CommonJS

CommonJS is a project with the goal of specifying an ecosystem for JavaScript outside the browser (for example, on the server or for native desktop applications). The project was started by Kevin Dangoor in January 2009 and initially named ServerJS.^[1]

“	What I’m describing here is not a technical problem. It’s a matter of people getting together and making a decision to step forward and start building up something bigger and cooler together.	”
—Kevin Dangoor[1]

In August 2009, the project was renamed CommonJS to show the broader applicability of the specified APIs.^[2] Specifications are created in an open proposal process and voted on a mailinglist. A specification is only considered final after it has been implemented by several CommonJS implementations.^[3] The CommonJS project is not affiliated with the Ecma International group TC39 working on ECMAScript, but some members of TC39 participate in the project.^[4]

Specifications

^[5]

Current

• Modules/1.0 (Superseded by Modules/1.1)
• Modules/1.1
• Modules/1.1.1
• Packages/1.0
• Promises/B
• Promises/C
• System/1.0

Proposals

• Binary/B
• Binary/F
• Console
• Encodings/A
• Filesystem/A
• Filesystem/A/0
• Modules/Async/A
• Modules/Transport/B
• Packages/1.1
• Packages/Mappings
• Unit Testing/1.0

CommonJS implementations

• Akshell^[6]
• Common Node^[7]
• CouchDB^[8]
• Flusspferd^[9]
• GPSEE^[10]
• Joyent Smart Platform^[11]
• Narwhal (JavaScript platform)^[12]
• node.js^[13]
• Persevere^[14]
• RingoJS^[15]
• SproutCore^[16]
• v8cgi^[17]
• MongoDB^[18]
• JSBuild ^[19]
• XULJet ^[20]
• PINF JavaScript Loader ^[21]

See also

• Document Object Model (DOM), a web browser client-side application programming interface (API) commonly available in JavaScript

References

1. ^ ^{a b} What Server Side JavaScript needs - Blue Sky On Mars
2. ^ CommonJS: JavaScript Standard Library
3. ^ ProposalProcess - CommonJS Spec Wiki
4. ^ CommonJS: the First Year - Blue Sky On Mars
5. ^ CommonJS: JavaScript Standard Library
6. ^ Server-side JavaScript development and hosting - Akshell
7. ^ olegp/common-node @ GitHub
8. ^ Implementations/CouchDB - CommonJS Spec Wiki
9. ^ Flusspferd - CommonJS platform | Javascript bindings for C
10. ^ Implementations/GPSEE - CommonJS Spec Wiki
11. ^ Implementations/Smart - CommonJS Spec Wiki
12. ^ Implementations/Narwhal - CommonJS Spec Wiki
13. ^ Implementations/node.js - CommonJS Spec Wiki
14. ^ Implementations/Persevere - CommonJS Spec Wiki
15. ^ Implementations/RingoJS - CommonJS Spec Wiki
16. ^ Implementations/SproutCore - CommonJS Spec Wiki
17. ^ Implementations/v8cgi - CommonJS Spec Wiki
18. ^ MongoDB
19. ^ Homepage - JSBuild
20. ^ xuljet - XUL JavaScript Enhanced Toolkit - Google Project Hosting
21. ^ pinf/loader-js - GitHub

External links

• CommonJS website
• CommonJS effort sets JavaScript on path for world domination (article on Ars Technica)