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Configurable JavaScript and TypeScript linting

ESLint

An open-source configurable linter for JavaScript and related ecosystems with rules, plugins, shareable configurations, editor support, and CI enforcement.

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Editorial verdict

Choose ESLint when fine-grained JavaScript or TypeScript rules and plugin compatibility materially fit the codebase, and the team can govern configuration and upgrades.12

Best for

  • JavaScript and TypeScript linting
  • Repositories needing ecosystem plugins
  • Teams enforcing configurable local and CI rules
12

Not ideal for

  • Python repositories
  • Teams wanting one integrated formatter and linter with no plugin needs
  • Organizations seeking centralized multi-language quality governance
12
Main trade-off

Configurability and ecosystem breadth improve fit while configuration, plugin compatibility, performance, rule overlap, and upgrades remain team work.12

Product boundary

Whether ESLint's configurable rule and plugin ecosystem is the right non-security code-quality control for the repository.

ESLint enforces configured code-quality rules. It is not a formatter for every language, a full semantic quality platform, or the Security Category's vulnerability scanner.12

For: JavaScript and TypeScript teams needing ecosystem-specific static rules and integrations

  • An integrated formatter-linter covers the required surface
  • Required plugins become incompatible
  • Centralized multi-language governance becomes primary

Why teams consider ESLint

  • Rule ecosystemCore and plugin rules cover language and framework-specific quality concerns.12
  • Configurable enforcementFlat configuration, severity, files, ignores, and plugins shape repository policy.12
  • Workflow integrationCLI, editor, hooks, and CI can enforce the same rule set.12

Pricing

ESLint is MIT-licensed open-source software; cost is configuration, plugin governance, CI, upgrades, and maintenance.2

Current decision boundary

Open-source linter

Verified 2026-07-27: ESLint is distributed under the MIT license without a software subscription; configuration, plugins, CI execution, and maintenance remain adopter costs.2

Software fee
No separate ESLint subscription2
Primary cost
Configuration, plugin governance, and CI2
Security boundary
Security-focused scanning routes to Vulnerability Scanning2
Pricing checked View official pricing

ESLint vs alternatives

Biome

Choose when
Supported web-language repositories
Avoid when
Repositories dependent on unsupported ESLint plugins
Compared with ESLint
Consolidation and speed reduce toolchain work while accepting a narrower language, rule, plugin, and compatibility surface.34

Ruff

Choose when
Python linting
Avoid when
Non-Python repositories
Compared with ESLint
Speed and consolidation improve feedback while rule compatibility, formatter differences, configuration, migration, and missing semantic analyses require review.56

SonarQube

Choose when
Multi-repository quality governance
Avoid when
Small repositories served by local linters
Compared with ESLint
Central governance adds cross-repository consistency while increasing administration, integration, compute, licensing, rule tuning, and false-positive management.78

Resources and sources

Official product, pricing, license, and operating sources

  • ESLint getting started
    Open
  • ESLint repository and license
    Open
  • Biome getting started
    Open
  • Biome repository
    Open
  • Ruff documentation
    Open
  • Ruff repository and license
    Open
  • SonarQube Server documentation
    Open
  • Sonar plans and pricing
    Open
  1. 1
    ESLint getting started

    ESLint · Accessed Official

  2. 2
    ESLint repository and license

    ESLint · Accessed Official

  3. 3
    Biome getting started

    Biome · Accessed Official

  4. 4
    Biome repository

    Biome · Accessed Official

  5. 5
    Ruff documentation

    Astral · Accessed Official

  6. 6
    Ruff repository and license

    Astral · Accessed Official

  7. 7
    SonarQube Server documentation

    Sonar · Accessed Official

  8. 8
    Sonar plans and pricing

    Sonar · Accessed Official