eslint vs prettier vs tslint vs standard vs gts vs xo
JavaScript Code Quality Tools Comparison
1 Year
eslintprettiertslintstandardgtsxoSimilar Packages:
What's JavaScript Code Quality Tools?

JavaScript code quality tools are essential for maintaining clean, consistent, and error-free code in web development. They help developers enforce coding standards, automatically format code, and identify potential issues before they become problematic. These tools can significantly enhance collaboration among team members by ensuring that everyone adheres to the same style and practices, thus improving overall code maintainability and readability.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
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eslint73,431,52926,0442.95 MB894 days agoMIT
prettier64,576,08150,6558.46 MB1,4454 days agoMIT
tslint3,323,9775,908-15 years agoApache-2.0
standard1,189,90329,325164 kB12810 months agoMIT
gts377,8475,18388.5 kB548 months agoApache-2.0
xo279,4257,80377.1 kB548 days agoMIT
Feature Comparison: eslint vs prettier vs tslint vs standard vs gts vs xo

Customization

  • eslint:

    ESLint offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to define their own rules and configurations. You can create custom rules, use plugins, and extend existing configurations to tailor the linter to your project's specific needs.

  • prettier:

    Prettier is opinionated and does not allow for much customization beyond a few configuration options. Its primary goal is to enforce a consistent code style, which means developers have less flexibility in defining their own rules compared to ESLint.

  • tslint:

    TSLint allows for some customization, but it is limited compared to ESLint. Given its deprecation, it is recommended to transition to ESLint for better customization options in TypeScript projects.

  • standard:

    Standard is a no-configuration linter that comes with a predefined set of rules. It does not allow customization, which simplifies the setup process but may not suit teams that require specific coding standards.

  • gts:

    GTS provides a predefined set of rules based on Google's style guide, but it is less customizable than ESLint. While it enforces consistency, it does not allow for extensive rule modifications, making it more suitable for teams that want to adhere strictly to Google's standards.

  • xo:

    XO provides sensible defaults and allows for some customization, but it is designed to enforce a specific style. It strikes a balance between flexibility and adherence to a standard coding style.

Integration

  • eslint:

    ESLint integrates seamlessly with various build tools, IDEs, and CI/CD pipelines. It can be easily incorporated into existing workflows, making it a versatile choice for developers looking to enhance their coding practices.

  • prettier:

    Prettier integrates well with most code editors and IDEs, providing real-time formatting as you type. It can also be used alongside other tools like ESLint to ensure both linting and formatting are handled effectively.

  • tslint:

    TSLint integrates with TypeScript projects but is now deprecated, which limits its future use and integration capabilities. Transitioning to ESLint is advisable for better integration options moving forward.

  • standard:

    Standard can be integrated into various development environments, but its no-configuration approach may limit its compatibility with some tools. It is straightforward to set up but may require additional effort for complex integrations.

  • gts:

    GTS can be integrated into TypeScript projects, but its integration capabilities are not as extensive as ESLint. It works well with TypeScript tooling but may require additional setup for broader integration with other tools.

  • xo:

    XO integrates well with modern JavaScript tooling and can be easily added to existing projects. It also supports TypeScript, making it a flexible choice for developers looking for a modern linter.

Community Support

  • eslint:

    ESLint has a large and active community, providing extensive documentation, plugins, and resources. This makes it easy for developers to find help and share best practices, ensuring that it remains a top choice for linting.

  • prettier:

    Prettier boasts a strong community and is widely adopted in the JavaScript ecosystem. Its popularity ensures that there are plenty of resources, plugins, and integrations available to support developers.

  • tslint:

    TSLint's community is diminishing due to its deprecation, which means that support and resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Migrating to ESLint is recommended for continued community support.

  • standard:

    Standard has a dedicated community, but it is less active than ESLint's. While it provides a straightforward approach to linting, the resources and support may not be as comprehensive as those available for more popular tools.

  • gts:

    GTS has a smaller community compared to ESLint, as it is more niche and focused on Google's style guide. While it has solid documentation, the support and resources available may not be as extensive as those for ESLint.

  • xo:

    XO has a growing community and is gaining popularity among developers. It provides a modern approach to linting and has a reasonable amount of resources available for support.

Ease of Use

  • eslint:

    ESLint is user-friendly, especially with its extensive documentation and community support. However, its flexibility can lead to complexity in configuration for beginners, requiring some learning to fully utilize its capabilities.

  • prettier:

    Prettier is designed for ease of use, with minimal configuration required. Developers can start using it immediately, and its automatic formatting reduces the need for manual style adjustments, making it very user-friendly.

  • tslint:

    TSLint is relatively easy to use for TypeScript projects, but its deprecation means that new users may find it less appealing. Existing users may find it straightforward, but transitioning to ESLint is advisable for future projects.

  • standard:

    Standard is extremely easy to use due to its no-configuration approach. Developers can get started quickly without worrying about setting up rules, making it ideal for those who want a straightforward linting experience.

  • gts:

    GTS is easy to use for TypeScript developers who want to follow Google's style guide. Its predefined rules simplify the setup process, making it accessible for teams that want to enforce consistency without extensive configuration.

  • xo:

    XO is designed to be user-friendly, with sensible defaults that require minimal setup. It provides a modern experience for developers, making it easy to adopt and integrate into projects.

Performance

  • eslint:

    ESLint is performant but can slow down in large codebases if not configured properly. Developers can optimize its performance by selectively enabling rules and using caching features to improve linting speed.

  • prettier:

    Prettier is highly performant, as it focuses solely on formatting and does not analyze code for potential issues. It runs quickly and efficiently, making it suitable for large codebases without significant performance overhead.

  • tslint:

    TSLint's performance is adequate for smaller projects, but it may struggle with larger codebases, especially as it is now deprecated. Transitioning to ESLint is recommended for better performance in the long run.

  • standard:

    Standard is efficient and performs well, but its lack of configuration may limit its adaptability to specific project needs. It is generally fast and suitable for most projects without heavy performance concerns.

  • gts:

    GTS performs well for TypeScript projects, but its performance is tied to the underlying TypeScript tooling. It is generally efficient but may not match the performance of more optimized tools like ESLint.

  • xo:

    XO is designed for performance and runs efficiently on modern JavaScript projects. It provides a good balance between strict linting and speed, making it a solid choice for developers.

How to Choose: eslint vs prettier vs tslint vs standard vs gts vs xo
  • eslint:

    Choose ESLint if you need a highly customizable linter that supports a wide range of plugins and configurations. It is ideal for projects that require strict adherence to coding standards and allows for extensive rule customization to fit your team's needs.

  • prettier:

    Opt for Prettier if you want an opinionated code formatter that automatically formats your code according to a set of rules. It is perfect for teams that want to eliminate debates over code style and focus on writing code instead, as it enforces a consistent style across the codebase without manual intervention.

  • tslint:

    Select TSLint if you are working on older TypeScript projects that still rely on TSLint for linting. However, note that TSLint is deprecated in favor of ESLint, so consider migrating to ESLint for future projects.

  • standard:

    Choose Standard if you prefer a no-configuration approach to JavaScript coding standards. It comes with a set of predefined rules and does not require any configuration files, making it a great choice for developers who want to get started quickly without worrying about setup.

  • gts:

    Select Google TypeScript Style (GTS) if you are working on TypeScript projects and want to enforce Google's coding style. It provides a comprehensive set of rules and configurations specifically tailored for TypeScript, making it a great choice for teams that prioritize consistency with Google's standards.

  • xo:

    Choose XO if you want a linter that enforces a strict set of rules while also providing a modern and user-friendly experience. It integrates well with other tools and comes with a set of sensible defaults, making it suitable for developers who want a balance between flexibility and ease of use.

README for eslint

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ESLint

Website | Configure ESLint | Rules | Contribute to ESLint | Report Bugs | Code of Conduct | Twitter | Discord | Mastodon | Bluesky

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 Espree 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.

Table of Contents

  1. Installation and Usage
  2. Configuration
  3. Version Support
  4. Code of Conduct
  5. Filing Issues
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. Releases
  8. Security Policy
  9. Semantic Versioning Policy
  10. License
  11. Team
  12. Sponsors
  13. Technology Sponsors

Installation and Usage

Prerequisites: Node.js (^18.18.0, ^20.9.0, or >=21.1.0) built with SSL support. (If you are using an official Node.js distribution, SSL is always built in.)

You can install and configure ESLint using this command:

npm init @eslint/config@latest

After that, you can run ESLint on any file or directory like this:

npx eslint yourfile.js

pnpm Installation

To use ESLint with pnpm, we recommend setting up a .npmrc file with at least the following settings:

auto-install-peers=true
node-linker=hoisted

This ensures that pnpm installs dependencies in a way that is more compatible with npm and is less likely to produce errors.

Configuration

You can configure rules in your eslint.config.js files as in this example:

import { defineConfig } from "eslint/config";

export default defineConfig([
	{
		files: ["**/*.js", "**/*.cjs", "**/*.mjs"],
		rules: {
			"prefer-const": "warn",
			"no-constant-binary-expression": "error",
		},
	},
]);

The names "prefer-const" and "no-constant-binary-expression" are the names of rules in ESLint. The first value is the error level of the rule and can be one of these values:

  • "off" or 0 - turn the rule off
  • "warn" or 1 - turn the rule on as a warning (doesn't affect exit code)
  • "error" or 2 - turn the rule on as an error (exit code will be 1)

The three error levels allow you fine-grained control over how ESLint applies rules (for more configuration options and details, see the configuration docs).

Version Support

The ESLint team provides ongoing support for the current version and six months of limited support for the previous version. Limited support includes critical bug fixes, security issues, and compatibility issues only.

ESLint offers commercial support for both current and previous versions through our partners, Tidelift and HeroDevs.

See Version Support for more details.

Code of Conduct

ESLint adheres to the OpenJS Foundation Code of Conduct.

Filing Issues

Before filing an issue, please be sure to read the guidelines for what you're reporting:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ESLint support JSX?

Yes, ESLint natively supports parsing JSX syntax (this must be enabled in configuration). Please note that supporting JSX syntax is not the same as supporting React. React applies specific semantics to JSX syntax that ESLint doesn't recognize. We recommend using eslint-plugin-react if you are using React and want React semantics.

Does Prettier replace ESLint?

No, ESLint and Prettier have different jobs: ESLint is a linter (looking for problematic patterns) and Prettier is a code formatter. Using both tools is common, refer to Prettier's documentation to learn how to configure them to work well with each other.

What ECMAScript versions does ESLint support?

ESLint has full support for ECMAScript 3, 5, and every year from 2015 up until the most recent stage 4 specification (the default). You can set your desired ECMAScript syntax and other settings (like global variables) through configuration.

What about experimental features?

ESLint's parser only officially supports the latest final ECMAScript standard. We will make changes to core rules in order to avoid crashes on stage 3 ECMAScript syntax proposals (as long as they are implemented using the correct experimental ESTree syntax). We may make changes to core rules to better work with language extensions (such as JSX, Flow, and TypeScript) on a case-by-case basis.

In other cases (including if rules need to warn on more or fewer cases due to new syntax, rather than just not crashing), we recommend you use other parsers and/or rule plugins. If you are using Babel, you can use @babel/eslint-parser and @babel/eslint-plugin to use any option available in Babel.

Once a language feature has been adopted into the ECMAScript standard (stage 4 according to the TC39 process), we will accept issues and pull requests related to the new feature, subject to our contributing guidelines. Until then, please use the appropriate parser and plugin(s) for your experimental feature.

Which Node.js versions does ESLint support?

ESLint updates the supported Node.js versions with each major release of ESLint. At that time, ESLint's supported Node.js versions are updated to be:

  1. The most recent maintenance release of Node.js
  2. The lowest minor version of the Node.js LTS release that includes the features the ESLint team wants to use.
  3. The Node.js Current release

ESLint is also expected to work with Node.js versions released after the Node.js Current release.

Refer to the Quick Start Guide for the officially supported Node.js versions for a given ESLint release.

Where to ask for help?

Open a discussion or stop by our Discord server.

Why doesn't ESLint lock dependency versions?

Lock files like package-lock.json are helpful for deployed applications. They ensure that dependencies are consistent between environments and across deployments.

Packages like eslint that get published to the npm registry do not include lock files. npm install eslint as a user will respect version constraints in ESLint's package.json. ESLint and its dependencies will be included in the user's lock file if one exists, but ESLint's own lock file would not be used.

We intentionally don't lock dependency versions so that we have the latest compatible dependency versions in development and CI that our users get when installing ESLint in a project.

The Twilio blog has a deeper dive to learn more.

Releases

We have scheduled releases every two weeks on Friday or Saturday. You can follow a release issue for updates about the scheduling of any particular release.

Security Policy

ESLint takes security seriously. We work hard to ensure that ESLint is safe for everyone and that security issues are addressed quickly and responsibly. Read the full security policy.

Semantic Versioning Policy

ESLint follows semantic versioning. However, due to the nature of ESLint as a code quality tool, it's not always clear when a minor or major version bump occurs. To help clarify this for everyone, we've defined the following semantic versioning policy for ESLint:

  • Patch release (intended to not break your lint build)
    • A bug fix in a rule that results in ESLint reporting fewer linting errors.
    • A bug fix to the CLI or core (including formatters).
    • Improvements to documentation.
    • Non-user-facing changes such as refactoring code, adding, deleting, or modifying tests, and increasing test coverage.
    • Re-releasing after a failed release (i.e., publishing a release that doesn't work for anyone).
  • Minor release (might break your lint build)
    • A bug fix in a rule that results in ESLint reporting more linting errors.
    • A new rule is created.
    • A new option to an existing rule that does not result in ESLint reporting more linting errors by default.
    • A new addition to an existing rule to support a newly-added language feature (within the last 12 months) that will result in ESLint reporting more linting errors by default.
    • An existing rule is deprecated.
    • A new CLI capability is created.
    • New capabilities to the public API are added (new classes, new methods, new arguments to existing methods, etc.).
    • A new formatter is created.
    • eslint:recommended is updated and will result in strictly fewer linting errors (e.g., rule removals).
  • Major release (likely to break your lint build)
    • eslint:recommended is updated and may result in new linting errors (e.g., rule additions, most rule option updates).
    • A new option to an existing rule that results in ESLint reporting more linting errors by default.
    • An existing formatter is removed.
    • Part of the public API is removed or changed in an incompatible way. The public API includes:
      • Rule schemas
      • Configuration schema
      • Command-line options
      • Node.js API
      • Rule, formatter, parser, plugin APIs

According to our policy, any minor update may report more linting errors than the previous release (ex: from a bug fix). As such, we recommend using the tilde (~) in package.json e.g. "eslint": "~3.1.0" to guarantee the results of your builds.

License

MIT License

Copyright OpenJS Foundation and other contributors, <www.openjsf.org>

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Team

These folks keep the project moving and are resources for help.

Technical Steering Committee (TSC)

The people who manage releases, review feature requests, and meet regularly to ensure ESLint is properly maintained.

Nicholas C. Zakas's Avatar
Nicholas C. Zakas
Francesco Trotta's Avatar
Francesco Trotta
Milos Djermanovic's Avatar
Milos Djermanovic

Reviewers

The people who review and implement new features.

唯然's Avatar
唯然
Nitin Kumar's Avatar
Nitin Kumar

Committers

The people who review and fix bugs and help triage issues.

Josh Goldberg ✨'s Avatar
Josh Goldberg ✨
Tanuj Kanti's Avatar
Tanuj Kanti
루밀LuMir's Avatar
루밀LuMir

Website Team

Team members who focus specifically on eslint.org

Amaresh  S M's Avatar
Amaresh S M
Harish's Avatar
Harish
Percy Ma's Avatar
Percy Ma

Sponsors

The following companies, organizations, and individuals support ESLint's ongoing maintenance and development. Become a Sponsor to get your logo on our READMEs and website.

Diamond Sponsors

AG Grid

Platinum Sponsors

Automattic Airbnb

Gold Sponsors

Qlty Software trunk.io Shopify

Silver Sponsors

Vite Liftoff American Express StackBlitz

Bronze Sponsors

Sentry Syntax Cybozu Anagram Solver Icons8 Discord GitBook Neko Nx Mercedes-Benz Group HeroCoders LambdaTest

Technology Sponsors

Technology sponsors allow us to use their products and services for free as part of a contribution to the open source ecosystem and our work.

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