A full version history of the eslint package with size, number of distributed files and dependency evolution.
ESLint, a crucial tool for JavaScript developers, has undergone significant evolution since its initial versions. The early releases (0.0.4 - 0.2.0) primarily focused on basic pattern checking using Esprima. The descriptions of later versions up to 0.4.5 highlighted that "An Esprima-based pattern checker for JavaScript." As development continued, versions 0.3.0 introduced functionalities like globbing, chalking, and strip-json-comments. The move toward configuration via YAML and further refinement of dependencies happened around version 0.4.0
Versions such as 0.11.0 saw the introduction of Espree, marking a shift to a more robust AST-based approach. This was solidified in version 0.12.0 with the description changing to “An AST-based pattern checker for JavaScript”. The 0.21.0 update adds interactive configuration, while the 1.0.0 landmark brought significant dependency upgrades, including Esprima 2.4.1 and lodash features for enhancing code analysis.
Throughout the 1.x series, updates continually focused on expanding supported syntax and fine-tuning core mechanisms. With versions 3.x onward, enhanced performance and features such as file-entry-cache show the importance in large projects. Up to 8.x and 9.x, a clear focus has been laid in espree and eslint core features to offer more in-depth analysis to JavaScript and React projects in the last versions.