Backbone.js

---

title: "Backbone.js" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["javascript-libraries", "software-using-the-mit-license", "2010-software"] description: "Javascript library" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backbone.js" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Javascript library ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]

Field	Value
name	Backbone.js
logo	Backbone.js logo.svg
logo size	200px
screenshot
developer	Jeremy Ashkenas
released
latest release version
latest release date
latest preview date
programming language	JavaScript
operating system	Cross-platform
size	7.9 KB production
72 KB development
genre	JavaScript library
license	MIT
::

| title = | name = Backbone.js | logo = Backbone.js logo.svg | logo size = 200px | logo caption = | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | author = | developer = Jeremy Ashkenas | released = | latest release version = | latest release date = | latest preview version = | latest preview date = | programming language = JavaScript | operating system = Cross-platform | platform = | size = 7.9 KB production 72 KB development | genre = JavaScript library | license = MIT Backbone.js is a JavaScript rich-client web app framework based on the model–view–controller design paradigm, intended to connect to an API over a RESTful JSON interface. Backbone has only hard dependency, which is on one JavaScript library, Underscore.js,. jQuery can also be optionally used for the library. It is designed for developing single-page web applications, and for keeping various parts of web applications (e.g. multiple clients and the server) synchronized. Backbone was created by Jeremy Ashkenas, who is also known for CoffeeScript and Underscore.js.

When handling the DOM Backbone.js adopts an imperative programming style, in contrast with a declarative programming style (common in AngularJS using data-attributes). Trying to provide "the minimal set of data-structuring (models and collections) and user interface (views and URLs)", leaves to the developer the choice of extensions for enhanced functionality. For example, one can use nested views with Backbone Layout Manager or model-view binding with ReSTbasis.

Use

The following web applications are built with Backbone.js:

• 500px Web
• Airbnb
• Diaspora
• Digg
• DocumentCloud
• Drupal 8
• Foursquare
• Grooveshark
• Groupon Now
• Hearsay Systems Advisor Cloud
• Hulu
• NewsBlur
• Nextcloud
• Openbravo Mobile (with Enyo).
• Pandora Radio
• ReSTbasis
• SoundCloud
• Trello
• USA Today.com
• WordPress.com
• verizon.com
• xTuple (with Enyo).

References

References

1. Alex MacCaw. (2011-08-18). "JavaScript Web Applications". O'Reilly Media, Inc..
2. (October 14, 2015). "Dependencies". BackboneJS.
3. (March 16, 2012). "What SendHub Learned Building a Single-Page Backbone.js App". [[ReadWrite]] }}{{dead link.
4. (8 December 2011). "Behind the rumours: how we built our Twitter riots interactive". [[The Guardian]].
5. "Backbone.js". backbonejs.org.
6. "Companies and Websites using Backbone.js".
7. "Organizing Your Company to Embrace Microservices". InfoQ.
8. "Backbone.js".
9. John Paul Titlow. (2013-07-22). "Inside The Tech Stack Digg Used To Replace Google Reader". Co.Labs.
10. (2013-07-30). "Backbone.js and Underscore.js are bundled into Drupal 8".
11. [http://www.ofbrooklyn.com/2012/11/13/backbonification-migrating-javascript-to-backbone/ Backbonification: migrating a large JavaScript project from DOM spaghetti to Backbone.js] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-01-20 , Samuel Clay (NewsBlur) 13th November 2012)
12. "Mobile UI Components".
13. "A Shorter Letter".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::