eslint vs prettier vs stylelint vs sass-lint: Which is Better Code Quality and Formatting Tools?

Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License

eslint	41,822,941	24,973	3.32 MB	103	9 days ago	MIT
prettier	40,095,691	49,256	7.7 MB	1,398	3 months ago	MIT
stylelint	4,648,108	11,000	1.49 MB	126	2 days ago	MIT
sass-lint	85,814	1,767	-	275	5 years ago	MIT

Language Support

eslint: ESLint is designed specifically for JavaScript and TypeScript, providing comprehensive linting capabilities for both languages. It supports ES6+ features and can be configured to enforce specific coding styles and best practices.
prettier: Prettier supports multiple languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JSON, and more. It focuses on formatting rather than linting, ensuring consistent code style across various file types.
stylelint: Stylelint is a powerful linter for CSS and its preprocessors, including Sass and Less. It supports a wide range of CSS features and methodologies, making it versatile for various styling approaches.
sass-lint: Sass-lint is specifically built for Sass, providing linting capabilities tailored to the Sass syntax and its unique features. It helps enforce best practices and coding standards in Sass files.

Customization

eslint: ESLint offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to create their own rules or extend existing ones through plugins. This flexibility enables teams to enforce specific coding standards that suit their project needs.
prettier: Prettier has limited customization options as it follows opinionated formatting rules. While you can configure some settings (like tab width and single vs. double quotes), its primary goal is to provide a consistent style without much debate.
stylelint: Stylelint is highly customizable, allowing developers to define their own rules and extend functionality with plugins. This makes it suitable for various CSS methodologies and team preferences.
sass-lint: Sass-lint allows for customization of rules specific to Sass, enabling developers to tailor the linting process to their project's style guidelines. You can enable or disable specific rules based on team preferences.

Integration

eslint: ESLint integrates seamlessly with most code editors and build tools, providing real-time feedback on code quality as you write. It can be easily integrated into CI/CD pipelines to enforce linting rules before code is merged.
prettier: Prettier can be integrated into various code editors and build systems, allowing for automatic formatting on save or during the build process. This ensures that code is consistently formatted without manual intervention.
stylelint: Stylelint integrates well with popular code editors and build tools, providing real-time linting feedback for CSS and preprocessors. It can also be incorporated into CI/CD workflows to enforce style rules.
sass-lint: Sass-lint can be integrated into build processes and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that Sass code adheres to defined linting rules before deployment. It can also be set up in code editors for real-time feedback.

Community and Ecosystem

eslint: ESLint has a large and active community, providing a wealth of plugins, configurations, and resources. This extensive ecosystem allows developers to find solutions and best practices easily.
prettier: Prettier has gained significant popularity and has a strong community backing. It is widely adopted in the industry, and many projects include it as part of their development workflow.
stylelint: Stylelint has a growing community and a rich ecosystem of plugins. It is well-supported and frequently updated, making it a reliable choice for CSS linting.
sass-lint: Sass-lint has a smaller community compared to ESLint and Prettier, but it is still valuable for teams focused on Sass. However, it may not have as many plugins or resources available.

Performance

eslint: ESLint is efficient in linting JavaScript and TypeScript code, but performance can vary based on the number of rules and plugins used. Proper configuration can help optimize its performance in larger codebases.
prettier: Prettier is designed for speed and efficiency, quickly formatting code without significant performance overhead. It is optimized for large codebases and can handle multiple files in a single run.
stylelint: Stylelint performs well with CSS and preprocessors, but like other linters, performance can be affected by the complexity of the stylesheets and the number of rules enforced.
sass-lint: Sass-lint performance is generally good, but it may slow down with a large number of rules or complex Sass files. It is essential to balance rule enforcement with performance considerations.

eslint: Choose ESLint if you are primarily focused on JavaScript or TypeScript linting. It provides extensive customization options and supports a wide range of plugins to enforce coding standards and catch potential errors early in the development process.

prettier: Choose Prettier if you want an opinionated code formatter that automatically formats your code according to a set of rules. It is especially useful for teams that want to maintain consistent code style without debating formatting preferences.

stylelint: Choose Stylelint if you are looking for a powerful and flexible linter for CSS and its preprocessors (like Sass and Less). It supports a wide range of rules and can be easily extended with plugins, making it suitable for various CSS methodologies.

sass-lint: Choose Sass-lint if you are working specifically with Sass stylesheets and need a tool to enforce style guidelines and catch errors in your Sass code. It is tailored for Sass and provides rules specific to its syntax and best practices.