AVAILABLE: 5
In computer programming, boilerplate code refers to sections of code that must be included in many places with little or no modification. This term is often used when discussing languages considered verbose, meaning programmers have to write a lot of code to accomplish minimal tasks.
For example, in web development, a simple boilerplate for HTML might look like this:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html class="no-js" lang="">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge">
<title></title>
<meta name="description" content="">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/main.css">
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello world! This is HTML5 Boilerplate.</p>
<script src="js/vendor/modernizr-{{MODERNIZR_VERSION}}.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
In Information Technology, a boilerplate is a reusable unit of writing that can be applied repeatedly without modification. By extension, this idea is sometimes applied to reusable programming or generating "boilerplate code."
Essentially, boilerplate code acts as a framework for your project.
Let's say you need to quickly prototype a product for a client using a specific technology. Without boilerplate, you'd have to start from scratch or rely on CLI-generated templates, which may not always align with your preferred style.
Now imagine you have a clean, small project you created for a previous client. Some new clients expect something very similar, requiring only a few tweaks, removals, or additional lines of code. Essentially, it’s ready to deliver with minimal effort. Efficient and tidy, right?
In summary, when you anticipate having many similar projects in the future, a boilerplate is a huge time-saver. 🙂
Conclusion
Very similar to the concept of a Framework.References
- What is boilerplate code?
- What is boilerplate and why do we use it? Necessity of coding style guide