ts
declare namespace NodeJS {
// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/consistent-type-definitions
export interface ProcessEnv {
NODE_ENV: 'development' | 'production';
PORT: string;
CUSTOM_ENV_VAR: string;
}
}
// server.ts
app.listen(process.env.PORT, () => {...}
Array Types
Array types must be defined with generic syntax (eslint rule).
// ❌ Avoid
const x: string[] = ['foo', 'bar'];
const y: readonly string[] = ['foo', 'bar'];
// ✅ Use
const x: Array<string> = ['foo', 'bar'];
const y: ReadonlyArray<string> = ['foo', 'bar'];
Functions
Function conventions should be followed as much as possible (some of the conventions derives from functional programming basic concepts):
General
Function:
- should have single responsibility.
- should be stateless where the same input arguments return same value every single time.
- should accept at least one argument and return data.
- should not have side effects, but be pure. It's implementation should not modify or access variable value outside its local environment (global state, fetching etc.).
Single Object Arg
To keep function readable and easily extensible for the future (adding/removing args), strive to have single object as the function arg, instead of multiple args.
As exception this not applies when having only one primitive single arg (e.g. simple functions isNumber(value), implementing currying etc.).
// ❌ Avoid having multiple arguments
transformUserInput('client', false, 60, 120, null, true, 2000);
// ✅ Use options object as argument
transformUserInput({
method: 'client',
isValidated: false,
minLines: 60,
maxLines: 120,
defaultInput: null,
shouldLog: true,
timeout: 2000,
});
Required & Optional Args
Strive to have majority of args required and use optional sparingly.
If function becomes to complex it probably should be broken into smaller pieces.
An exaggerated example where implementing 10 functions with 5 required args each, is better then implementing one "can do it all" function that accepts 50 optional args.
Args as Discriminated Union
When applicable use discriminated union type to eliminate optional args, which will decrease complexity on function API and only necessary/required args will be passed depending on its use case.
// ❌ Avoid optional args as they increase complexity of function API
type StatusParams = {
data?: Products;
title?: string;
time?: number;
error?: string;
};
// ✅ Strive to have majority of args required, if that's not possible,
// use discriminated union for clear intent on function usage
type StatusParamsSuccess = {
status: 'success';
data: Products;
title: string;
};
type StatusParamsLoading = {
status: 'loading';
time: number;
};
type StatusParamsError = {
status: 'error';
error: string;
};
type StatusParams = StatusSuccess | StatusLoading | StatusError;
export const parseStatus = (params: StatusParams) => {...
Variables
Const Assertion
Strive to use const assertion as const
:
-
type is narrowed
-
object gets
readonly
properties -
array becomes
readonly
tuple// ❌ Avoid declaring constants without const assertion
const FOO_LOCATION = { x: 50, y: 130 }; // Type { x: number; y: number; }
FOO_LOCATION.x = 10;
const BAR_LOCATION = [50, 130]; // Type number[]
BAR_LOCATION.push(10);
const RATE_LIMIT = 25;
// RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE type - string
const RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE = `Rate limit exceeded! Max number of requests/min is ${RATE_LIMIT}.`;
// ✅ Use const assertion
const FOO_LOCATION = { x: 50, y: 130 } as const; // Type '{ readonly x: 50; readonly y: 130; }'
FOO_LOCATION.x = 10; // Error
const BAR_LOCATION = [50, 130] as const; // Type 'readonly [10, 20]'
BAR_LOCATION.push(10); // Error
const RATE_LIMIT = 25;
// RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE type - 'Rate limit exceeded! Max number of requests/min is 25.'
const RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE = `Rate limit exceeded! Max number of requests/min is ${RATE_LIMIT}.` as const; -
exhaustiveness check, code implements all possible type values (eslint rule)
const shapes = [
{ kind: 'square', size: 7 },
{ kind: 'rectangle', width: 12, height: 6 },
{ kind: 'circle', radius: 23 },
] as const;
type Shape = (typeof shapes)[number];
const getShapeArea = (shape: Shape) => {
// Error - Switch is not exhaustive. Cases not matched: "circle"
switch (shape.kind) {
case 'square':
return shape.size * shape.size;
case 'rectangle':
return shape.width * shape.size; // Error - Property 'size' does not exist on type 'rectangle'
}
};
Enums & Const Assertion
Const assertion must be used over enum.
While enums can still cover use cases as const assertion would, we tend to avoid it. Some of the reasonings as mentioned in TypeScript documentation - Const enum pitfalls, Objects vs Enums, Reverse mappings...
// ❌ Avoid using enums
enum UserRole {
GUEST,
MODERATOR,
ADMINISTRATOR,
}
enum Color {
PRIMARY = '#B33930',
SECONDARY = '#113A5C',
BRAND = '#9C0E7D',
}
// ✅ Use const assertion
const USER_ROLES = ['guest', 'moderator', 'administrator'] as const;
type UserRole = (typeof USER_ROLES)[number]; // Type "guest" | "moderator" | "administrator"
// Use satisfies if UserRole type is already defined - e.g. database schema model
type UserRoleDB = ReadonlyArray<'guest' | 'moderator' | 'administrator'>;
const AVAILABLE_ROLES = ['guest', 'moderator'] as const satisfies UserRoleDB;
const COLOR = {
primary: '#B33930',
secondary: '#113A5C',
brand: '#9C0E7D',
} as const;
type Color = typeof COLOR;
type ColorKey = keyof Color; // Type "PRIMARY" | "SECONDARY" | "BRAND"
type ColorValue = Color[ColorKey]; // Type "#B33930" | "#113A5C" | "#9C0E7D"
Null & Undefined
In TypeScript types null
and undefined
many times can be used interchangeably.
Strive to:
- Use
null
to explicitly state it has no value - assignment, return function type etc. - Use
undefined
assignment when the value doesn't exist. E.g. exclude fields in form, request payload, database query (Prisma differentiation)...
Naming
Strive to keep naming conventions consistent and readable, with important context provided, because another person will maintain the code you have written.
Named Export
Named exports must be used to ensure that all imports follow a uniform pattern (eslint rule).
This keeps variables, functions... names consistent across the entire codebase.
Named exports have the benefit of erroring when import statements try to import something that hasn't been declared.
In case of exceptions e.g. Next.js pages, disable rule:
// .eslintrc.js
overrides: [
{
files: ["src/pages/**/*"],
rules: { "import/no-default-export": "off" },
},
],
Naming Conventions
While it's often hard to find the best name, try optimize code for consistency and future reader by following conventions:
Variables
-
Locals
Camel case
products
,productsFiltered
-
Booleans
Prefixed withis
,has
etc.
isDisabled
,hasProduct
-
Constants
Capitalized
PRODUCT_ID
-
Object constants
Singular, capitalized with const assertion and optionally satisfies type (if there is one).
const ORDER_STATUS = {
pending: 'pending',
fulfilled: 'fulfilled',
error: 'error',
} as const satisfies OrderStatus;
Functions
Camel case
filterProductsByType
, formatCurrency
Generics
A name starts with the capital letter T TRequest
, TFooBar
(similar to .Net internal implementation).
Avoid (popular convention) naming generics with one character T
, K
etc., the more variables we introduce, the easier it is to mistake them.
// ❌ Avoid naming generics with one character
const createPair = <T, K extends string>(first: T, second: K): [T, K] => {
return [first, second];
};
const pair = createPair(1, 'a');
// ✅ Name starts with the capital letter T
const createPair = <TFirst, TSecond extends string>(first: TFirst, second: TSecond): [TFirst, TSecond] => {
return [first, second];
};
const pair = createPair(1, 'a');
Eslint rule implements:
// .eslintrc.js
'@typescript-eslint/naming-convention': [
'error',
{
selector: 'typeParameter',
format: ['PascalCase'],
custom: { regex: '^T[A-Z]', match: true },
},
],
Abbreviations & Acronyms
Treat acronyms as whole words, with capitalized first letter only.
// ❌ Avoid
const FAQList = ['qa-1', 'qa-2'];
const generateUserURL(params) => {...}
// ✅ Use
const FaqList = ['qa-1', 'qa-2'];
const generateUserUrl(params) => {...}
In favor of readability, strive to avoid abbreviations, unless they are widely accepted and necessary.
// ❌ Avoid
const GetWin(params) => {...}
// ✅ Use
const GetWindow(params) => {...}
React Components
Pascal case
ProductItem
, ProductsPage
Prop Types
React component name following "Props" postfix
[ComponentName]Props
- ProductItemProps
, ProductsPageProps
Callback Props
Event handler (callback) props are prefixed as on*
- e.g. onClick
.
Event handler implementation functions are prefixed as handle*
- e.g. handleClick
(eslint rule).
// ❌ Avoid inconsistent callback prop naming
<Button click={actionClick} />
<MyComponent userSelectedOccurred={triggerUser} />
// ✅ Use prop prefix 'on*' and handler prefix 'handle*'
<Button onClick={handleClick} />
<MyComponent onUserSelected={handleUserSelected} />
React Hooks
Camel case, prefixed as 'use' (eslint rule), symmetrically convention as [value, setValue] = useState()
(eslint rule)
// ❌ Avoid inconsistent useState hook naming
const [userName, setUser] = useState();
const [color, updateColor] = useState();
const [isActive, setActive] = useState();
// ✅ Use
const [name, setName] = useState();
const [color, setColor] = useState();
const [isActive, setIsActive] = useState();
Custom hook must always return an object:
// ❌ Avoid
const [products, errors] = useGetProducts();
const [fontSizes] = useTheme();
// ✅ Use
const { products, errors } = useGetProducts();
const { fontSizes } = useTheme();
Comments
In general try to avoid comments, by writing expressive code and name things what they are.
Use comments when you need to add context or explain choices that cannot be expressed through code (e.g. config files).
Comments should always be complete sentences. As rule of thumb try to explain why
in comments, not how
and what
.
// ❌ Avoid
// convert to minutes
const m = s * 60;
// avg users per minute
const myAvg = u / m;
// ✅ Use
const SECONDS_IN_MINUTE = 60;
const minutes = seconds * SECONDS_IN_MINUTE;
const averageUsersPerMinute = noOfUsers / minutes;
// TODO: Filtering should be moved to the backend once API changes are released.
// Issue/PR - https://github.com/foo/repo/pulls/55124
const filteredUsers = frontendFiltering(selectedUsers);
// Use Fourier transformation to minimize information loss - https://github.com/dntj/jsfft#usage
const frequencies = signal.FFT();
Source Organization
Code Collocation
- Every application or package in monorepo has project files/folders organized and grouped by feature.
- Collocate code as close as possible to where it's relevant.
- Deep folder nesting should not represent an issue.
Imports
Import paths can be relative, starting with ./
or ../
, or they can be absolute @common/utils
.
To make import statements more readable and easier to understand:
- Relative imports
./sortItems
must be used when importing files within the same feature, that are 'close' to each other, which also allows moving feature around the codebase without introducing changes in these imports. - Absolute imports
@common/utils
must be used in all other cases. - All imports must be auto sorted by tooling e.g. prettier-plugin-sort-imports, eslint-plugin-import...
// ❌ Avoid
import { bar, foo } from '../../../../../../distant-folder';
// ✅ Use
import { locationApi } from '@api/locationApi';
import { foo } from '../../foo';
import { bar } from '../bar';
import { baz } from './baz';
Project Structure
Example frontend monorepo project, where every application has following file/folder structure:
apps/
├─ product-manager/
│ ├─ common/
│ │ ├─ components/
│ │ │ ├─ Button/
│ │ │ ├─ ProductTitle/
│ │ │ ├─ ...
│ │ │ └─ index.tsx
│ │ ├─ consts/
│ │ │ ├─ paths.ts
│ │ │ └─ ...
│ │ ├─ hooks/
│ │ └─ types/
│ ├─ modules/
│ │ ├─ HomePage/
│ │ ├─ ProductAddPage/
│ │ ├─ ProductPage/
│ │ ├─ ProductsPage/
│ │ │ ├─ api/
│ │ │ │ └─ useGetProducts/
│ │ │ ├─ components/
│ │ │ │ ├─ ProductItem/
│ │ │ │ ├─ ProductsStatistics/
│ │ │ │ └─ ...
│ │ │ ├─ utils/
│ │ │ │ └─ filterProductsByType/
│ │ │ └─ index.tsx
│ │ ├─ ...
│ │ └─ index.tsx
│ ├─ eslintrc.js
│ ├─ package.json
│ └─ tsconfig.json
├─ warehouse/
├─ admin-dashboard/
└─ ...
modules
folder is responsible for implementation of each individual page, where all custom features for that page are being implemented (components, hooks, utils functions etc.).common
folder is responsible for implementations that are truly used across application. Since its a "global folder" it should be used sparingly.
If same component e.g.common/components/ProductTitle
starts being used on more the one page, it shall be moved to common folder.
In case using frontend framework with file-system based router (e.g. Nextjs), pages
folder serves only as a router, where its responsibility is to define routes (no business logic implementation).
Appendix - React
Since React components and hooks are also functions, respective function conventions applies.
Required & Optional Props
Strive to have majority of props required and use optional sparingly.
Especially when creating new component for first/single use case majority of props should be required. When component starts covering more use cases, introduce optional props.
There are potential exceptions, where component API needs to implement optional props from the start (e.g. shared components covering multiple use cases, UI design system components - button isDisabled
etc.)
If component/hook becomes to complex it probably should be broken into smaller pieces.
An exaggerated example where implementing 10 React components with 5 required props each, is better then implementing one "can do it all" component that accepts 50 optional props.
Props as Discriminated Type
When applicable use discriminated type to eliminate optional props, which will decrease complexity on component API and only necessary/required props will be passed depending on its use case.
// ❌ Avoid optional props as they increase complexity of component API
type StatusProps = {
data?: Products;
title?: string;
time?: number;
error?: string;
};
// ✅ Strive to have majority of props required, if that's not possible,
// use discriminated union for clear intent on component usage
type StatusSuccess = {
status: 'success';
data: Products;
title: string;
};
type StatusLoading = {
status: 'loading';
time: number;
};
type StatusError = {
status: 'error';
error: string;
};
type StatusProps = StatusSuccess | StatusLoading | StatusError;
export const Status = (status: StatusProps) => {...
Props To State
In general avoid using props to state, since component will not update on prop changes. It can lead to bugs that are hard to track, with unintended side effects and difficulty testing.
When there is truly a use case for using prop in initial state, prop must be prefixed with initial
(e.g. initialProduct
, initialSort
etc.)
// ❌ Avoid using props to state
type FooProps = {
productName: string;
userId: string;
};
export const Foo = ({ productName, userId }: FooProps) => {
const [productName, setProductName] = useState(productName);
...
// ✅ Use prop prefix `initial`, when there is a rational use case for it
type FooProps = {
initialProductName: string;
userId: string;
};
export const Foo = ({ initialProductName, userId }: FooProps) => {
const [productName, setProductName] = useState(initialProductName);
...
Props Type
// ❌ Avoid using React.FC type
type FooProps = {
name: string;
score: number;
};
export const Foo: React.FC<FooProps> = ({ name, score }) => {
// ✅ Use props argument with type
type FooProps = {
name: string;
score: number;
};
export const Foo = ({ name, score }: FooProps) => {...
Component Types
Container
- All container components have postfix "Container" or "Page"
[ComponentName]Container|Page
. Use "Page" postfix to indicate component it's an actual web page. - Each feature has a container component (
AddUserContainer.tsx
,EditProductContainer.tsx
,ProductsPage.tsx
etc.) - Includes business logic.
- API integration.
- Structure:
ProductsPage/
├─ api/
│ └─ useGetProducts/
├─ components/
│ └─ ProductItem/
├─ utils/
│ └─ filterProductsByType/
└─ index.tsx
UI - Feature
- Representational components that are designed to fulfill feature requirements.
- Nested inside container component folder.
- Should follow functions conventions as much as possible.
- No API integration.
- Structure:
ProductItem/
├─ index.tsx
├─ ProductItem.stories.tsx
└─ ProductItem.test.tsx
UI - Design system
- Global Reusable/shared components used throughout whole codebase.
- Structure:
Button/
├─ index.tsx
├─ Button.stories.tsx
└─ Button.test.tsx
Store & Pass Data
-
Utilize storing state in the URL, especially for filtering, sorting etc.
-
Don't sync URL state with local state.
-
Consider passing data simply through props, using the URL, or composing children. Use global state (Zustand, Context) as a last resort.
-
Use React compound components when components should belong and work together:
menu
,accordion
,navigation
,tabs
,list
,...
Always export compound components as:// PriceList.tsx
const PriceListRoot = ({ children }) => <ul>{children}</ul>;
const PriceListItem = ({ title, amount }) => <li>Name: {name} - Amount: {amount}<li/>;
// ❌
export const PriceList = {
Container: PriceListRoot,
Item: PriceListItem,
};
// ❌
PriceList.Item = Item;
export default PriceList;
// ✅
export const PriceList = PriceListRoot as typeof PriceListRoot & {
Item: typeof PriceListItem;
};
PriceList.Item = PriceListItem;
// App.tsx
import { PriceList } from "./PriceList";
<PriceList>
<PriceList.Item title="Item 1" amount={8} />
<PriceList.Item title="Item 2" amount={12} />
</PriceList>; -
UI components should show derived state and send events, nothing more.
-
As in many programming languages functions args can be passed to the next function and on to the next etc.
Rect components are no different, where prop drilling should not become an issue.
If with app scaling prop drilling truly becomes an issue, try to refactor render method, local states in parent components, using composition etc. -
Data fetching is only allowed in container components.
-
Use of server-state library is encouraged (react-query, apollo client...).
-
use of client-state library for global state is discouraged.
Reconsider if something should be truly global across application, e.g.themeMode
,Permissions
or even that can be put in server-state (e.g. user settings -/me
endpoint). If still global state is truly needed use Zustand or Context.
Appendix - Tests (Unit & Integration)
What & How To Test
Automated test comes with benefits that helps us write better code and makes it easy to refactor, while bugs are caught earlier in the process.
Consider trade-offs of what and how to test to achieve confidence application is working as intended, while writing and maintaining tests doesn't slow the team down.
✅ Do:
- Implement test to be short, explicit, and pleasant to work with. Intent of a test should be immediately visible.
- Strive to write tests in a way your app/package is used by a user, meaning test business logic.
E.g. given some user input, they receive the expected output for a process. - All tests must be setup and implemented to run as standalone in isolation, where they don't depend on other tests order of execution.
- Tests should be resilient to changes.
Query HTML elements based on attributes that are unlikely to change. Order of priority must be followed as specified in Testing Library - role, label, placeholder, text contents, display value, alt text, title, test ID.
❌ Don't:
-
Don't test implementation details. When refactoring code, tests shouldn't change.
-
Don't re-test the library/framework.
-
Don't mandate 100% code coverage for applications.
-
Don't test just to test.
// ❌ Avoid
it('should render user list', () => {
render(<UserList />);
expect(screen.getByText('Users List')).toBeInTheDocument();
});
Test Description
All test descriptions must follow naming convention as it('should ... when ...')
.
Eslint rule implements regex:
// .eslintrc.js
'jest/valid-title': [
'error',
{
mustMatch: { it: [/should.*when/u.source, "Test title must include 'should' and 'when'"] },
},
],
// ❌ Avoid
it('accepts ISO date format where date is parsed and formatted as YYYY-MM');
it('after title is confirmed user description is rendered');
// ✅ Name test description as it('should ... when ...')
it('should return parsed date as YYYY-MM when input is in ISO date format');
it('should render user description when title is confirmed');
Test Tooling
Tests can be run through npm scripts, but to improve development experience it's highly encouraged to use Jest Runner VS code extension so any single test can be run instantly, especially if testing app/package in larger codebase (monorepo).
code --install-extension firsttris.vscode-jest-runner
Snapshot
Snapshot tests are discouraged in order to avoid fragility, which leads to "just update it" turn of mind, to achieve all the tests pass.
Exceptions can be made, with strong rational behind it, where test output has short and clear intent, whats actually being tested (e.g. design system library critical elements that shouldn't deviate).