CanaryJS

A minimalist, functional JavaScript toolkit for mere mortals.

Why CanaryJS?

CanaryJS wraps the JavaScript you already know in a functional overcoat, then offers you a nice cup of tea.

• Includes most built-in JS methods—but curried, data-last, and pleasantly unfussy.
• Designed to be simple enough for mortals.
• Easy to learn, hard to outgrow.
• Works great on its own, or as an on-ramp to Ramda — and for deeper type-driven FP, Sanctuary.

If you’ve glanced at lodash/fp and felt it looked a bit like a supermarket sweep, CanaryJS is the corner shop: just the essentials, nicely arranged.

Installation

npm i canary-js

Zero dependencies. ES Module. Tree‑shakable.

Also available via CDN:

import * as C from 'https://esm.sh/canary-js@latest'

Quick Start

import * as C from 'canary-js'

const isEven = C.pipe(C.flip(C.modulo)(2), C.equals(0))
const add10 = C.add(10)

const transform = C.pipe(C.filter(isEven), C.map(add10))

const result = transform([1, 2, 3, 4])

console.log(result) // → [12, 14]

Core Ideas (in excessively tidy bullets)

| Principle | What it means | | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Curried & data‑last | Functions take arguments one at a time, with data passed last—perfect for pipe. | | Pure & predictable | No mutation. Functions always return the same output for the same input. | | Partial application | You can pass fewer arguments to get a new function. Build behavior gradually. | | Built‑ins first | Array, String, Number, Object, and Boolean methods | | Ramda‑compatible names | Familiar vocabulary if you move to Ramda. | | Small surface | ~80 functions; your brain remains underwhelmed. |

What’s Inside?

Arrays

map, filter, reduce, find, findIndex, findLast, indexOf, lastIndexOf, some, every, includes, at, flat, flatMap, slice, concat, join, reverse, sort, length

Strings

split, trim, trimStart, trimEnd, repeat, toUpper, toLower, startsWith, endsWith, padStart, padEnd

Numbers

add, subtract, multiply, divide, modulo, abs, floor, round, ceil, pow

Objects

keys, values, entries, fromEntries, prop, freeze, seal, is

Comparison & Boolean

equals, not, negate, lt, lte, gt, gte

Core Utilities

identity, always, converge, tap, pipe, compose, curry, uncurry, addIndex, flip, binary, trinary

Control Flow

ifElse, cond, tryCatch

What’s not Inside (and where to find it)

| Feature | Where to look | | ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | | Placeholders (__) | Ramda | | Fancy combinators (juxt, lens, zipWith) | Ramda | | Maybe, Either, and other Fantasy‑Land‑certified ADTs | SanctuaryJS | | Lenses, traversals, profunctors (brace yourself) | Ramda & friends |

CanaryJS keeps the water shallow; when you’re ready to dive, Ramda and Sanctuary have the deep end nicely chlorinated.

Naming Aside

Why CanaryJS?

It’s named after Canary Wharf in London, where the idea for the library clicked into place—over a coffee and a long think about functional programming.

This is a second attempt, after learning firsthand how quickly a utility library can grow too large, while still not quite measuring up to its inspirations. CanaryJS is a fresh start—intentionally small, focused, and designed to help others avoid some of the detours I took along the way.

Nothing to do with canaries in mines, alerts, or early warning systems. Probably.

License

MIT © 2025 Brad Mehder

canary-js