eslint vs prettier

toolchain

eslint

prettier

ESLint and Prettier are fundamental JavaScript toolchain utilities that serve different purposes. ESLint is a static analysis tool (linter) that examines your code for programming errors, bugs, stylistic issues, and suspicious patterns. It can enforce code quality rules like no-unused-vars, proper error handling, and complexity limits. Prettier, on the other hand, is an opinionated code formatter that automatically rewrites your code to follow consistent formatting rules like indentation, line length, and quote styles without analyzing code quality.

This comparison matters because developers frequently confuse these tools or try to choose one over the other, when in reality they complement each other. ESLint targets developers who need to enforce coding standards and catch bugs during development, while Prettier targets teams seeking automated, consistent code formatting without debates over style preferences. Understanding their distinct roles helps you build a more effective development workflow rather than creating configuration conflicts.

Head-to-Head

Primary Purposetie

eslint

Code quality and error detection. ESLint analyzes your code for bugs, anti-patterns, and violations of coding standards. It catches issues like undefined variables, unreachable code, and potential runtime errors.

prettier

Code formatting only. Prettier reformats your code to ensure consistent style across your entire codebase. It handles whitespace, line breaks, quotes, and brackets but never analyzes code logic or catches bugs.

Configuration Complexity→ prettier wins

eslint

Highly configurable with hundreds of rules. Requires detailed .eslintrc configuration files, rule definitions, plugin setup, and parser options. Teams spend significant time tuning rules to match their standards.

prettier

Intentionally minimal configuration. Only about 20 options available (print width, tabs vs spaces, semicolons, quotes). Philosophy is to accept Prettier's decisions rather than customize endlessly.

Auto-fix Capabilities→ prettier wins

eslint

Can auto-fix many issues with --fix flag, but not all rules are fixable. Fixes code quality issues like adding missing semicolons, removing unused imports, or fixing spacing. May require manual intervention for complex problems.

prettier

Fixes 100% of formatting issues automatically. Completely reprints your code according to its rules. No manual formatting decisions needed ever. Run on save or pre-commit and formatting is guaranteed consistent.

Integration Complexity→ prettier wins

eslint

Requires careful integration with formatters to avoid conflicts. ESLint's formatting rules often clash with Prettier. Need eslint-config-prettier to disable conflicting rules. Run order matters in CI/CD pipelines.

prettier

Integrates cleanly via editor plugins and pre-commit hooks. Works alongside ESLint when ESLint's formatting rules are disabled. Can be run independently without conflicts since it only touches formatting.

Performance on Large Codebases→ prettier wins

eslint

Slower on large codebases because it performs full AST analysis and runs complex rule checks. Caching helps but initial runs can take significant time. Typically 2-10x slower than Prettier for comparable operations.

prettier

Faster because it only parses and reprints code without deep analysis. Optimized for speed with minimal overhead. Can format entire codebases in seconds. No rule engine complexity to slow things down.

Rule Enforcement Scope→ eslint wins

eslint

Enforces code quality, best practices, security patterns, accessibility standards, framework-specific patterns (React, Vue), and import ordering. Can create custom rules for business logic requirements.

prettier

Enforces only formatting: indentation, line length, quote style, trailing commas, bracket spacing, arrow function parentheses. Cannot enforce any code quality or logical correctness rules.

Verdict

You should use both tools together, not choose between them. Configure Prettier to handle all formatting concerns, then configure ESLint with eslint-config-prettier to disable ESLint's formatting rules and focus exclusively on code quality. Run Prettier first (either on save in your editor or via pre-commit hook), then run ESLint to catch bugs and enforce quality standards. This separation of concerns gives you automated, consistent formatting plus intelligent code analysis without configuration conflicts.

If forced to choose only one due to constraints, choose ESLint for projects where code quality and bug prevention are critical (production applications, libraries, teams with junior developers). Choose Prettier for projects where formatting consistency is the primary pain point and code review arguments about style waste time (large teams, open source projects, fast-moving startups). However, this forced choice is suboptimal—both tools are lightweight enough that using them together is the industry-standard approach for professional JavaScript development.

When to Use Each

If you are building a production web application with a team → use both ESLint and Prettier because you need bug detection AND consistent formatting, and the tools complement each other perfectly when configured properly.

If you are maintaining an open source library with many contributors → use both with strict Prettier settings because automated formatting eliminates style debates in PRs, while ESLint catches potential bugs before they reach users.

If you are working on a solo prototype or hackathon project → use only Prettier because formatting consistency improves readability with zero configuration time, while ESLint setup overhead isn't justified for throwaway code.

If you are building a TypeScript application with strict type checking → use both but rely more heavily on ESLint because TypeScript catches many errors that ESLint would catch in JavaScript, but ESLint still provides valuable rules for patterns, accessibility, and framework-specific issues that TypeScript cannot detect.

Learn More

eslint →prettier →

Head-to-Head

Primary Purposetie

eslint

prettier

Configuration Complexity→ prettier wins

eslint

prettier

Intentionally minimal configuration. Only about 20 options available (print width, tabs vs spaces, semicolons, quotes). Philosophy is to accept Prettier's decisions rather than customize endlessly.

Auto-fix Capabilities→ prettier wins

eslint

prettier

Integration Complexity→ prettier wins

eslint

prettier

Performance on Large Codebases→ prettier wins

eslint

prettier

Rule Enforcement Scope→ eslint wins

eslint

prettier

Enforces only formatting: indentation, line length, quote style, trailing commas, bracket spacing, arrow function parentheses. Cannot enforce any code quality or logical correctness rules.

Verdict

When to Use Each