---
title: Biome
description: See how Ultracite works with Biome's all-in-one formatter and linter, including setup, defaults, tradeoffs, and migration guidance.
---

[Biome](https://biomejs.dev/) is a fast, all-in-one toolchain for JavaScript and TypeScript projects. Written in Rust, it combines formatting and linting into a single binary with zero dependencies.

## Benefits

- **Lightning fast** — Formats large codebases in milliseconds
- **All-in-one toolchain** — No more juggling ESLint, Prettier, and other tools
- **Zero dependencies** — One binary does everything with consistent behavior
- **Multi-language support** — Handles JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, JSON, CSS, GraphQL, and HTML
- **Smart sorting** — Automatically organizes imports, JSX attributes, and Tailwind CSS classes

## Usage

```jsonc title="biome.jsonc"
{
  "extends": ["ultracite/biome/core"],
}
```

Add framework presets as needed:

```jsonc title="biome.jsonc"
{
  "extends": [
    "ultracite/biome/core",
    "ultracite/biome/react",
    "ultracite/biome/next",
  ],
}
```

For type-aware and project-graph rules (`noPrivateImports`, `noUndeclaredDependencies`, `noUnresolvedImports`, `noImportCycles`, `noDeprecatedImports`, `useImportExtensions`, `useJsonImportAttributes`, `useArraySortCompare`), add the optional `type-aware` preset — or pass `--type-aware` to `npx ultracite init`:

```jsonc title="biome.jsonc"
{
  "extends": ["ultracite/biome/core", "ultracite/biome/type-aware"],
}
```

## Configuration Approach

Ultracite's Biome configuration uses an **opt-in** approach. This means every rule is explicitly specified in the configuration — nothing is implicitly inherited. This gives you full visibility into exactly which rules are enabled and at what level.

## Rule Categories

Biome organizes rules into the following categories:

### Accessibility (a11y)

Rules that enforce ARIA attributes, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, and other accessibility best practices. Examples include requiring alt text for images, valid ARIA roles, and proper heading structure.

### Complexity

Rules that reduce cognitive complexity and enforce best practices. Examples include preferring `for...of` over `forEach`, using optional chaining, and avoiding excessive nesting.

### Correctness

Rules that prevent common errors and enforce type safety. Examples include catching unused variables, invalid regex patterns, unreachable code, and incorrect use of hooks.

### Performance

Rules that optimize code for better runtime performance. Examples include avoiding accumulating spread in loops, discouraging barrel files, and enforcing efficient patterns.

### Security

Rules that prevent security vulnerabilities. Examples include blocking `eval()`, requiring `rel="noopener"` on external links, and flagging dangerous `innerHTML` usage.

### Style

Rules that enforce consistent code style. Examples include preferring `const` over `let`, using template literals, enforcing consistent type definitions, and file naming conventions.

### Suspicious

Rules that catch suspicious patterns that might indicate bugs. Examples include flagging `debugger` statements, duplicate object keys, and implicit type coercion.

### Nursery

Rules that are still in development and may change between releases. Ultracite leaves nursery rules off, except `useSortedClasses`, which sorts Tailwind CSS classes and was widely requested.

## Formatter Settings

Ultracite configures Biome's formatter with these defaults:

- **Indentation**: 2 spaces
- **Line Width**: 80 characters
- **Line Ending**: LF (Unix-style)
- **Semicolons**: Always required
- **Trailing Commas**: ES5 style
- **Arrow Parentheses**: Always include

## Rule Reference

For the complete list of rules and their settings, see the [Biome configuration on GitHub](https://github.com/haydenbleasel/ultracite/tree/main/packages/cli/config/biome).

## Excluding Files

Ultracite's base config uses `files.includes` to match all files while excluding common build outputs and generated code. If you need to exclude additional files or directories, add them to `files.includes` in your `biome.jsonc` with negated patterns:

```jsonc title="biome.jsonc"
{
  "extends": ["ultracite/biome/core"],
  "files": {
    "includes": ["**", "!components/ui/**", "!prisma/client", "!public"],
  },
}
```

**Important:** Always include `"**"` as the first entry. Using only negated patterns (e.g. `["!public", "!prisma/client"]`) will result in zero files being matched, because Biome needs at least one positive glob to start from.

## VS Code Extension

Install the [Biome extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=biomejs.biome) for VS Code:

```bash title="Terminal"
code --install-extension biomejs.biome
```