lintera

Lintera is a cross-language static analysis tool and linter designed to help developers enforce code quality and consistent style across projects. It analyzes source code to detect potential errors, stylistic deviations, and risky patterns, and provides a framework for defining and applying custom rules.

Lintera originated as an open-source project with community involvement and is maintained by a foundation and contributors. The project uses a modular architecture that allows language-specific analyzers to plug into a common core, enabling rules to be shared across languages.

Key features include support for multiple languages (including JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Java, and Go), a library of built-in rules, and a plugin system for extending capabilities. Configuration is typically done with YAML or JSON, and rules can be turned on or off, tuned by severity, or grouped into rule sets. It integrates with continuous integration pipelines and IDEs, and can auto-fix certain classes of issues.

The core comprises an analyzer engine, a rule engine, and language adapters. It uses abstract syntax trees to parse source files and execute rules in parallel where possible. The plugin architecture allows third-party rule developers to contribute new checks without altering the core.

Common workflows involve installing Lintera, configuring a project-specific rule set, running Lintera on the codebase, and reviewing reported issues in its report format. Results can be exported, and fixes can be applied manually or via auto-fix options when available.

Lintera is used by small teams and larger organizations alike to standardize code quality, reduce defects, and speed up code reviews. The project emphasizes performance, extensibility, and ease of integration with existing development tools.