Add ADR about named exports

This commit is contained in:
Fredrik Adelöw
2020-05-19 16:28:34 +02:00
parent 33c1ce7892
commit 7fac93feea
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
# ADR003: Avoid Default Exports and Prefer Named Exports
| Created | Status |
| ---------- | ------ |
| 2020-05-19 | Open |
## Context
When CommonJS was the primary authoring format, the best practice was to export only one thing from a module using the `module.exports = ...` format. This aligned with the [UNIX philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy) of "Do one thing well". The module would be consumed (`const localName = require('the-module');`) without having to know the internal structure.
Now, ESModules are the primary authoring format. They have numerous benefits, such as compile-time verification of exports, and standards-defined semantics. They have a similar mechanism known as "default exports", which allows for a consumer to `import localName from 'the-module';`. This is implicitly the same as `import { default as localName } from 'the-module';`.
However, there are numerous reasons to avoid default exports, as documented by others before:
- https://humanwhocodes.com/blog/2019/01/stop-using-default-exports-javascript-module/
A summary:
- They add indirection by encouraging a developer to create local names for modules, increasing cognitive load and slowing down code comprehension: `import TheListThing from 'not-a-list-thing';`.
- They thwart tools, such as IDEs, that can automatically rename and refactor code.
- They promote typos and mistakes, as the imported member is completely up to the consuming developer to define.
- They are ugly in CommonJS interop, as the default property must be manually specified by the consumer. This is often hidden by Babel's module interop.
- They break re-exports due to name conflicts, forcing the developer to manually name each.
Using named exports helps prevent needing to rename symbols, which has myriad benefts. A few are:
- IDE tools like "Find All References" and "Go To Definition" function
- Manual codebase searching ("grep", etc) is easier with a unique symbol
## Decision
We will stop using default exports except when absolutely necessary (such as [`React.lazy`](https://reactjs.org/docs/code-splitting.html#reactlazy) modules). A workaround exists for those that would prefer to never use `default`:
```ts
const Component = React.lazy(() =>
import('../path/to/Component').then(m => ({ default: m.Component })),
);
```
## Consequences
We will actively work to remove them from our codebases, being as explicit as possible. Have a connected component? `export const ConnectedComponent = connect(Component)`.
We will add tools, such as lint rules, to help migrate away from default exports.