IIFE

» Glossary » Immediately-Invoked Function Expression

In JavaScript lingo, IIFE means Immediately-Invoked Function Expression:

(function( yourGreeting ){
  console.log( yourGreeting );
})( 'hello world' );

In this case, an alternative way to get the same result would be:

var doGreet = function( yourGreeting ){
    console.log( yourGreeting );
}
doGreet( 'hello world' );

Both approaches make the code within isolated from the global scope, but the IIFE doesn't pollute it with new variables.

Recommended reading:

• Immediately-Invoked Function Expression, by Ben Alman, in which he coined the term.
• Namespace pattern
• Module pattern
• On JavaScrip modules