jshint

What is jshint?

JSHint is a static code analysis tool used in software development for checking if JavaScript source code complies with coding rules. It helps developers identify potential errors and enforce coding standards.

What are jshint's main functionalities?

Basic Linting

This feature allows you to perform basic linting on a piece of JavaScript code. The code sample demonstrates how to use JSHint to check a simple JavaScript snippet for errors.

const jshint = require('jshint').JSHINT;
const code = 'var a = 1;';
const options = { esversion: 6 };
jshint(code, options);
console.log(jshint.errors);

Custom Configuration

JSHint allows you to customize the linting process with various options. This example shows how to enable the 'undef' option to check for the use of undefined variables.

const jshint = require('jshint').JSHINT;
const code = 'var a = 1;';
const options = { esversion: 6, undef: true };
jshint(code, options);
console.log(jshint.errors);

Using JSHint with Configuration File

You can use a configuration file (e.g., .jshintrc) to define your linting rules. This example demonstrates how to read a JavaScript file and a JSHint configuration file, then lint the code using the specified rules.

const fs = require('fs');
const jshint = require('jshint').JSHINT;
const code = fs.readFileSync('path/to/your/file.js', 'utf8');
const config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('.jshintrc', 'utf8'));
jshint(code, config);
console.log(jshint.errors);

Other packages similar to jshint

eslint

ESLint is another popular JavaScript linting tool that is highly configurable and supports custom rules. It provides more flexibility and a larger ecosystem of plugins compared to JSHint.

jscs

JSCS (JavaScript Code Style) is a code style linter for JavaScript. It focuses more on enforcing coding style conventions rather than finding potential errors. It has been merged with ESLint, but older versions are still in use.

tslint

TSLint is a linter for TypeScript, which is a superset of JavaScript. It provides similar functionality to JSHint but is specifically designed for TypeScript code. TSLint is now deprecated in favor of ESLint with TypeScript support.

README

JSHint, A Static Code Analysis Tool for JavaScript

[ Use it online • About • Docs • FAQ • Install • Hack • Blog • Twitter ]

JSHint is a community-driven tool to detect errors and potential problems in JavaScript code and to enforce your team’s coding conventions. It is very flexible so you can easily adjust it to your particular coding guidelines and the environment you expect your code to execute in.

JSHint 2.x versus JSHint 3

There's an effort going on to release the next major version of JSHint. All development in the master branch is for the version 3.0. Current stable version is in the 2.x branch. Keep that in mind when submitting pull requests.

Also, before reporting a bug or thinking about hacking on JSHint, read this: JSHint 3 plans. TL;DR: we're moving away from style checks within JSHint so no new features around style checks will be accepted. Bug fixes are fine for the 2.x branch.

Reporting a bug

To report a bug simply create a new GitHub Issue and describe your problem or suggestion. We welcome all kind of feedback regarding JSHint including but not limited to:

• When JSHint doesn't work as expected
• When JSHint complains about valid JavaScript code that works in all browsers
• When you simply want a new option or feature

Before reporting a bug look around to see if there are any open or closed tickets that cover your issue. And remember the wisdom: pull request > bug report > tweet.

License

JSHint is distributed under the MIT License. One file and one file only (src/stable/jshint.js) is distributed under the slightly modified MIT License.

Thank you!

We really appreciate all kind of feedback and contributions. Thanks for using and supporting JSHint!