A mostly reasonable approach to React and JSX
This style guide is mostly based on the standards that are currently prevalent in JavaScript, although some conventions (i.e async/await or static class fields) may still be included or prohibited on a case-by-case basis. Currently, anything prior to stage 3 is not included nor recommended in this guide.
- Class vs Function
- Naming
- Declaration
- Alignment
- Quotes
- Spacing
- Props
- Refs
- Parentheses
- Tags
- Methods
- Ordering
isMounted
1.1 ‣ Always write function components with hooks, never class components. (Error Boundaries are the sole exception; see below)
react-prefer-function-component/react-prefer-function-component
// bad
const Clock = React.createClass({
// I could write literally anything in here
// Seriously do not use createClass
// It is extremely deprecated
});
// bad
class Clock extends React.Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
date: props.startDate || new Date()
};
}
render() {
return (
<div>
<h1>Hello, world!</h1>
<h2>It is {this.state.date.toLocaleTimeString()}.</h2>
</div>
);
}
}
// good
interface ClockProps {
startDate?: Date;
}
function Clock({
startDate = new Date(),
}: ClockProps) {
const [date, setDate] = React.useState(startDate);
return (
<div>
<h1>Hello, world!</h1>
<h2>It is {date.toLocaleTimeString()}.</h2>
</div>
);
}
1.2 ‣ Error Boundaries are the exception to the rule of always writing function components because there is currently no way to implement them as functions.
2.1 ‣ Components should be named using PascalCase.
// bad
function fooBar({ /*...*/ }) {
// ...
return <div>{/*...*/}</div>;
}
// good
function FooBar({ /*...*/ }) {
// ...
return <div>{/*...*/}</div>;
}
2.2 ‣ The filename should match the primary exported item, and use .tsx
for components and .ts
for other items such as hooks where the file contains no JSX.
// bad
import useThing from "./UseThing";
// good
import useThing from "./useThing";
// bad
import FooComponent from "./foo-component";
// good
import FooComponent from "./FooComponent";
-
Do not use
displayName
for naming components. Instead, name the component by reference.// bad export default React.createClass({ displayName: 'ReservationCard', // stuff goes here }); // good export default class ReservationCard extends React.Component { }
-
Follow these alignment styles for JSX syntax. eslint:
react/jsx-closing-bracket-location
react/jsx-closing-tag-location
// bad <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> // good <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> // if props fit in one line then keep it on the same line <Foo bar="bar" /> // children get indented normally <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" > <Quux /> </Foo> // bad {showButton && <Button /> } // bad { showButton && <Button /> } // good {showButton && ( <Button /> )} // good {showButton && <Button />} // good {someReallyLongConditional && anotherLongConditional && ( <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> ) } // good {someConditional ? ( <Foo /> ) : ( <Foo superLongParam="bar" anotherSuperLongParam="baz" /> )}
-
Always use double quotes (
"
) for JSX attributes, but single quotes ('
) for all other JS. eslint:jsx-quotes
Why? Regular HTML attributes also typically use double quotes instead of single, so JSX attributes mirror this convention.
// bad <Foo bar='bar' /> // good <Foo bar="bar" /> // bad <Foo style={{ left: "20px" }} /> // good <Foo style={{ left: '20px' }} />
-
Always include a single space in your self-closing tag. eslint:
no-multi-spaces
,react/jsx-tag-spacing
// bad <Foo/> // very bad <Foo /> // bad <Foo /> // good <Foo />
-
Do not pad JSX curly braces with spaces. eslint:
react/jsx-curly-spacing
// bad <Foo bar={ baz } /> // good <Foo bar={baz} />
-
Props Naming: Avoid using DOM component prop names for different purposes.
Why? People expect props like
style
andclassName
to mean one specific thing. Varying this API for a subset of your app makes the code less readable and less maintainable, and may cause bugs.// bad <MyComponent style="fancy" /> // bad <MyComponent className="fancy" /> // good <MyComponent variant="fancy" />
-
Always use camelCase for prop names, or PascalCase if the prop value is a React component.
// bad <Foo UserName="hello" phone_number={12345678} /> // good <Foo userName="hello" phoneNumber={12345678} Component={SomeComponent} />
-
Omit the value of the prop when it is explicitly
true
. eslint:react/jsx-boolean-value
// bad <Foo hidden={true} /> // good <Foo hidden /> // good <Foo hidden />
-
Always include an
alt
prop on<img>
tags. If the image is presentational,alt
can be an empty string or the<img>
must haverole="presentation"
. eslint:jsx-a11y/alt-text
// bad <img src="hello.jpg" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Me waving hello" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" role="presentation" />
-
Do not use words like "image", "photo", or "picture" in
<img>
alt
props. eslint:jsx-a11y/img-redundant-alt
Why? Screenreaders already announce
img
elements as images, so there is no need to include this information in the alt text.// bad <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Picture of me waving hello" /> // good <img src="hello.jpg" alt="Me waving hello" />
-
Use only valid, non-abstract ARIA roles. eslint:
jsx-a11y/aria-role
// bad - not an ARIA role <div role="datepicker" /> // bad - abstract ARIA role <div role="range" /> // good <div role="button" />
-
Do not use
accessKey
on elements. eslint:jsx-a11y/no-access-key
Why? Inconsistencies between keyboard shortcuts and keyboard commands used by people using screenreaders and keyboards complicate accessibility.
// bad
<div accessKey="h" />
// good
<div />
- Avoid using an array index as
key
prop, prefer a stable ID. eslint:react/no-array-index-key
Why? Not using a stable ID is an anti-pattern because it can negatively impact performance and cause issues with component state.
We don’t recommend using indexes for keys if the order of items may change.
// bad
{todos.map((todo, index) =>
<Todo
{...todo}
key={index}
/>
)}
// good
{todos.map(todo => (
<Todo
{...todo}
key={todo.id}
/>
))}
- Always define explicit defaultProps for all non-required props.
Why? propTypes are a form of documentation, and providing defaultProps means the reader of your code doesn’t have to assume as much. In addition, it can mean that your code can omit certain type checks.
// bad
function SFC({ foo, bar, children }) {
return <div>{foo}{bar}{children}</div>;
}
SFC.propTypes = {
foo: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
bar: PropTypes.string,
children: PropTypes.node,
};
// good
function SFC({ foo, bar, children }) {
return <div>{foo}{bar}{children}</div>;
}
SFC.propTypes = {
foo: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
bar: PropTypes.string,
children: PropTypes.node,
};
SFC.defaultProps = {
bar: '',
children: null,
};
- Use spread props sparingly.
Why? Otherwise you’re more likely to pass unnecessary props down to components. And for React v15.6.1 and older, you could pass invalid HTML attributes to the DOM.
Exceptions:
- HOCs that proxy down props and hoist propTypes
function HOC(WrappedComponent) {
return class Proxy extends React.Component {
Proxy.propTypes = {
text: PropTypes.string,
isLoading: PropTypes.bool
};
render() {
return <WrappedComponent {...this.props} />
}
}
}
- Spreading objects with known, explicit props. This can be particularly useful when testing React components with Mocha’s beforeEach construct.
export default function Foo {
const props = {
text: '',
isPublished: false
}
return (<div {...props} />);
}
Notes for use: Filter out unnecessary props when possible. Also, use prop-types-exact to help prevent bugs.
// bad
render() {
const { irrelevantProp, ...relevantProps } = this.props;
return <WrappedComponent {...this.props} />
}
// good
render() {
const { irrelevantProp, ...relevantProps } = this.props;
return <WrappedComponent {...relevantProps} />
}
-
Wrap JSX tags in parentheses when they span more than one line. eslint:
react/jsx-wrap-multilines
// bad render() { return <MyComponent variant="long body" foo="bar"> <MyChild /> </MyComponent>; } // good render() { return ( <MyComponent variant="long body" foo="bar"> <MyChild /> </MyComponent> ); } // good, when single line render() { const body = <div>hello</div>; return <MyComponent>{body}</MyComponent>; }
-
Always self-close tags that have no children. eslint:
react/self-closing-comp
// bad <Foo variant="stuff"></Foo> // good <Foo variant="stuff" />
-
If your component has multiline properties, close its tag on a new line. eslint:
react/jsx-closing-bracket-location
// bad <Foo bar="bar" baz="baz" /> // good <Foo bar="bar" baz="baz" />
-
Higher-order Component Naming: Use a composite of the higher-order component’s name and the passed-in component’s name as the
displayName
on the generated component. For example, the higher-order componentwithFoo()
, when passed a componentBar
should produce a component with adisplayName
ofwithFoo(Bar)
.Why? A component’s
displayName
may be used by developer tools or in error messages, and having a value that clearly expresses this relationship helps people understand what is happening.// bad export default function withFoo(WrappedComponent) { return function WithFoo(props) { return <WrappedComponent {...props} foo />; } } // good export default function withFoo(WrappedComponent) { function WithFoo(props) { return <WrappedComponent {...props} foo />; } const wrappedComponentName = WrappedComponent.displayName || WrappedComponent.name || 'Component'; WithFoo.displayName = `withFoo(${wrappedComponentName})`; return WithFoo; }
This JSX/React style guide is also available in other languages:
- Chinese (Simplified): jhcccc/javascript
- Chinese (Traditional): jigsawye/javascript
- Español: agrcrobles/javascript
- Japanese: mitsuruog/javascript-style-guide
- Korean: apple77y/javascript
- Polish: pietraszekl/javascript
- Portuguese: ronal2do/javascript
- Russian: leonidlebedev/javascript-airbnb
- Thai: lvarayut/javascript-style-guide
- Turkish: alioguzhan/react-style-guide
- Ukrainian: ivanzusko/javascript
- Vietnam: uetcodecamp/jsx-style-guide