Introduction
I hold Corey House in high regard for his skills in front-end development. However, I disagree with his viewpoint. This blog post is written to provide context and inform other developers that this viewpoint may not be entirely accurate, as it could be misconstrued without proper understanding.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pre-commit hooks are a waste of time.<br><br>Why? Because they enforce standards too early. Pre-commit hooks make us wait for a quality check on every commit.👎<br><br>The code shouldn't need to be "right" to save my changes.<br><br>The code only needs to be right before merge.<br><br>Solution? Use CI.</p>— Cory House (@housecor) <a href="https://twitter.com/housecor/status/1612804261821259776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Pre-commit hooks are a powerful tool that can help developers maintain the integrity and quality of their code. While they may seem like a time-consuming nuisance at first, they can ultimately save developers time and effort in the long run.
One of the main benefits of precommit hooks is that they allow developers to catch and fix errors early on in the development process. For example, a pre-commit hook that runs linting checks on the code can help identify and fix syntax errors or style issues before the code is committed to the repository. This can save time and effort later on, as it is much easier to fix errors in a small, isolated change than in a large, complex codebase.
Another benefit of precommit hooks is that they can help enforce consistent coding conventions and best practices across a team of developers. For example, a pre-commit hook that checks for naming conventions can help ensure that variable names are clear and descriptive, making the code more readable and maintainable. Similarly, a pre-commit hook that checks for security issues can help prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities into the codebase. Pre-commit hooks can also be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as running the test suite, updating documentation, etc. This can save developers time and effort by automating tasks that would otherwise need to be done manually.
One of my personal benefits of pre-commit hooks is that they help me keep my code clean locally. I like to keep my plate neat and clean.
Finally, precommit hooks can help increase the overall quality of the codebase. By catching errors early and enforcing consistent conventions, precommit hooks can help improve the readability and maintainability of the code. This can ultimately save time and effort in the long run, as it makes it easier for developers to understand and work with the code. In conclusion, precommit hooks may take some time to set up and configure initially, but they can ultimately save developers time and effort in the long run. By catching errors early, enforcing consistent conventions, automating repetitive tasks, and increasing the quality of the codebase, precommit hooks can be a valuable tool for any development team.
Conclusions
TBD