What's the differences between helpers and utils?

[yesmeck]

I mean the src/helpers and src/utils folder, what files should put in helpers folder, what should in utils folder?

[janhoogeveen]

Looks to me like /utils is a place where you can place small snippets you can use throughout the application. Small functions to build bigger things with.

/helpers is more of a place where you store code architectural snippets in my view. Things essential for bootstrapping components and developer ergonomics.

[AndrewLamYW]

Looks to me like /utils is a place where you can place small snippets you can use throughout the application. Small functions to build bigger things with.

/helpers is more of a place where you store code architectural snippets in my view. Things essential for bootstrapping components and developer ergonomics.

Hi @janhoogeveen, thanks for the answer. I couldn't quite grasp it, could you please explain in other form? Thank you :D

[thiagovilla]

I've run into this "issue" too while trying to structure a project. Here's how it fits me better:

• index.js is the point of entry. It requires the modules in /modules
• /modules contains the getAll.js and getById.js modules
• /libs holds the individual steps a given module calls
• /utils has very short and specific functions used throughout functions in /libs

[PointerToNextPole]

I just search "helper vs utils" on google and found the issue. I got the wanted answer at StackOverflow, so let me show the URL of the question at StackOverflow: What are the differences between Helper and Utility classes?

In short, the answer is:

A Utility class is understood to only have static methods and be stateless. You would not create an instance of such a class.
A Helper can be a utility class or it can be stateful or require an instance be created. I would avoid this if possible.

[pedronastasi]

Hope it helps someone 😄

	Helper Functions/Classes	Utility Functions/Classes
Purpose	Provide support or aid to other parts of the program	Perform common or generic operations that are not tied to any specific part of the program
Scope	Typically used within a specific module or part of the program	Can be used throughout the program or in multiple programs
Dependencies	Often depend on other parts of the program or external libraries	Usually independent of other parts of the program
Examples	Form validation functions, data formatting classes	String manipulation functions, math libraries

[XinnieSol]

Nice and comprehensive explanation @pedronastasi

[sktsourav]

Is it a good practice to put the constant file inside utils folder ?

[Muilibilal]

@sktsourav you can create a "constants" folder and keep your constants.js file inside it. Better still you can have an index.js file inside there then have a different files for different contexts and export them from index.js.
This would help you keep all your constants in a centralized place whenever you decide to create constant values for different modules in your application.