Whether you use 2 spaces or 4 spaces, there are a few simple things that can make your node.js code easier to read. We've been using them in all the hapi modules for over 4 years now to great results. This list is by no means complete but it highlights the most useful elements that will give you immediate value in reducing bugs.
JavaScript makes it harder than most languages to know where variables are coming from. Variables assigned required modules are particularly important because they represent a singleton object shared with the entire application. There are also globals and module globals, along with function variables and arguments.
Traditionally, variables starting with an uppercase letter represent a class that must be instantiated using new
. This was an important semantic in the early days of JavaScript but at this point, if you don't know Date
requires new Date()
you are probably very new. We have adopted Upper Camel Case variable names for all module global variables