Naming conventions

A naming convention is a shared rule for naming variables, functions, files, classes, and other parts of a project. Clear names help you understand code without guessing.

Choose names that explain purpose

const userName = 'Yugien';
function getUserProfile(userId) {
  // fetch and return the profile for userId
}

userName and getUserProfile tell a reader what the value and function are for. Avoid names such as x, data2, or doThing when a more precise name is easy.

Common casing styles

camelCase

Starts lowercase and capitalizes later words. Common for JavaScript variables and functions: userName.

PascalCase

Capitalizes each word. Often used for classes or components: UserProfile.

snake_case

Uses underscores. Common in Python and some data formats: user_name.

UPPER_SNAKE_CASE

Often used for constants: DEFAULT_TIMEOUT.

kebab-case

Uses hyphens. Common in URLs, CSS, and data attributes: user-profile.

Rules worth agreeing on

• Use the language and framework's normal style unless the project has a stronger rule.
• Use the same word for the same concept; do not alternate between user, member, and account without a reason.
• Prefer names that remain accurate when the implementation changes.
• Do not encode a type in every name just because an older convention did.
• Choose readable names for HTML IDs, CSS classes, URLs, and API fields too.