docs/source/packages/coffeescript.md
---
title: coffeescript
description: Documentation of Meteor's `coffeescript` package.
---
[CoffeeScript](http://coffeescript.org/) is a little language that
compiles into JavaScript. It provides a simple syntax without lots of
braces and parentheses. The code compiles one-to-one into the
equivalent JS, and there is no interpretation at runtime.
CoffeeScript is supported on both the client and the server. Files
ending with `.coffee`, `.litcoffee`, or `.coffee.md` are automatically
compiled to JavaScript.
### Namespacing and CoffeeScript
Here's how CoffeeScript works with Meteor's namespacing.
* Per the usual CoffeeScript convention, CoffeeScript variables are
file-scoped by default (visible only in the `.coffee` file where
they are defined.)
* When writing a package, CoffeeScript-defined variables can be
exported like any other variable (see [Package.js](/api/packagejs.html)). Exporting a variable pulls it up to
package scope, meaning that it will be visible to all of the code in
your app or package (both `.js` and `.coffee` files).
* Package-scope variables declared in `.js` files are visible in any
`.coffee` files in the same app or project.
* There is no way to make a package-scope variable from a `.coffee`
file other than exporting it. We couldn't figure out a way to make
this fit naturally inside the CoffeeScript language. If you want to
use package-scope variables with CoffeeScript, one way is to make a
short `.js` file that declares all of your package-scope
variables. They can then be used and assigned to from `.coffee`
files.
* If you want to share variables between `.coffee` files in the same
package, and don't want to separately declare them in a `.js` file,
we have an experimental feature that you may like. An object called
`share` is visible in CoffeeScript code and is shared across all
`.coffee` files in the same package. So, you can write `share.foo`
for a value that is shared between all CoffeeScript code in a
package, but doesn't escape that package.
Heavy CoffeeScript users, please let us know how this arrangement
works for you, whether `share` is helpful for you, and anything else
you'd like to see changed.
### Modules and CoffeeScript
See [Modules » Syntax » CoffeeScript](/packages/modules.html#CoffeeScript).