typeahead.js
A JavaScript library for building autocomplete search boxes that suggest matches as you type.
- Stars
- 16.4k
- Forks
- 3.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 3.6 years ago
- Type
- Library
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
typeahead.js is a JavaScript library for adding autocomplete (typeahead) suggestions to a text input on a web page. It has two parts: Bloodhound, which computes suggestions for a query, and a UI view that renders the suggestions and handles user interaction in the page. The parts can be used separately or together.
- Add a suggestion dropdown to a site search box
- Build a local autocomplete from a list of data using the Bloodhound suggestion engine
- Combine the suggestion engine and UI view to create a typeahead experience
Great for
- Web developers adding search suggestions to a website's input field
- Developers who already use jQuery and want a drop-in autocomplete component
- Teams maintaining existing sites that need to support older desktop browsers
Not ideal for
- Projects needing mobile browser support, since the README says it is not tested on mobile browsers
- Projects that do not use jQuery, since the UI view and Bloodhound require jQuery 1.9+ according to the README
- Non-developers looking for a ready-made app, since this is a code library
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: jQuery 1.9+
Install with Bower (preferred method in README)
$ bower install typeahead.js - 2
Run it
- Install the library with Bower or download the dist files from the README links
- Include jQuery 1.9+ on the page
- Include typeahead.bundle.js or the individual files
- Follow the linked Typeahead and Bloodhound docs to attach it to an input
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the Bloodhound docs to build a suggestion engine from your own data
- Read the jQuery Typeahead docs for UI options
- Use the examples page to see working demos before writing code
- Use the test playground via grunt server when debugging, per the developer section
Downloads
Strengths
- Two components that can be used separately or together
- Listed browser support reaches back to older browsers such as IE 8+
- MIT licensed
Trade-offs
- README states dependency on jQuery 1.9+ and no mobile browser testing
- Last push in the metadata is from April 2023, and no release is listed, so current maintenance status is unclear
- README has limited detail in the excerpt provided, so usage specifics are in linked docs not reviewed here
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| typeahead.js (this) | 16.4k | Library | intermediate | 3.6 years ago | Web developers adding search suggestions to a website's input field |
| select2 | 25.9k | Library | beginner | 8 days ago | Web developers who already use jQuery and want a better dropdown |
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.