PMD vs ktlint

Overview

PMD

Stacks46

Followers111

Votes0

GitHub Stars5.2K

Forks1.5K

ktlint

Stacks17

Followers14

Votes0

GitHub Stars6.6K

Forks518

PMD vs ktlint: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Both PMD and ktlint are tools used in software development to enforce coding standards and best practices in Java and Kotlin codebases, respectively. Each tool has its unique features and benefits that cater to specific needs of developers.

Language Support: PMD is primarily designed for Java code analysis, while ktlint is specifically tailored for Kotlin code. This means PMD may not provide as comprehensive analysis and checks for Kotlin code as ktlint does, and vice versa.
Rule Configuration: PMD allows for extensive configuration and customization of rules through XML or Java code, giving developers fine-grained control over the analysis process. On the other hand, ktlint relies on a predefined set of rules with less flexibility in rule customization.
Integration with IDEs: PMD offers integration with various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA, providing real-time feedback to developers within their coding environment. In comparison, ktlint has plugins available for popular IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio for seamless integration.
Kotlin-Specific Checks: ktlint includes specific checks for Kotlin language constructs and idioms, ensuring adherence to Kotlin coding conventions and best practices. PMD may not have the same level of specificity when analyzing Kotlin code due to its focus on Java code analysis.
Community Support and Updates: Both PMD and ktlint have active communities that contribute to the development and maintenance of the tools. However, ktlint, being a more specialized tool for Kotlin, may receive more frequent updates and support tailored to the Kotlin ecosystem compared to PMD, which caters to a broader Java audience.
Performance: ktlint is known for its lightweight and fast performance, making it suitable for use in continuous integration pipelines and large codebases. PMD, due to its extensive rule customization options and broader language support, may require more resources and processing time for analysis.

In Summary, PMD and ktlint differ in their language support, rule configuration flexibility, IDE integration, Kotlin-specific checks, community support, and performance characteristics, catering to distinct needs in Java and Kotlin code analysis.

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Detailed Comparison

PMD	ktlint
It is a source code analyzer. It finds common programming flaws like unused variables, empty catch blocks, unnecessary object creation, and so forth. It includes CPD, the copy-paste-detector.	An anti-bikeshedding Kotlin linter with built-in formatter.
supports multiple languages; enforce a coding standard for your codebase; built-in checks	No configuration; Built-in formatter; Customizable output; A single executable jar with all dependencies included
Statistics
GitHub Stars 5.2K	GitHub Stars 6.6K
GitHub Forks 1.5K	GitHub Forks 518
Stacks 46	Stacks 17
Followers 111	Followers 14
Votes 0	Votes 0
Integrations
Gradle Windows Java Linux macOS	Kotlin

What are some alternatives to PMD, ktlint?

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

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 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 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 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 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

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

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.

Related Comparisons

PMD vs ktlint: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Language Support: PMD is primarily designed for Java code analysis, while ktlint is specifically tailored for Kotlin code. This means PMD may not provide as comprehensive analysis and checks for Kotlin code as ktlint does, and vice versa.
Rule Configuration: PMD allows for extensive configuration and customization of rules through XML or Java code, giving developers fine-grained control over the analysis process. On the other hand, ktlint relies on a predefined set of rules with less flexibility in rule customization.
Integration with IDEs: PMD offers integration with various Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) like Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA, providing real-time feedback to developers within their coding environment. In comparison, ktlint has plugins available for popular IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio for seamless integration.
Kotlin-Specific Checks: ktlint includes specific checks for Kotlin language constructs and idioms, ensuring adherence to Kotlin coding conventions and best practices. PMD may not have the same level of specificity when analyzing Kotlin code due to its focus on Java code analysis.
Community Support and Updates: Both PMD and ktlint have active communities that contribute to the development and maintenance of the tools. However, ktlint, being a more specialized tool for Kotlin, may receive more frequent updates and support tailored to the Kotlin ecosystem compared to PMD, which caters to a broader Java audience.
Performance: ktlint is known for its lightweight and fast performance, making it suitable for use in continuous integration pipelines and large codebases. PMD, due to its extensive rule customization options and broader language support, may require more resources and processing time for analysis.

PMD vs ktlint

Overview