Best Practices

Guidelines and best practices for using Kist projects effectively.

General Guidelines

Keep Dependencies Updated

Regularly update Kist packages to get the latest features, improvements, and security fixes:

npm update @getkist/[project-name]

Use TypeScript

When possible, use TypeScript to take advantage of type safety and better IDE support.

Read the Documentation

Each project has specific documentation. Always review it before implementation.

Start Small

Begin with simple use cases and gradually adopt more advanced features.

Code Quality

Follow Project Standards

• Use consistent code formatting (Prettier recommended)
• Follow ESLint rules
• Write meaningful commit messages
• Add comments for complex logic

Testing

• Write tests for your implementations
• Test edge cases
• Use TypeScript for type checking
• Run tests before committing

Error Handling

• Always handle potential errors
• Provide meaningful error messages
• Use try-catch blocks appropriately
• Log errors for debugging

Performance

Optimize Bundle Size

• Import only what you need
• Use tree-shaking where available
• Consider code splitting for larger applications

Monitor Performance

• Profile your application
• Watch for memory leaks
• Optimize hot paths
• Use performance monitoring tools

Security

Keep Dependencies Secure

• Regularly audit dependencies
• Update packages with security fixes
• Review security advisories
• Use tools like npm audit

Protect Sensitive Data

• Never commit secrets
• Use environment variables
• Rotate credentials regularly
• Follow security best practices

Collaboration

Version Control

• Use meaningful branch names
• Write clear commit messages
• Review code before merging
• Keep commits atomic

Documentation

• Document your code
• Update README files
• Add inline comments
• Share knowledge with the team

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the project documentation
2. Search existing GitHub issues
3. Ask in discussions
4. Create a new issue with details

Contributing

Help improve Kist projects! See our contributing guide for details.