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Backbone

A JavaScript library that adds models, views, collections and events to structure web apps.

GitHub Download source
Stars
28.1k
Forks
5.3k
Licence
MIT
Language
JavaScript
Last update
24 days ago
Type
Library

What it is

Backbone is a JavaScript library that gives structure to browser apps that do a lot of work in JavaScript. It provides models with key-value binding and custom events, collections with a set of enumerable helper functions, and views with declarative event handling. It can connect to an existing app through a RESTful JSON interface.

  • Organize data in models and collections that sync with a JSON API
  • Attach view logic to DOM events using declarative event handling
  • Use custom events to let parts of an app communicate

Great for

  • Developers maintaining or extending an existing JavaScript app that already uses Backbone
  • Developers who want a small, unopinionated structure for client-side code rather than a full framework
  • Teams wanting to connect a JavaScript front end to a RESTful JSON backend

Not ideal for

  • Beginners looking for a complete, batteries-included framework, since the README points to external docs for most details
  • People starting a brand-new project who want the currently most popular component model, as the README does not compare Backbone to other options
Step-by-step guide: how to use BackboneInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs
Backbone vs Ember.js

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/jashkenas/backbone
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Read the documentation at https://backbonejs.org
    • Include the library in a page or build, following the docs
    • Define a model or collection and attach a view to it
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the documented REST sync behavior to connect models to an existing JSON API
    • Read the test suite and examples referenced on the official site to learn usage patterns

Downloads

Source code (.zip)master branch · straight from GitHubOfficial website & docsbackbonejs.org

Strengths

  • Provides clear building blocks: models, collections, views and events
  • Connects to RESTful JSON interfaces, as described in the README
  • Open source under the MIT license with a long-running public project

Trade-offs

  • The README is short and sends most documentation to the external website, so details must be found elsewhere
  • No release is listed in the metadata, so version choice needs checking on the project's own pages

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
backbone (this)28.1kLibraryintermediate24 days agoDevelopers maintaining or extending an existing JavaScript app that already uses Backbone
ember.js22.6kLibraryintermediate4 days agoDevelopers building large, long-lived web applications

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.