What is eslint?
ESLint is a static code analysis tool for identifying problematic patterns found in JavaScript code. It is primarily used for finding and fixing problems in JavaScript code, enforcing coding standards, and improving code quality.
What are eslint's main functionalities?
Linting JavaScript Files
Run ESLint on all JavaScript files in the 'src' directory and its subdirectories.
eslint 'src/**/*.js'
Fixing Problems Automatically
Automatically fix problems in JavaScript files that ESLint is capable of fixing.
eslint --fix 'src/**/*.js'
Customizable Configuration
Customize ESLint rules and extend from recommended presets in the ESLint configuration file.
{ 'extends': 'eslint:recommended', 'rules': { 'eqeqeq': 'warn', 'no-unused-vars': 'error' } }
Integrating with Build Tools
Integrate ESLint with build tools like Grunt by using the corresponding plugin.
grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-eslint');
Using Plugins
Extend ESLint's capabilities with plugins for specific libraries or frameworks, such as React.
{ 'plugins': ['react'], 'rules': { 'react/jsx-uses-vars': 'error' } }
Other packages similar to eslint
jshint
JSHint is a community-driven tool that detects errors and potential problems in JavaScript code. It is less configurable than ESLint and does not support custom rule creation.
jscs
JSCS is a code style linter for programmatically enforcing your style guide. It has been deprecated and merged with ESLint, which now covers its functionality.
prettier
Prettier is an opinionated code formatter that supports many languages and integrates with most editors. Unlike ESLint, it does not check for code errors but focuses on maintaining a consistent code style.
tslint
TSLint was a linter for TypeScript, providing similar functionality to ESLint but specifically for TypeScript code. It has been deprecated in favor of typescript-eslint, which allows ESLint to be used with TypeScript.
standard
Standard is a JavaScript style guide, linter, and formatter with a set of predefined rules. It enforces a strict coding standard but is less configurable than ESLint.
ESLint
ESLint is a tool for identifying and reporting on patterns found in ECMAScript/JavaScript code. In many ways, it is similar to JSLint and JSHint with a few exceptions:
- ESLint uses Esprima for JavaScript parsing.
- ESLint uses an AST to evaluate patterns in code.
- ESLint is completely pluggable, every single rule is a plugin and you can add more at runtime.
WARNING: Pre-alpha
Right now, ESLint is in early development and should not be relied upon. There are no guarantees that anything is working at any particular point in time. Installing directly from GitHub increases the likelihood that something will explode, so if you'd like to try it out, please install the official release from npm.
Prior to version 0.1.0, this utility should be considered completely unstable.
Installation
You can install ESLint using npm:
npm i -g eslint
Usage
eslint test.js test2.js
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't you like JSHint???
I do like JSHint. And I like Anton. Neither of those were deciding factors in creating this tool. The fact is that I've had a dire need for a JavaScript tool with pluggable linting rules. I had hoped JSHint would be able to do this, however after chatting with Anton, I found that the planned plugin infrastructure wasn't going to suit my purpose.
I'm not giving up JSHint for this!
That's not really a question, but I got it. I'm not trying to convince you that ESLint is better than JSHint. The only thing I know is that ESLint is better than JSHint for what I'm doing. In the off chance you're doing something similar, it might be better for you. Otherwise, keep using JSHint, I'm certainly not going to tell you to stop using it.