lint-staged vs pre-commit
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 formatters and linters only on the git files you are about to commit.
Open source · MIT
A framework that runs code-checking hooks automatically before each git commit.
The short answer
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
Choose pre-commit if you need…
- Teams that want consistent code checks run on every commit
- Developers working in projects that use several programming languages
- Maintainers who want to share a standard set of hooks across repositories
Side-by-side
| lint-staged | pre-commit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 14.8k | 15.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | Python |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 16 days ago |
What each one is
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.
pre-commit
pre-commit is a framework for managing and maintaining pre-commit hooks, which are checks (such as linters or formatters) that run automatically before a git commit is saved. It supports hooks written in multiple languages, so one tool can coordinate checks from different ecosystems. The README is brief and points to the project website for full documentation.
Best for
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
pre-commit
- Teams that want consistent code checks run on every commit
- Developers working in projects that use several programming languages
- Maintainers who want to share a standard set of hooks across repositories
Strengths
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
pre-commit
- Focused purpose: it manages git pre-commit hooks
- Supports multi-language hooks, according to the description
- Widely starred and has an active release history (latest v4.7.0 in the metadata)
Not ideal for
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
pre-commit
- People who only want a one-off lint run, since the README describes setting up ongoing hooks rather than manual checks
- Anyone not using git, since the tool is built around git commits
Trade-offs
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
pre-commit
- The README provided is truncated and gives little detail on configuration, so most usage information must come from the external website
- Hooks it runs may be slow or may block commits if they are poorly chosen, a general trade-off of this approach
Getting started
lint-staged
Install as a dev dependency
npm install --save-dev lint-stagedFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between lint-staged and pre-commit?
lint-staged: Runs formatters and linters only on the git files you are about to commit. pre-commit: A framework that runs code-checking hooks automatically before each git commit. lint-staged suits javascript or node.js projects that already use tools like eslint or prettier, while pre-commit suits teams that want consistent code checks run on every commit.
Are lint-staged and pre-commit free?
lint-staged: Free and open source. pre-commit: Free and open source.
Is lint-staged or pre-commit more popular?
pre-commit has more GitHub stars (15.7k) 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 lint-staged and pre-commit?
Other options people compare them with include Husky, 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.