The spaces vs. tabs debate has produced memes, flame wars, and surprisingly strong opinions. Here’s a pragmatic view.

Consistency matters most

The worst outcome is a codebase that mixes both. It ruins diffs, makes alignment unpredictable, and frustrates everyone. Pick one and enforce it.

  • Prettier or ESLint can format on save so nobody has to think about it.
  • Add an .editorconfig so different editors behave the same.

My preference: spaces

I use 2 spaces. Reasons:

  1. Rendering — Tabs can render at different widths (2, 4, 8) depending on editor or site. Spaces always look the same.
  2. Alignment — When you align things across lines (e.g. in object literals), spaces keep alignment exact. Tabs can break it when someone uses a different tab width.
  3. Ecosystem — Many style guides and tools assume spaces. It’s the path of least friction.

That said, if your team has already standardized on tabs and it’s enforced, don’t rewrite the codebase. The cost outweighs the benefit.

What actually helps

  • Format on save — Removes the debate from daily work.
  • Pre-commit hooks — Prevent inconsistent formatting from landing.
  • Document the choice — One line in the README or CONTRIBUTING.md is enough.

Spend your energy on architecture and readability. Indent with whatever your team agrees on, and move on.