A collection of JavaScript polyfills and shims for web platform features, enabling future-looking code across browsers.
Polyfill is a collection of JavaScript polyfills and shims that implement web platform features in browsers that lack native support. It enables developers to use modern ECMAScript and Web APIs while maintaining compatibility with older browsers. The project covers standards from HTML and DOM to Fetch and URL APIs, providing modular scripts for incremental adoption.
Frontend developers and web engineers who need to support legacy browsers while using modern JavaScript and web standards in their projects.
Developers choose Polyfill for its pragmatic approach to browser compatibility, offering a curated set of polyfills that are actually used in production. It avoids over-engineering by not aiming for 100% spec compliance, focusing instead on practical gaps that matter for real-world code.
JavaScript Polyfills, Shims and More
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.
Covers ES5 through ES2017 standards, providing consistent JavaScript behavior in older browsers, as detailed in the separate es5.js, es6.js, etc., files for incremental adoption.
Splits polyfills into files matching Web standards (e.g., html.js, dom.js), allowing developers to include only what's needed, reducing payload size based on browser requirements.
Focuses on filling practical gaps without aiming for 100% spec compliance, making it lightweight and suitable for real-world use, as stated in the README's philosophy section.
Offers minified bundles like web.js and polyfill.js for common use cases, simplifying quick integration without manual configuration.
Provides polyfills for proposed ECMAScript features and uncommon APIs (e.g., setImmediate, Geolocation), giving early access to cutting-edge functionality, though noted as unstable.
Explicitly not packaged as Node.js modules; the README states 'there's nothing to require()', limiting its use to browser-only environments and ignoring server-side needs.
The collection is curated and may miss some polyfills; it references an external guide for a more comprehensive list, indicating potential gaps for specific use cases.
Pre-bundled versions (e.g., polyfill.js) include everything, which can add unnecessary code if not carefully managed, especially for projects only needing a subset of polyfills.
Experimental polyfills are 'subject to change at any time,' as warned in the README, which could lead to breaking changes in production code relying on them.