But in more practical terms, what are the benefits that this type of tool can provide? Here are some: You probably have by now at least a general idea of what a linter can do for your code. You now also know when this type of tool was invented, and by whom. You’ve just learned the definition of a linter. On the contrary: we could say that linters are way more valuable for interpreted languages since there’s no compiler to detect errors during development time. However, as we’ve mentioned during the introduction, linters aren’t restricted to compiled languages. Over time, lint-like tools started adding many other types of checks and verification. Johnson developed this utility in 1978 when he worked at Bell Labs.īoth the original lint tool, as well as earlier similar utilities, had the goal of analyzing source code to come up with compiler optimizations. The term linter comes from a tool originally called “lint” that analyzed C source code. But in what ways does it do that? The answer is: by analyzing your source code looking for problems. As you’ve read in the introduction, a linter is a tool to help you improve your code. Let’s start by defining what a linter is. Then, we talk about the benefits of linters and proceed to talk about the different types of checks they offer.įinally, we show you several examples of linters at your disposal, give some practical tips on how to get started, and wrap-up with a few final considerations.

We start by defining the term “linter.” You’ll understand what this thing is and how it came to be.

In today’s post, we answer the title question, and more. Still, I’d say that the majority of people trying to learn about linters are interested in the ones that target JavaScript (or, more generally, dynamically-typed languages.) The concept of linter isn’t exclusive to JavaScript. What is a linter? In short, a linter is a tool to help you improve your code.

Js linter