redocly-cli/docs/commands/lint.md

lint

Introduction

Redocly CLI can identify and report on problems found in OpenAPI definitions. This helps you avoid bugs and make API definitions more consistent.

The lint command reports on problems and executes preprocessors and rules. Unlike the bundle command, lint doesn't execute decorators.

:::success Tip

To learn more about choosing and configuring linting rules to meet your needs, visit the API standards page.

:::

Usage

redocly lint
redocly lint <apis>...
redocly lint [--max-problems=<n>] [--config=<path>] [--format=<value>]
redocly lint [--generate-ignore-file] [--help]
redocly lint --version

Options

Option	Type	Description
apis	[string]	Array of API definition filenames that need to be linted. See the Apis section for more options.
--config	string	Specify path to the configuration file.
--extends	[string]	Extend a specific configuration (defaults or config file settings).
--format	string	Format for the output. Possible values: codeframe, stylish, json, checkstyle, codeclimate, summary. Default value is codeframe.
--generate-ignore-file	boolean	Generate ignore file.
--help	boolean	Show help.
--lint-config	string	Specify the severity level for the configuration file. Possible values: warn, error, off. Default value is warn.
--max-problems	integer	Truncate output to display the specified maximum number of problems. Default value is 100.
--skip-preprocessor	[string]	Ignore certain preprocessors. See the Skip preprocessor or rule section below.
--skip-rule	[string]	Ignore certain rules. See the Skip preprocessor or rule section below.
--version	boolean	Show version number.

Examples

Lint APIs

The lint command behaves differently depending on how you pass apis to it and whether the configuration file exists.

Pass an API directly

redocly lint openapi/openapi.yaml

In this case, lint validates the definition(s) passed to the command. If you have no configuration file defined, the recommended ruleset is used. If you have extends or rules defined in redocly.yaml, those are used when linting.

The apis argument can also use any glob format supported by your file system. For example, redocly lint ./root-documents/*.yaml.

An API from the configuration file

Instead of full paths, you can use names listed in the apis section of your Redocly configuration file.

redocly lint core@v1

apis:
  core@v1:
    root: ./openapi/definition.json

In this case, after resolving the path behind the core@v1 name (see the Configuration file tab), lint validates the definition.json file. The presence of the Redocly configuration file is mandatory.

All configured APIs

You can omit apis completely when executing the lint command to check all APIs defined in the configuration file.

redocly lint

apis:
  core@v1:
    root: ./openapi/definition.json
  production:
    root: ./openapi/production.yaml
  sandbox:
    root: ./openapi/sandbox.yaml

In this case, if no API definitions are specified, lint validates all apis listed under apis in your Redocly configuration file. The presence of the configuration file is mandatory.

:::warning Important

If you try to execute the lint command without apis when your project doesn't have any configuration files, the lint command displays an error.

:::

Custom configuration file

By default, the CLI tool looks for the Redocly configuration file in the current working directory. Use the optional --config argument to provide an alternative path to a configuration file.

redocly lint --config=./another/directory/config.yaml

Extend configuration

The --extends option allows you to extend the existing configuration. This option accepts one of the following values: minimal, recommended, or all. Each of the values is a base set of rules that the lint command uses. You can further modify this set in cases when you want to have your own set of rules based on the existing one, including particular rules that cover your specific needs.

:::warning Important

When you run the lint command without a configuration file, it uses the extends: [recommended] by default. However, if you have a configuration file, but it doesn't include any rules or extends configuration, the lint command shows an error.

:::

Format lint output

The standard codeframe output format works well in most situations, but redocly can also produce output to integrate with other tools.

:::warning Lint one API at a time

Some formats, such as CheckStyle or JSON, don't work well when mulitple APIs are linted in a single command. Try linting each API separately when you pass the command output to another tool.

:::

Codeframe (default)

redocly lint --format=codeframe
## equivalent to: redocly lint

[1] resources/petstore-with-errors.yaml:16:3 at #/paths/~1pets?id

Don't put query string items in the path, they belong in parameters with `in: query`.

14 |   - name: pets
15 | paths:
16 |   /pets?id:
   |   ^^^^^^^^
17 |     get:
18 |       summary: List all pets

Error was generated by the path-not-include-query rule.

Note that the problems are displayed in the following format: file:line:column. For example, petstore-with-errors.yaml:16:3.

Depending on the terminal emulator you use, it may be possible to directly click this indicator to edit the file in place.

Stylish

redocly lint --format=stylish

openapi/core.yaml:
  15:7   error    spec                   Property `operationIds` is not expected here.
  22:11  error    spec                   Property `require` is not expected here.
  14:7   warning  operation-operationId  Operation object should contain `operationId` field.

In this format, lint shows the file name, line number, and column where the problem occurred. However, the output is compressed and omits other contexts and suggestions.

JSON

It can be useful to get the output in JSON format to be processed by other tools.

redocly lint --format=json

{
  "totals": {
    "errors": 1,
    "warnings": 1,
    "ignored": 0
  },
  "version": "1.0.0-beta.84",
  "problems": [
    {
      "ruleId": "spec",
      "severity": "error",
      "message": "Property `operationIdentifier` is not expected here.",
      "suggest": [],
      "location": [
        {
          "source": {
            "ref": "mydefinition.yaml"
          },
          "pointer": "#/paths/~1pathItem/post/operationIdentifier",
          "reportOnKey": true
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "ruleId": "operation-operationId",
      "severity": "warn",
      "message": "Operation object should contain `operationId` field.",
      "location": [
        {
          "source": {
            "ref": "mydefinition.yaml"
          },
          "pointer": "#/paths/~1pathItem/post/operationId",
          "reportOnKey": true
        }
      ],
      "suggest": []
    }
  ]
}

Checkstyle

The lint command also supports the Checkstyle XML report format.

redocly lint --format=checkstyle

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<checkstyle version="4.3">
<file name="openapi/core.yaml">
<error line="15" column="7" severity="error" message="Property `operationIds` is not expected here." source="spec" />
<error line="22" column="11" severity="error" message="Property `require` is not expected here." source="spec" />
<error line="14" column="7" severity="warning" message="Operation object should contain `operationId` field." source="operation-operationId" />
</file>
</checkstyle>

Due to the limitations of this format, only file name, line, column, severity, and rule ID (in the source attribute) are included. All other information is omitted.

Limit the problem count

With the --max-problems option, you can limit the number of problems displayed in the command output. If the number of detected problems exceeds the specified threshold, the remaining problems are hidden under the "spoiler message" that lets you know how many problems were hidden.

redocly lint --max-problems 200

...
< ... 2 more problems hidden > increase with `--max-problems N`

Generate ignore file

With this option, you can generate the .redocly.lint-ignore.yaml file to suppress error and warning severity problems in the output. You still receive visual feedback to let you know how many problems were ignored.

This option is useful when you have an API design standard, but have some exceptions to the rule (for example, a legacy API operation). It allows for highly granular control.

redocly lint openapi/petstore.yaml --generate-ignore-file

...
Generated ignore file with 3 problems.

:::warning This command overwrites an existing ignore file. :::

To generate an ignore file for multiple definitions, pass them as arguments:

redocly lint v1.yaml v2.yaml --generate-ignore-file

Example of an ignore file:

# This file instructs Redocly's linter to ignore the rules contained for specific parts of your API.
# See https://redocly.com/docs/cli/ for more information.
openapi/petstore:
  spec:
    - '#/paths/~1store/get/operationIds'
    - '#/paths/~1store/get/parameters/0/require'
  operation-operationId:
    - '#/paths/~1store/get'

The rule in the example is named spec, which indicates compliance with the OpenAPI spec. You can also manually add problems that should be ignored to specific rules.

Skip preprocessor or rule

You may want to skip specific preprocessors or rules upon running the command.

redocly lint --skip-preprocessor=discriminator-mapping-to-one-of --skip-preprocessor=another-example

redocly lint --skip-rule=no-sibling-refs --skip-rule=no-parent-tags

:::success Tip To learn more about preprocessors, rules, and decorators, refer to the custom plugins page. :::

Lint config file

The lint command also validates the configuration file. You may want to set severity level by using the --lint-config option. This option accepts one of the following values: warn,error,off. Default value is warn.