Neovim Best Practices

Modern Neovim configuration follows specific patterns that leverage Lua, built-in LSP, and the plugin ecosystem effectively. This skill provides guidance on structuring configurations, choosing plugins, and following current best practices.

Core Principles

Lua Over Vimscript

Prefer Lua for all configuration. Neovim 0.5+ has first-class Lua support with better performance and cleaner syntax than Vimscript.

Structure:

~/.config/nvim/
├── init.lua          # Entry point
└── lua/
    └── <username>/   # Namespace your config
        ├── init.lua
        ├── options.lua
        ├── keymaps.lua
        ├── autocmds.lua
        └── lazy.lua  # Plugin manager setup

Entry point pattern:

-- init.lua
require("<username>")

Module organization:

-- lua/<username>/init.lua
require("<username>.options")
require("<username>.keymaps")
require("<username>.autocmds")
require("<username>.lazy")

Plugin Management with lazy.nvim

Use lazy.nvim as the modern plugin manager. It provides lazy-loading, lockfile management, and excellent performance.

Setup pattern:

-- lua/<username>/lazy.lua
local lazypath = vim.fn.stdpath("data") .. "/lazy/lazy.nvim"
if not vim.loop.fs_stat(lazypath) then
  vim.fn.system({
    "git", "clone", "--filter=blob:none",
    "https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim.git",
    "--branch=stable", lazypath,
  })
end
vim.opt.rtp:prepend(lazypath)

require("lazy").setup("plugins", {
  -- Configuration options
})

Plugin specs: Create individual plugin files in lua/plugins/:

-- lua/plugins/telescope.lua
return {
  "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim",
  cmd = "Telescope",  -- Lazy-load on command
  keys = {           -- Lazy-load on keymap
    { "<leader>ff", "<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>" },
  },
  dependencies = { "nvim-lua/plenary.nvim" },
  config = function()
    require("telescope").setup({
      -- Configuration
    })
  end,
}

Modern Configuration Patterns

Options:

-- lua/<username>/options.lua
local opt = vim.opt

opt.number = true
opt.relativenumber = true
opt.expandtab = true
opt.shiftwidth = 2
opt.tabstop = 2
-- Use opt for vim options, not vim.o/vim.wo/vim.bo directly

Keymaps:

-- lua/<username>/keymaps.lua
local keymap = vim.keymap.set

-- Set leader key first
vim.g.mapleader = " "
vim.g.maplocalleader = " "

-- Use descriptive opts
keymap("n", "<leader>ff", "<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>", { desc = "Find files" })
keymap("n", "<leader>fg", "<cmd>Telescope live_grep<cr>", { desc = "Live grep" })

-- Prefer lua functions over vim commands when possible
keymap("n", "<Esc>", function() vim.cmd("nohlsearch") end, { desc = "Clear highlights" })

Autocommands:

-- lua/<username>/autocmds.lua
local autocmd = vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd
local augroup = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup

-- Create augroup for organization
local highlight_group = augroup("YankHighlight", { clear = true })

autocmd("TextYankPost", {
  group = highlight_group,
  pattern = "*",
  callback = function()
    vim.highlight.on_yank({ higroup = "IncSearch", timeout = 200 })
  end,
  desc = "Highlight yanked text",
})

Configuration Structure Best Practices

File Organization

Separate concerns into focused files:

Core configuration files:

• init.lua – Entry point only
• options.lua – Vim options and settings
• keymaps.lua – Key mappings
• autocmds.lua – Autocommands and event handlers
• lazy.lua – Plugin manager setup

Plugin files: Create one file per plugin or logical group in lua/plugins/:

• colorscheme.lua – Color scheme
• lsp.lua – LSP configuration
• treesitter.lua – Treesitter
• telescope.lua – Fuzzy finder
• gitsigns.lua – Git integration

Utility modules: Optional lua/<username>/util/ for shared functions:

• util/init.lua – Common utilities
• util/lsp.lua – LSP helpers
• util/keymaps.lua – Keymap utilities

Namespace Your Configuration

Always namespace under your username to avoid conflicts:

-- lua/kriscard/init.lua
require("kriscard.options")
require("kriscard.keymaps")

This prevents collisions with plugin code and makes the config portable.

LSP Configuration

Neovim has built-in LSP client. Use nvim-lspconfig for server configurations.

Recommended setup:

-- lua/plugins/lsp.lua
return {
  "neovim/nvim-lspconfig",
  dependencies = {
    "williamboman/mason.nvim",
    "williamboman/mason-lspconfig.nvim",
  },
  config = function()
    require("mason").setup()
    require("mason-lspconfig").setup({
      ensure_installed = { "lua_ls", "tsserver", "pyright" },
    })

    local lspconfig = require("lspconfig")
    local capabilities = require("cmp_nvim_lsp").default_capabilities()

    -- Configure each server
    lspconfig.lua_ls.setup({ capabilities = capabilities })
    lspconfig.tsserver.setup({ capabilities = capabilities })
  end,
}

On-attach pattern:

local on_attach = function(client, bufnr)
  local opts = { buffer = bufnr }
  vim.keymap.set("n", "gd", vim.lsp.buf.definition, opts)
  vim.keymap.set("n", "K", vim.lsp.buf.hover, opts)
  vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ca", vim.lsp.buf.code_action, opts)
end

lspconfig.lua_ls.setup({
  capabilities = capabilities,
  on_attach = on_attach,
})

Plugin Ecosystem Essentials

Must-Have Plugins

Plugin manager:

• lazy.nvim – Modern, fast, lazy-loading

LSP & Completion:

• nvim-lspconfig – LSP configurations
• mason.nvim – LSP/DAP/linter installer
• nvim-cmp – Completion engine
• cmp-nvim-lsp – LSP completion source

Syntax & UI:

• nvim-treesitter – Better syntax highlighting
• telescope.nvim – Fuzzy finder
• nvim-tree or oil.nvim – File explorer

Git:

• gitsigns.nvim – Git decorations
• lazygit.nvim or fugitive.vim – Git interface

Quality of life:

• which-key.nvim – Keymap hints
• nvim-autopairs – Auto-close brackets
• Comment.nvim – Easy commenting

Plugin Selection Criteria

Evaluate plugins based on:

1. Maintenance: Active development, recent commits
2. Dependencies: Minimal external requirements
3. Performance: Lazy-loadable, minimal startup impact
4. Documentation: Clear usage examples
5. Community: Stars, issues, discussions

Prefer plugins that:

• Use Lua API
• Support lazy-loading
• Have minimal dependencies
• Are actively maintained

Avoid plugins that:

• Require external binaries not in Mason
• Have not been updated in 2+ years
• Have many open critical issues
• Duplicate built-in functionality (0.10+)

Performance Optimization

Lazy-Loading Strategies

Load plugins only when needed:

By command:

{ "plugin/name", cmd = "CommandName" }

By keymap:

{ "plugin/name", keys = "<leader>x" }

By filetype:

{ "plugin/name", ft = { "python", "lua" } }

By event:

{ "plugin/name", event = "BufReadPost" }

Defer loading:

{
  "plugin/name",
  lazy = true,  -- Don't load automatically
  dependencies = { "other/plugin" },
}

Startup Optimization

Measure startup time:

nvim --startuptime startup.log

Common optimizations:

1. Lazy-load all plugins except essentials (colorscheme, treesitter)
2. Use lazy = true for plugins loaded by others
3. Defer heavy plugins with event = "VeryLazy"
4. Profile with :Lazy profile

Keybinding Patterns

Leader Key Usage

Set leader early in init.lua:

vim.g.mapleader = " "
vim.g.maplocalleader = " "

Organize by prefix:

• <leader>f – Find/search (telescope)
• <leader>g – Git operations
• <leader>b – Buffer management
• <leader>w – Window management
• <leader>l – LSP operations
• <leader>t – Terminal/tests

Keymap Best Practices

Use descriptive options:

keymap("n", "<leader>ff", "<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>", {
  desc = "Find files",
  silent = true,
})

Prefer Lua functions:

keymap("n", "<leader>w", function()
  vim.cmd.write()
  print("File saved")
end, { desc = "Save file" })

Use which-key for discoverability:

require("which-key").add({
  { "<leader>f", group = "Find" },
  { "<leader>ff", desc = "Find files" },
  { "<leader>fg", desc = "Live grep" },
})

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using set Instead of opt

-- Bad
vim.cmd("set number")

-- Good
vim.opt.number = true

Global Keymaps Without Options

-- Bad
vim.api.nvim_set_keymap("n", "<leader>ff", "<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>", {})

-- Good
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ff", "<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>", {
  desc = "Find files",
  silent = true,
})

Not Lazy-Loading Plugins

-- Bad - loads everything at startup
return { "plugin/name" }

-- Good - loads when needed
return {
  "plugin/name",
  cmd = "PluginCommand",
  keys = "<leader>x",
}

Hardcoding Paths

-- Bad
require("kriscard.config")

-- Good - use stdpath
local config_path = vim.fn.stdpath("config") .. "/lua/kriscard"

Version-Specific Features

Neovim 0.10+ Features

Take advantage of modern features:

Built-in commenting:

vim.keymap.set("n", "gcc", "gcc", { remap = true })
-- Can replace Comment.nvim in 0.10+

Improved diagnostics:

vim.diagnostic.config({
  virtual_text = true,
  signs = true,
  float = { border = "rounded" },
})

Inlay hints:

vim.lsp.inlay_hint.enable(true)

Deprecated Patterns

Avoid deprecated APIs:

Old autocommand syntax:

-- Bad (deprecated)
vim.cmd([[
  augroup MyGroup
    autocmd!
    autocmd BufWritePre * echo "Saving..."
  augroup END
]])

-- Good
local autocmd = vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd
autocmd("BufWritePre", {
  pattern = "*",
  callback = function()
    print("Saving...")
  end,
})

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed information, consult:

• references/plugin-recommendations.md – Curated plugin list by category
• references/lsp-setup.md – Comprehensive LSP configuration guide
• references/migration-guide.md – Migrating from Vimscript to Lua

Example Files

Working examples in examples/:

• init.lua – Complete minimal config
• lazy-spec-example.lua – Plugin specification patterns

Quick Reference

File structure checklist:

• init.lua exists at config root
• Configuration namespaced under username in lua/
• Plugin specs in lua/plugins/ directory
• Options, keymaps, autocmds separated into files
• Using lazy.nvim for plugin management

Code quality checklist:

• All config in Lua (no Vimscript)
• Using vim.opt for options
• Using vim.keymap.set for keymaps
• Using vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd for autocommands
• Plugins lazy-loaded where possible
• Descriptive keymap descriptions
• No deprecated APIs

Performance checklist:

• Startup time under 50ms (measure with --startuptime)
• Plugins lazy-loaded by cmd/keys/ft/event
• Heavy plugins deferred with event = "VeryLazy"
• No synchronous operations at startup

Follow these patterns for maintainable, performant, and modern Neovim configurations.