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eslint

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ESLint is the #1 JavaScript linter by downloads on npm (over 77M weekly downloads) and the most widely adopted pluggable linting utility for JavaScript and JSX. It helps you find and fix problems with your JavaScript code through static analysis.

Key features:

  • Static Code Analysis: Quickly finds problems in JavaScript code without executing it
  • Automatic Fixing: Many problems can be automatically fixed with syntax-aware corrections
  • Highly Configurable: Completely customizable rules, parsers, and plugins ecosystem
  • Built-in Editor Integration: Works seamlessly with most text editors
  • Extensible Plugin System: Thousands of community plugins for frameworks like React, Vue, Node.js
  • Multiple Output Formats: Supports various output formats including SARIF for security tools
  • Custom Rules: Write your own rules that work alongside ESLint's built-in rules

Common code quality checks:

  • Syntax Errors: Catches JavaScript syntax issues and typos
  • Code Style: Enforces consistent formatting, naming conventions, and code structure
  • Best Practices: Identifies problematic patterns and suggests improvements
  • Security Issues: Detects potential security vulnerabilities (with security plugins)
  • Performance: Identifies performance anti-patterns and optimizations

Popular configurations:

  • Airbnb Style Guide: Industry-standard JavaScript style guide
  • Standard: Minimal, opinionated code style with no configuration
  • Prettier Integration: Seamless integration with Prettier for code formatting

ESLint requires a custom configuration file applicable to your project. You can create it by typing npx eslint --init in the root of your repository.

Used by companies like Microsoft, Airbnb, Netflix, and Facebook, ESLint helps maintain code quality and consistency across JavaScript projects of all sizes.

ESLint v10 — resolving bare imports from eslint.config.mjs

ESLint v10 dropped support for the legacy .eslintrc.* format and only loads the new flat config (eslint.config.*). When MegaLinter runs ESLint from its own container install (/node-deps/node_modules) instead of your project's local node_modules, Node's ESM resolver may fail to locate bare imports such as import js from '@eslint/js' (upstream limitation tracked in eslint/eslint#18465), producing errors like:

Error [ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND]: Cannot find package '@eslint/js' imported from /github/workspace/eslint.config.mjs

Two recommended workarounds:

  1. Use createRequire in eslint.config.mjs so bare imports fall back to CommonJS resolution (which honors NODE_PATH and will pick up MegaLinter's bundled @eslint/js and related plugins):

    js import { createRequire } from 'module'; const require = createRequire(import.meta.url); const js = require('@eslint/js');

  2. Install your project's dependencies in a pre-command and point MegaLinter at the project-local ESLint binary, so ESLint runs from <workspace>/node_modules and resolves your config's imports naturally:

    yaml JAVASCRIPT_ES_PRE_COMMANDS: - command: yarn install --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts cwd: workspace continue_if_failed: false JAVASCRIPT_ES_CLI_EXECUTABLE: node_modules/.bin/eslint

    Replace yarn install --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts with npm ci (or npm install --include=dev) if your project uses npm.

eslint documentation

eslint - GitHub

Configuration in MegaLinter

Variable Description Default value
JAVASCRIPT_ES_ARGUMENTS User custom arguments to add in linter CLI call
Ex: -s --foo "bar"
JAVASCRIPT_ES_COMMAND_REMOVE_ARGUMENTS User custom arguments to remove from command line before calling the linter
Ex: -s --foo "bar"
JAVASCRIPT_ES_FILTER_REGEX_INCLUDE Custom regex including filter
Ex: (src\|lib)
Include every file
JAVASCRIPT_ES_FILTER_REGEX_EXCLUDE Custom regex excluding filter
Ex: (test\|examples)
Exclude no file
JAVASCRIPT_ES_CLI_LINT_MODE Override default CLI lint mode
- file: Calls the linter for each file
- list_of_files: Call the linter with the list of files as argument
- project: Call the linter from the root of the project
list_of_files
JAVASCRIPT_ES_FILE_EXTENSIONS Allowed file extensions. "*" matches any extension, "" matches empty extension. Empty list excludes all files
Ex: [".py", ""]
[".js", ".vue"]
JAVASCRIPT_ES_FILE_NAMES_REGEX File name regex filters. Regular expression list for filtering files by their base names using regex full match. Empty list includes all files
Ex: ["Dockerfile(-.+)?", "Jenkinsfile"]
Include every file
JAVASCRIPT_ES_PRE_COMMANDS List of bash commands to run before the linter None
JAVASCRIPT_ES_POST_COMMANDS List of bash commands to run after the linter None
JAVASCRIPT_ES_UNSECURED_ENV_VARIABLES List of env variables explicitly not filtered before calling JAVASCRIPT_ES and its pre/post commands None
JAVASCRIPT_ES_CONFIG_FILE eslint configuration file name
Use LINTER_DEFAULT to let the linter find it
eslint.config.js
JAVASCRIPT_ES_RULES_PATH Path where to find linter configuration file Workspace folder, then MegaLinter default rules
JAVASCRIPT_ES_DISABLE_ERRORS Run linter but consider errors as warnings false
JAVASCRIPT_ES_DISABLE_ERRORS_IF_LESS_THAN Maximum number of errors allowed 0
JAVASCRIPT_ES_CLI_EXECUTABLE Override CLI executable ['eslint']

IDE Integration

Use eslint in your favorite IDE to catch errors before MegaLinter !

IDE Extension Name Install
Brackets brackets-eslint Visit Web Site
Eclipse Tern-Linter-ESLint Visit Web Site
Emacs flycheck Visit Web Site
IDEA ESLint Plugin
Sublime Text SublimeLinter-eslint Visit Web Site
vim ale Visit Web Site
vim Syntastic Visit Web Site
Visual Studio Code vscode-eslint Install in VSCode

MegaLinter Flavors

This linter is available in the following flavors

Flavor Description Embedded linters Info
all Default MegaLinter Flavor 136 Docker Image Size (tag) Docker Pulls
cupcake MegaLinter for the most commonly used languages 92 Docker Image Size (tag) Docker Pulls
dotnetweb Optimized for C, C++, C# or VB based projects with JS/TS 76 Docker Image Size (tag) Docker Pulls
javascript Optimized for JAVASCRIPT or TYPESCRIPT based projects 62 Docker Image Size (tag) Docker Pulls

Behind the scenes

How are identified applicable files

  • Activated only if one of these files is found: eslint.config.js, eslint.config.mjs, eslint.config.cjs, eslint.config.ts, .eslintrc.json, .eslintrc.yml, .eslintrc.yaml, .eslintrc.js, .eslintrc.cjs, package.json:eslintConfig
  • File extensions: .js, .vue

How the linting is performed

  • eslint is called once with the list of files as arguments (list_of_files CLI lint mode)

Example calls

eslint myfile.js
eslint -c eslint.config.js --no-ignore myfile.js
eslint --fix -c eslint.config.js --no-ignore myfile.js

Help content

eslint [options] file.js [file.js] [dir]

Basic configuration:
  --no-config-lookup               Disable look up for eslint.config.js
  -c, --config path::String        Use this configuration instead of eslint.config.js, eslint.config.mjs, or eslint.config.cjs
  --inspect-config                 Open the config inspector with the current configuration
  --ext [String]                   Specify additional file extensions to lint
  --global [String]                Define global variables
  --parser String                  Specify the parser to be used
  --parser-options Object          Specify parser options

Specify Rules and Plugins:
  --plugin [String]                Specify plugins
  --rule Object                    Specify rules

Fix Problems:
  --fix                            Automatically fix problems
  --fix-dry-run                    Automatically fix problems without saving the changes to the file system
  --fix-type Array                 Specify the types of fixes to apply (directive, problem, suggestion, layout)

Ignore Files:
  --no-ignore                      Disable use of ignore files and patterns
  --ignore-pattern [String]        Patterns of files to ignore

Use stdin:
  --stdin                          Lint code provided on <STDIN> - default: false
  --stdin-filename String          Specify filename to process STDIN as

Handle Warnings:
  --quiet                          Report errors only - default: false
  --max-warnings Int               Number of warnings to trigger nonzero exit code - default: -1

Output:
  -o, --output-file path::String   Specify file to write report to
  -f, --format String              Use a specific output format - default: stylish
  --color, --no-color              Force enabling/disabling of color

Inline configuration comments:
  --no-inline-config               Prevent comments from changing config or rules
  --report-unused-disable-directives  Adds reported errors for unused eslint-disable and eslint-enable directives
  --report-unused-disable-directives-severity String  Chooses severity level for reporting unused eslint-disable and eslint-enable directives - either: off, warn, error, 0, 1, or 2
  --report-unused-inline-configs String  Adds reported errors for unused eslint inline config comments - either: off, warn, error, 0, 1, or 2

Caching:
  --cache                          Only check changed files - default: false
  --cache-file path::String        Path to the cache file. Deprecated: use --cache-location - default: .eslintcache
  --cache-location path::String    Path to the cache file or directory
  --cache-strategy String          Strategy to use for detecting changed files in the cache - either: metadata or content - default: metadata

Suppressing Violations:
  --suppress-all                   Suppress all violations - default: false
  --suppress-rule [String]         Suppress specific rules
  --suppressions-location path::String  Specify the location of the suppressions file
  --prune-suppressions             Prune unused suppressions - default: false
  --pass-on-unpruned-suppressions  Ignore unused suppressions - default: false

Miscellaneous:
  --init                           Run config initialization wizard - default: false
  --env-info                       Output execution environment information - default: false
  --no-error-on-unmatched-pattern  Prevent errors when pattern is unmatched
  --exit-on-fatal-error            Exit with exit code 2 in case of fatal error - default: false
  --no-warn-ignored                Suppress warnings when the file list includes ignored files
  --pass-on-no-patterns            Exit with exit code 0 in case no file patterns are passed
  --debug                          Output debugging information
  -h, --help                       Show help
  -v, --version                    Output the version number
  --print-config path::String      Print the configuration for the given file
  --stats                          Add statistics to the lint report - default: false
  --flag [String]                  Enable a feature flag
  --mcp                            Start the ESLint MCP server
  --concurrency Int|String         Number of linting threads, auto to choose automatically, off for no multithreading - default: off

Installation on mega-linter Docker image

  • Dockerfile commands :
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint
ARG NPM_ESLINT_VERSION=10.3.0
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=@eslint/eslintrc
ARG NPM_ESLINT_ESLINTRC_VERSION=3.3.5
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=@eslint/js
ARG NPM_ESLINT_JS_VERSION=10.0.1
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-config-prettier
ARG NPM_ESLINT_CONFIG_PRETTIER_VERSION=10.1.8
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-import-x
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_IMPORT_X_VERSION=4.16.2
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-jest
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_JEST_VERSION=29.15.2
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-n
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_N_VERSION=18.0.1
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-prettier
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_PRETTIER_VERSION=5.5.5
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-promise
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_PROMISE_VERSION=7.3.0
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=eslint-plugin-vue
ARG NPM_ESLINT_PLUGIN_VUE_VERSION=10.9.1
# renovate: datasource=npm depName=@microsoft/eslint-formatter-sarif
ARG NPM_MICROSOFT_ESLINT_FORMATTER_SARIF_VERSION=3.1.0