js-beautify is a code formatter that reformats and re-indents JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
The tool addresses the problem of working with minified, obfuscated, or poorly formatted code by parsing and reconstructing it with proper indentation and spacing. It can unpack scripts compressed by common packing tools and partly deobfuscate code processed by standard obfuscation packages. The formatter works through a parsing and re-indentation approach, available both as a command-line tool and as a library for programmatic use.
Developers should choose this tool if they need to make minified or packed JavaScript readable for debugging or analysis. It suits projects where developers encounter obfuscated third-party code or need to maintain consistent formatting across JavaScript, HTML, and CSS files. The tool is available across multiple platforms through npm for Node.js, pip for Python, and as a web interface, making it accessible regardless of development environment.
The project's maintainers have explicitly stated limited availability to work on it despite its widespread use, and the README prominently requests contributors to help address both customer-facing bugs and underlying design problems. The project maintains active continuous integration workflows and tracks dependency updates through automated tooling.
