Skip to content
Biome
Docs Enterprise Playground
Blog

Getting Started

Installation

Section titled “Installation”

The fastest way to download Biome is to use a package manager such as npm. This requires Node.js v14.18 or newer. The CLI is also available as a standalone executable if you want to use Biome without installing Node.js.

To install Biome, run the following commands in a directory containing a package.json file.

Terminal window
npm install --save-dev --save-exact @biomejs/biome

Configuration

Section titled “Configuration”

We recommend that you create a biome.json or a biome.jsonc configuration file for each project. This eliminates the need to repeat the CLI options each time you run a command, and ensures that Biome uses the same configuration in your editor. Some options are also only available from a configuration file. If you are happy with Biome’s defaults, you don’t need to create a configuration file. To create the biome.json file, run the init command in the root folder of your project:

Terminal window
npx @biomejs/biome init

Pass the --jsonc option to emit a biome.jsonc file instead.

After running the init command, you’ll have a new biome.json file in your directory:

biome.json
{
  "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/2.0.0-beta.5/schema.json",
  "vcs": {
    "enabled": false,
    "clientKind": "git",
    "useIgnoreFile": false
  },
  "files": { "ignoreUnknown": false },
  "formatter": { "enabled": true, "indentStyle": "tab" },
  "linter": {
    "enabled": true,
    "rules": { "recommended": true }
  },
  "javascript": { "formatter": { "quoteStyle": "double" } },
  "assist": {
    "enabled": true,
    "actions": { "source": { "organizeImports": "on" } }
  }
}

The linter.enabled: true enables the linter and rules.recommended: true enables the recommended rules. This corresponds to the default settings.

Formatting is enabled by default, but you can disable it by explicitly using formatter.enabled: false.

Usage

Section titled “Usage”

The Biome CLI comes with many commands and options, so you can use only what you need.

You can format files and directories using the format command with the --write option:

Terminal window
npx @biomejs/biome format --write <files>

You can lint and apply safe fixes to files and directories using the lint command with the --write option:

Terminal window
npx @biomejs/biome lint --write <files>

You can run both of them by leveraging the check command:

Terminal window
npx @biomejs/biome check --write <files>

The check command runs multiple tools at once. It formats, lints, and organizes imports.

Install an editor plugin

Section titled “Install an editor plugin”

We recommend installing an editor plugin to get the most out of Biome. Check out the editor page to know which editors support Biome.

CI Setup

Section titled “CI Setup”

If you’re using Node.js, the recommended way to run Biome in CI is to use your preferred package manager. This ensures that your CI pipeline uses the same version of Biome as you do inside the editor or when running local CLI commands. Alternatively, you can use a dedicated CI Action.

biome check VS biome ci

Section titled “biome check VS biome ci”

Biome offers two CLI commands to run all checks: biome check and biome ci, however the latter should be used in CI (Continuous Integration) environments.

Compared to the check command, the ci command:

  • Doesn’t provide any --write/--fix option.
  • Integrates better with specific runners. For example, when run on GitHub, the diagnostics are printed using the GitHub annotations.
  • Allows controlling the number of threads.
  • When VCS integration is enabled, it uses the --changed flag instead of --staged, because a remote repository doesn’t have the concept of “staged files”.

With time, the ci command will receive more and more features.

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”

Success! You’re now ready to use Biome. 🥳