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  1. Stackups
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  5. JSHint vs Prettier

JSHint vs Prettier

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

JSHint
JSHint
Stacks1.4K
Followers59
Votes0
Prettier
Prettier
Stacks13.2K
Followers1.3K
Votes7
GitHub Stars51.1K
Forks4.6K

JSHint vs Prettier: What are the differences?

Introduction: JSHint and Prettier are two popular tools used by developers to improve the quality and formatting of JavaScript code. While both tools serve the same general purpose, there are key differences between them.

  1. Linting vs. Formatting: The primary difference between JSHint and Prettier is their main purpose. JSHint is a linter that analyzes code for potential errors or stylistic issues, helping developers identify and fix problems in their code. On the other hand, Prettier focuses solely on code formatting, automatically adjusting the layout of code to adhere to a consistent style guide.

  2. Customization Options: JSHint provides a wide range of customization options, allowing developers to configure specific rules and settings according to their preferences. In contrast, Prettier offers limited customization options, as it enforces a specific code style to ensure consistency across projects. This can make Prettier easier to set up and use for developers who prefer a more straightforward approach to code formatting.

  3. Integration with IDEs: Another significant difference between JSHint and Prettier is their integration with popular Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) and code editors. JSHint integrates seamlessly with many IDEs, providing real-time feedback on code quality directly within the development environment. While Prettier also integrates with IDEs, its focus on code formatting may require additional configuration to work effectively in some environments.

  4. Handling of Code Styling: JSHint allows developers to define specific code styling rules and standards, providing guidance on best practices for code clarity and maintainability. Prettier, on the other hand, automatically formats code according to predefined rules, eliminating the need for developers to manually adjust formatting. This can be beneficial for teams looking to maintain consistent code styling without extensive manual effort.

  5. Community Support: Both JSHint and Prettier have active communities of developers contributing to their development and providing support to users. However, JSHint has been around longer and may have a more established community, while Prettier has gained popularity for its simple and effective approach to code formatting. Developers may choose one tool over the other based on the level of community support and resources available.

  6. File Saving Behavior: A key difference between JSHint and Prettier is how they interact with files. JSHint does not automatically modify files; it only lints the code and provides feedback. In contrast, Prettier modifies files directly when formatting code, saving developers the extra step of manually applying formatting changes. This behavior can impact how developers incorporate these tools into their workflow and manage code changes.

In Summary, JSHint focuses on code analysis and error detection with extensive customization options, while Prettier specializes in code formatting with limited customization, potentially reducing manual effort and promoting consistent code styling. Developers may choose between the two tools based on their specific needs for code quality and formatting in JavaScript projects.

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Advice on JSHint, Prettier

Alex
Alex

Software Engineer

Aug 7, 2020

Review

you don't actually have to choose between these tools as they have vastly different purposes. i think its more a matter of understanding how to use them.

while eslint and stylelint are used to notify you about code quality issues, to guide you to write better code, prettier automatically handles code formatting (without notifying me). nothing else.

prettier and eslint both officially discourage using the eslint-plugin-prettier way, as these tools actually do very different things. autofixing with linters on watch isnt a great idea either. auto-fixing should only be done intentionally. you're not alone though, as a lot of devs set this up wrong.

i encourage you to think about what problem you're trying to solve and configure accordingly.

for my teams i set it up like this:

  • eslint, stylelint, prettier locally installed for cli use and ide support
  • eslint config prettier (code formatting rules are not eslints business, so dont warn me about it)
  • vscode workspace config: format on save
  • separate npm scripts for linting, and formatting
  • precommit hooks (husky)

so you can easily integrate with gulp. its just js after all ;)

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Comments

Detailed Comparison

JSHint
JSHint
Prettier
Prettier

It is a community-driven tool to detect errors and potential problems in JavaScript code. It is open source and can easily adjust in the environment you expect your code to execute.

Prettier is an opinionated code formatter. It enforces a consistent style by parsing your code and re-printing it with its own rules that take the maximum line length into account, wrapping code when necessary.

community-driven tool; javascript code checker
An opinionated code formatter; Supports many languages; Integrates with most editors; Has few options; You press save and code is formatted; No need to discuss style in code review; Saves you time and energy
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
51.1K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
4.6K
Stacks
1.4K
Stacks
13.2K
Followers
59
Followers
1.3K
Votes
0
Votes
7
Pros & Cons
Cons
  • 1
    Non-intuitive configuration
Pros
  • 2
    Customizable
  • 1
    Open Source
  • 1
    Completely free
  • 1
    Follows the Ruby Style Guide by default
  • 1
    Atom/VSCode package
Integrations
Zendesk
Zendesk
Bootstrap
Bootstrap
GraphQL
GraphQL
JavaScript
JavaScript
TypeScript
TypeScript
Flow
Flow
Vue.js
Vue.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
markdown
markdown
YAML
YAML
Less
Less

What are some alternatives to JSHint, Prettier?

Code Climate

Code Climate

After each Git push, Code Climate analyzes your code for complexity, duplication, and common smells to determine changes in quality and surface technical debt hotspots.

Codacy

Codacy

Codacy automates code reviews and monitors code quality on every commit and pull request on more than 40 programming languages reporting back the impact of every commit or PR, issues concerning code style, best practices and security.

Phabricator

Phabricator

Phabricator is a collection of open source web applications that help software companies build better software.

PullReview

PullReview

PullReview helps Ruby and Rails developers to develop new features cleanly, on-time, and with confidence by automatically reviewing their code.

Gerrit Code Review

Gerrit Code Review

Gerrit is a self-hosted pre-commit code review tool. It serves as a Git hosting server with option to comment incoming changes. It is highly configurable and extensible with default guarding policies, webhooks, project access control and more.

SonarQube

SonarQube

SonarQube provides an overview of the overall health of your source code and even more importantly, it highlights issues found on new code. With a Quality Gate set on your project, you will simply fix the Leak and start mechanically improving.

RuboCop

RuboCop

RuboCop is a Ruby static code analyzer. Out of the box it will enforce many of the guidelines outlined in the community Ruby Style Guide.

CodeFactor.io

CodeFactor.io

CodeFactor.io automatically and continuously tracks code quality with every GitHub or BitBucket commit and pull request, helping software developers save time in code reviews and efficiently tackle technical debt.

ESLint

ESLint

A pluggable and configurable linter tool for identifying and reporting on patterns in JavaScript. Maintain your code quality with ease.

Amazon CodeGuru

Amazon CodeGuru

It is a machine learning service for automated code reviews and application performance recommendations. It helps you find the most expensive lines of code that hurt application performance and keep you up all night troubleshooting, then gives you specific recommendations to fix or improve your code.

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