Linter
ELI5 — The Vibe Check
A linter is the code police — it automatically checks your code for style violations, bad patterns, and potential bugs without running it. Forget a semicolon, use var instead of const, or leave a console.log in — the linter will catch you.
Real Talk
A linter is a static analysis tool that flags programming errors, stylistic issues, and suspicious constructs in source code. Common linters include ESLint (JavaScript), Pylint (Python), and RuboCop (Ruby). They enforce consistency and catch bugs early.
Show Me The Code
# Run ESLint on all TypeScript files
npx eslint . --ext .ts,.tsx
# Auto-fix fixable issues
npx eslint . --ext .ts,.tsx --fix
When You'll Hear This
"The linter is failing CI — fix the warnings before merging." / "Set up ESLint with the project's rules on day one."
Related Terms
Build
A build is the process of turning your development code into something a real computer or browser can run efficiently.
Codebase
The codebase is the whole collection of source code that makes up a project — every file, folder, and line of code.
DX (DX)
DX (Developer Experience) is UX but for developers. How painful is it to set up the project? How fast is the feedback loop?
Formatter
A formatter automatically makes all your code look consistent — same indentation, same quote style, same line breaks — so the whole team's code looks like...
Open Source
Open source means the recipe is public. Anyone can read it, copy it, tweak it, and share their version. It's the opposite of a secret sauce.