Automatically Format your code on Git Commit using Husky, ESLint, Prettier in 9 minutes

When collaborating on a project with several other developers, maintaining a consistent code style drastically improves the code readability and maintainability.

Luckily we can automate this crucial process using Husky, ESLint, Prettier to make sure the code is formatted, every time someone commits.

1. Install Packages

We need to install the following packages:

• Husky: A tool that makes working with git hooks a piece of cake
• ESLint: Linter for JavaScript
• Prettier: Code formatter
• Lint-staged: As the docs state: Run linters against staged git files and don't let 💩 slip into your codebase!

To install the packages, use:

npm install --save-dev eslint prettier lint-staged husky

2. Configure ESLint

Run the following command to initialize ESLint:

npx eslint --init

You will be prompted to answer a few questions, from which the configuration for your specific use case will be generated

The generated configuration would look something like this:

{
  "env": {
    "browser": true,
    "es2021": true
  },
  "extends": ["eslint:recommended"]
}

If you are lazy like me, just copy and paste the configuration into a file called .eslintrc.json instead of answering the long list of questions.

To check out all the available configurations, visit the ESLint documentation. The config provided above is just a barebone example.

3. Configure Prettier

Configuring Prettier is similar to ESlint, just add a .prettierrc.json file to your project root and you are good to go.

You can use the following configuration as a starting point:

{
  "bracketSpacing": true,
  "semi": true,
  "singleQuote": true,
  "trailingComma": "all",
  "printWidth": 80,
  "tabWidth": 2
}

To check out all the available options, head over to the Prettier Documentation.

Also add a .prettierignore file to your project root to ignore files that you don't want to be formatted, use the following content as a base:

package-lock.json
yarn.lock
node_modules
# any other unwanted files or folders

4. Configure Lint-staged

Lint-staged too is quite simple to configure. Just add the following to your package.json file and you are good to go:

{
  /* other configurations */
  "lint-staged": {
    "**/*.{js,jsx,json}": ["eslint . --fix", "prettier --write ."]
  }
}

5. Configure Husky

We are at the last peg of our configuration journey. Configuring Husky is a bit trickier than the other configurations. Add the following script to your package.json file:

{
  /* other configurations */
  "scripts": {
    /* other scripts */
    "configure-husky": "npx husky install && npx husky add .husky/pre-commit \"npx --no-install lint-staged\""
  },
  "husky": {
    "hooks": {
      "pre-commit": "lint-staged"
    }
  }
}

Run the configure-husky script to install Husky and connect it to the pre-commit hook:

npm run configure-husky

You are now set! Let’s try committing some changes

BINGO! IT WORKS! 🎉

From now on, maintaining a consistent code style in your project will be a breeze.

Happy Developing!

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