8 essentials for every JavaScript project

As a developer, especially if you’re new to a team, one of the fastest ways to add value is by introducing tools that improve the day-to-day workflow. These tools help maintain code quality, ensure consistency, and streamline the development process. Here’s a list of what I consider essentials for any JavaScript project:

1. Make code formatting consistent

• Tool: Prettier Consistent code formatting reduces the "nitpicking" during code reviews and allows developers to focus on functionality. Prettier automatically formats your code based on defined rules.

Basic setup:

npm install --save-dev prettier

Add a .prettierrc configuration file for your rules:

{
  "semi": true,
  "singleQuote": false
}

Add a formatting script in your package.json:

"scripts": {
  "format": "prettier --write ."
}

2. Enforce best practices

• Tool: eslint ESLint ensures your code adheres to best practices and project-specific conventions. With plugins, you can tailor it to your framework and project requirements.

Basic setup:

npm install --save-dev eslint

Initialize ESLint:

npx eslint --init

Install framework-specific plugins (e.g., Next.js):

npm install --save-dev eslint-config-next

Create a .eslintrc file for configuration or use the wizard setup.

3. Quick feedback on your changes

• Tools: Husky + lint-staged Run linting and tests before committing or pushing code. This ensures only high-quality code is pushed to the repository.

Setup:

Install Husky and lint-staged:

npm install --save-dev husky lint-staged

Enable Husky hooks:

npx husky install

Add pre-commit and pre-push hooks:

npx husky add .husky/pre-commit "npx lint-staged"
npx husky add .husky/pre-push "npm run build"

Configure lint-staged in package.json:

"lint-staged": {
  "*.js": ["eslint --fix", "prettier --write", "jest --findRelatedTests"]
}

4. Pull-request static code analysis

• Tool: SonarCloud Automates the detection of code smells, vulnerabilities, and potential bugs. Great for identifying issues early.

Setup:

Integrate SonarCloud into your CI pipeline using their documentation.

Add a sonar-project.properties file to configure the scanner.

5. Continuous integration (CI) pipeline

• Tools: GitHub Actions, CircleCI, etc. Automate building and testing your code on every pull request.

Setup example with GitHub Actions:

Create a .github/workflows/ci.yml file:

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
        timeout-minutes: 5
        strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Install Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          cache: "npm"
      - name: Run build
        run: npm run build

      - name: Run unit tests
        run: npm run test

6. Continuous Deployment (CD) Pipeline

• Deploy to staging and production automatically using tools like GitHub Actions or other CI/CD services. Testing in staging ensures environment variables and integrations work before going live.

Setup example for staging and production deployments:

Add a job to your CI pipeline to deploy after tests pass:

deployment:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 5
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]
    environment:
      name: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'production' || 'staging' }}
    needs:
      - integration
    if: always() && needs.integration.result == 'success'
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          cache: "npm"

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Install serverless globally
        run: npm install serverless@3.38.0 --global

      - name: Serverless AWS authentication
        run: sls config credentials --provider aws --key ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }} --secret ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}

      - name: Deploy API
        run: serverless deploy --stage $STAGE

7. End-to-End testing

• Tools: Cypress, Playwright E2E tests ensure your application works as expected in a browser.

Setup example with Cypress:

Install Cypress:

npm install --save-dev cypress

Add a test script in package.json:

"scripts": {
  "test:e2e": "cypress open"
}

8. Use TypeScript for type safety and documentation

• Tool: TypeScript TypeScript adds static typing to JavaScript, catching errors at compile time and improving code readability and maintainability.

Setup:

Install TypeScript:

npm install --save-dev typescript

Initialize a tsconfig.json file:

npx tsc --init

Update your scripts in package.json:

"scripts": {
  "build": "tsc"
}

Refactor your .js files to .ts and start enjoying type safety!

Adding these tools will significantly boost your project's maintainability and help your team focus on what matters most: building great features.