Underscore.js

Underscore.js

Underscore.js is a JavaScript library that provides utility functions for common programming tasks like mapping, filtering, and functional programming paradigms. It allows developers to leverage functional techniques which can help manage state and complexity in web applications.
Development Javascript Libraries
Underscore.js image
utility functional-programming mapping filtering
Underscore.js alternatives ➤

Underscore.js: JavaScript Library for Utility Functions

Underscore.js is a JavaScript library that provides utility functions for common programming tasks like mapping, filtering, and functional programming paradigms. It allows developers to leverage functional techniques which can help manage state and complexity in web applications.

What is Underscore.js?

Underscore.js is an open-source JavaScript library that provides several utility functions to facilitate common programming tasks. Created by Jeremy Ashkenas, it serves as a utility belt for JavaScript projects - providing simple implementations for otherwise time-consuming coding challenges.

The library provides helper methods for iteration, function binding, arrays, objects, and DOM manipulation among other things. Key features include:

  • Functional programming helpers like map, filter, invoke, for chaining
  • Utility functions like delay, throttle, debounce
  • Simplified DOM manipulation and events
  • Object functions like keys, values, extend
  • Template engine using JavaScript templates

By abstracting away common functionality into its API, Underscore enables developers to focus more on their product logic rather than re-writing basic helpers and utility functions. This can help reduce bugs and accelerate development.

Underscore leverages functional programming patterns for stateless and declarative coding techniques. This paradigm lends itself well to complex web applications where state management can easily become convoluted. Underscore makes it simpler to avoid shared state in favor of more predictable and testable code.

The library is often used in conjunction with other JavaScript frameworks like jQuery, Angular, React, and more. It has no dependencies itself making extremely portable. Underscore is deployed in production on many high-traffic websites due to its low footprint and performance.

Underscore.js Features

Features

  1. Provides utility functions like map, filter, reduce, etc. for working with arrays and collections
  2. Enables chaining to combine multiple functions/operations
  3. Adds support for functional programming patterns like currying
  4. Provides templating capabilities for generating HTML from templates and data
  5. Includes functions for manipulating and comparing objects
  6. Adds OOP-style capabilities like inheritance to JavaScript

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Makes working with arrays/collections easier

Avoids needing to rewrite utility functions for projects

Lightweight library without large dependencies

Integrates well with jQuery and other JS libraries

Enables more functional programming patterns in JavaScript

Cons

Not as fully-featured as lodash or similar libraries

No active development so lacks newer array methods like find

Somewhat limited documentation

Not optimized for modern JS runtimes

Official Links

Official Website
https://underscorejs.org/

The Best Underscore.js Alternatives

Top Development and Javascript Libraries and other similar apps like Underscore.js

Here are some alternatives to Underscore.js:

Lodash icon
Lodash
Mustache icon
mustache
Alasql icon
Alasql
Umbrella JS icon
Umbrella JS
Bliss JS icon
Bliss JS
Slm icon
slm
Suggest an alternative ❐

Lodash icon

Lodash

Lodash is a popular open-source JavaScript library that provides utility functions for common programming tasks. It is focused on delivering consistency, customization, performance, and extras.Some key highlights of Lodash:Provides over 130 utility functions like map, filter, reduce, merge, uniq, etc. for transforming, grouping, and analyzing data structures like arrays, objects,...
Lodash image
Mustache icon

Mustache

Mustache is a logic-less template syntax that works by expanding tags in a template using values provided in a hash or object. It is often used for HTML, config files, source code - anything with logic-less templates.Here is how it works: You create a template file containing Mustache tags like...
Mustache image
Alasql icon

Alasql

Alasql is an open-source JavaScript SQL database that allows you to run SQL queries directly on JavaScript arrays and objects in the browser or Node.js without needing a database server. It uses SQL syntax and supports selecting, inserting, updating, and deleting data.Some key features of Alasql:Works client-side in the browser...
Alasql image
Umbrella JS icon

Umbrella JS

Umbrella JS is an open-source JavaScript framework for building modern web applications. It provides structure and tools for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces efficiently.Some key features of Umbrella JS:Lightweight and modular - Only includes essential libraries for web development. Easy to add other plugins.Data binding - Automatically sync data...
Umbrella JS image
Bliss JS icon

Bliss JS

Bliss JS is an open-source JavaScript framework for front-end web development. It aims to provide many commonly needed features in a compact package with an easy-to-use API.Some key features and goals of Bliss JS include:Lightweight - under 3kB minified and gzippedModular - components can be included individuallyFluent API - chainable...
Bliss JS image
Slm icon

Slm

SLM, or Service Level Management, is a software solution designed to help IT organizations manage the services they provide to the business more effectively. Key features of an SLM tool include:Building a catalog of all IT services offered, with details on what they provide, who relies on them, service hours,...
Slm image
PKI.js icon

PKI.js

PKI.js is an open-source JavaScript library for public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption, decryption, signing and verification. It allows web applications to perform cryptographic operations like encryption, digital signatures and certificate validation using JavaScript without any server-side dependencies.Some key features of PKI.js include:Implementation of cryptography standards like RSA, ECC, X.509, PKCS#1,...
PKI.js image
Handlebars icon

Handlebars

Handlebars is an open-source templating language that allows you to build semantic templates for your web applications. It has a simple syntax that allows you to embed JavaScript logic into HTML templates using handlebar expressions like {{this}}. Some key features of Handlebars include:Logicless templates that keep presentation separate from application...
Handlebars image