TSSLint 3.0: Final Major Release with Reduced Dependencies

"TSSLint, the lightweight TypeScript semantic linting tool created by Johnson Chu, has released version 3, bringing a reduced dependency footprint, improved migration paths from legacy linters, and what Chu has described as the "final major release" of the project. TSSLint positions itself as the spiritual successor to the now-deprecated TSLint. Unlike general-purpose linters such as ESLint, which operate as separate processes and often need to re-initialize type-checking context, TSSLint runs directly as a TypeScript Language Server plugin."

"By sharing the existing TypeChecker and operating on the native TypeScript AST without ESTree conversion, it provides near-instant diagnostics and fixes, addressing a common pain point in large-scale projects where editor lag during auto-fix on save can slow development. The most significant change in v3 is the removal of the esbuild dependency for runtime operations. TSSLint now leverages Node.js's native support for importing .ts files, reducing build complexity and improving startup speed. This change does require Node.js 22.6.0 or newer."

"This release also introduces a TSL compatibility layer, consolidated via the TSL project by Arnaud Barre, for unified handling of TypeScript linting rules. The @tsslint/compat-eslint package has been re-introduced as a separate package, updating the integration logic for interoperability with the existing ESLint ecosystem. For teams still using the legacy TSLint, a new importTSLintRules feature allows direct import of TSLint rules into a TSSLint configuration, simplifying the migration path."

TSSLint v3 reduces dependency footprint and improves migration paths from legacy linters while marking a final major release. TSSLint runs as a TypeScript Language Server plugin, sharing the existing TypeChecker and operating on the native TypeScript AST without ESTree conversion to deliver near-instant diagnostics and fixes and to reduce editor lag during auto-fix on save. The esbuild runtime dependency was removed in favor of Node.js native .ts imports, requiring Node.js 22.6.0 or newer. The release adds a TSL compatibility layer, reintroduces @tsslint/compat-eslint, provides importTSLintRules and createIgnorePlugin APIs, adds tsslint-docgen and updated JSDoc for defineRules, and updates CLI cache storage.

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