IIFEs in JavaScript

Immediately Invoked Function Expressions (IIFEs) in JavaScript

Patrick Karsh
3 min readFeb 4, 2024
These need to be invoked ASAP.

In the vast and dynamic world of JavaScript, patterns and paradigms play a crucial role in writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code. One such pattern, which has stood the test of time despite the evolution of the language, is the Immediately Invoked Function Expression (IIFE). An IIFE is a function that is executed immediately after it is defined. This article aims to delve into the concept of IIFEs, exploring their syntax, benefits, and practical applications through examples.

Understanding IIFEs

An IIFE is defined by wrapping a function in parentheses, followed by another set of parentheses that invoke the function immediately. This syntax creates a private scope for variables and functions, making it a powerful tool for avoiding pollutions in the global namespace and for encapsulating functionality.

Basic Syntax

The classic syntax of an IIFE is as follows:

For arrow functions, the syntax becomes even more concise:

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Patrick Karsh

NYC-based Ruby on Rails and Javascript Engineer leveraging AI to explore Engineering. https://linktr.ee/patrickkarsh