estree

ESTree is a community-maintained specification for the abstract syntax tree (AST) used to represent JavaScript and other ECMAScript dialects. It defines a standard set of node types and their properties so that parsers and tooling can interoperate, sharing the same structural model of source code.

Origin and scope: ESTree arose from the need for a common AST format among popular JavaScript parsers (for example Esprima, Acorn, and Babel). The project is hosted on GitHub and evolves through community proposals. The specification describes the root Program node and its structure, including the body array of statements and declarations, and a sourceType field indicating module or script mode. Location information such as loc and range may be attached when requested.

Node families: The ESTree specification covers a wide range of node kinds, including programs, statements (like IfStatement, ForStatement, ReturnStatement), expressions (Identifier, Literal, BinaryExpression, CallExpression), declarations, and patterns. Each node type has a defined set of properties; many nodes share common fields such as type, loc, and range, with additional fields for specific syntax elements.

Usage and impact: ESTree has become the de facto standard target for many JavaScript parsers and is widely used by tooling such as ESLint, Prettier, and code analysis pipelines. While some tools emit variant or extended ASTs, ESTree provides a core basis for interoperability across ecosystems of JavaScript tooling.

See also: Esprima, Acorn, Babel, ESLint, code transformation. For the latest details, the ESTree specification is maintained in its repository.