Husky vs lint-staged
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Runs Git hooks like pre-commit checks from your project's config, so they're shared with the team.
Open source · MIT
Runs formatters and linters only on the git files you are about to commit.
The short answer
Choose Husky if you need…
- JavaScript or Node.js projects that want shared pre-commit checks
- Teams that want Git hooks stored with the code instead of set up by hand on each machine
- Developers who already use Git and want automated checks such as linting or tests before commits
Choose lint-staged if you need…
- JavaScript or Node.js projects that already use tools like ESLint or Prettier
- Teams that want consistent code style enforced at commit time
- Developers who want fast pre-commit checks limited to changed files
- Projects using git hooks, such as through Husky
Side-by-side
| Husky | lint-staged | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 35.4k | 14.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 8 months ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
Husky
Husky is a JavaScript tool for managing Git hooks, which are scripts Git runs automatically at points like before a commit. It lets a project keep these hook scripts in its repository so everyone working on the code gets the same checks. The README provided here is truncated and only links to the project homepage, so details beyond the description are limited.
lint-staged
lint-staged is a JavaScript tool that runs tasks such as formatters and linters against the files staged in git. It is typically hooked into the pre-commit step so that problems in those files are caught before the commit is made. The README says this avoids the slowness of checking a whole project and the noise of checking files you are not committing.
Best for
Husky
- JavaScript or Node.js projects that want shared pre-commit checks
- Teams that want Git hooks stored with the code instead of set up by hand on each machine
- Developers who already use Git and want automated checks such as linting or tests before commits
lint-staged
- JavaScript or Node.js projects that already use tools like ESLint or Prettier
- Teams that want consistent code style enforced at commit time
- Developers who want fast pre-commit checks limited to changed files
- Projects using git hooks, such as through Husky
Strengths
Husky
- Hook scripts live in the repository, so teammates get the same behavior
- Focused on one job: managing Git hooks
- Widely starred and actively maintained, with a release in its recent history
lint-staged
- Only checks files that are about to be committed, so it stays quick on large projects
- Configuration is a small mapping from file patterns to commands
- Widely used, with about 14.7k GitHub stars and an MIT license
Not ideal for
Husky
- Projects that do not use Node.js or JavaScript tooling, since the README provided does not describe other setups (reason: unclear from the README)
- People who want a hook manager with no npm dependency (reason: this README does not describe its install model in detail)
lint-staged
- Projects that do not use git, since the tool works on staged git files
- People who only want to check files without automatic edits; the README points to lint-staged.sh as a simpler alternative for that case
- Teams unwilling to set up git hooks and config, since the README says extra setup is required
Trade-offs
Husky
- The provided README is truncated, so setup and configuration details could not be verified here
- Its usefulness depends on your team running Git and the JavaScript toolchain
lint-staged
- The README says it needs further setup before it does anything useful after installation
- By default it creates a git stash backup, and the README warns that git operations affect your repository
- Behavior depends on the tools you configure, so results vary by project
Getting started
Husky
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/typicode/huskylint-staged
Install as a dev dependency
npm install --save-dev lint-stagedFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Husky and lint-staged?
Husky: Runs Git hooks like pre-commit checks from your project's config, so they're shared with the team. lint-staged: Runs formatters and linters only on the git files you are about to commit. Husky suits javascript or node.js projects that want shared pre-commit checks, while lint-staged suits javascript or node.js projects that already use tools like eslint or prettier.
Are Husky and lint-staged free?
Husky: Free and open source. lint-staged: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Husky or lint-staged?
Husky is easier to get started with (rated beginner); lint-staged is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Husky or lint-staged more popular?
Husky has more GitHub stars (35.4k) than lint-staged (14.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Husky and lint-staged?
Other options people compare them with include pre-commit, commitlint, standard, ESLint.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.