Checking and testing the code for any potential errors so that they can be eliminated before the website is live is a very important process. The process of code-checking is also popularly known as linting among the web designers and developers. As a designer, if you want to write the highly optimized codes then you are going to need the linting tools. There are two types of code-checkers available. One is which checks the errors and bugs in the codes at the time of the execution. The other is the one which uses the technique of static code analysis and checks the codes before execution. Latter is definitely better as it saves time and hassles.
The fact is that linting can be done at different stages. If you are someone who likes to test the code while it is being typed, you can use the lint tool. On the other hand, if you want the codes to be linted at the time of saving of file or at the time of execution, linting tool will do that too. It is all about your personal choices. If you are looking for the best linting tools for CSS and JavaScript, here is our compilation.
CSSLint
CSSLint admittedly intends to “hurt your feelings”, but in exchange it “makes you code much better”. CSSLint currently leads the market of CSS linting. It’s written in JavaScript, it’s open-source, and comes with tons of configurable options.
SublimeLinter CSSLint
CSSLint is such an effective CSS linter that it’s hard to find a competitor that measures up to it. Probably that’s the reason why the SublimeLinter linting framework built its CSS linting plugin on top of it. SublimeLinter is a SublimeText plugin that provides users with a means to lint their code (CSS, PHP, Python, Java, Ruby, etc.)
StyleLint
StyleLint helps developers avoid errors in CSS, SCSS, or any other syntaxes that PostCSS can parse. StyleLint tests for over a hundred rules, and you can choose which ones you want to switch on (see an example config).
W3C CSS Validator
Although W3C’s CSS Validator is usually not thought of as a linting tool, it gives developers a great opportunity to check their CSS source code against W3C’s official standards. W3C built its validators with the intent to provide a tool that’s similar to the Lint program checker for the C language.
Dirty Markup
Dirty Markup cleans, formats, and validates your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. It can be a great choice if you like straightforward design and want a quick solution. Dirty Markup throws error messages and notifications in real timewhile you write or modify your code inside the editor.
JSLint
JSLint was first released in 2002 by Douglas Crockford, and haven’t lost momentum since then, so you can safely assume that it’s a stabile and reliable JavaScript linting tool.
JSHint
JSHint is a community-driven project that started out with the endeavour to create a more configurable and less opinionated version of JSLint. JSHint allows developers to configure any of its linting options, and place the customized configuration into a separate file, an option that makes the tool easily reusable, and a good fit for bigger projects.
ESLint
ESLint is the latest big thing on the JavaScript linting landscape. Its popularity stems from its highly flexible nature. You not only can customize tons of its sophisticated linting rules, and integrate it with all major code editors, but you can also easily extend its functionalities by adding different plugins to it.
JSCS
JSCS, or JavaScript Code Style is a pluggable code style linter for JavaScript, that checks for code formatting rules. The goal of JSCS is to provide a means to programmatically enforce adherence to a certain coding style guide. Although JSCS doesn’t check bugs and errors, it’s still used by many major players in the tech industry, such as Google, AirBnB, and AngularJS, as it helps developers keep a highly readable, consistent code base.
StandardJS
StandardJS, or JavaScript Standard Style is a code style linter just like JSCS, but differs from it in its simplicity and straightforwardness. StandardJS can be an excellent choice, if you don’t want to spend time with configuration, just want an effective tool that runs out of the box.
