What is the role of a linter in code standards?

• A. It compiles code into machine code to catch errors.
• B. It runs unit tests automatically.
• C. It enforces style and quality rules automatically, catching formatting issues and common mistakes.
• D. It replaces the need for code reviews.

Answer: (C)

A linter automatically enforces coding style and quality rules, catching formatting issues and common mistakes. It checks your code against a configured set of rules—like indentation, spacing, naming conventions, and consistency—and flags violations before the code runs. This helps keep the codebase uniform and reduces trivial disagreements during reviews, while also catching potential issues such as unused variables or suspicious patterns early in the development process.

This function is different from compiling, which translates code into machine code, and from unit testing, which verifies that the program behaves correctly by running it with test inputs. It’s also not a substitute for code reviews; it complements them by automatically handling many low-level quality fixes so reviewers can focus on deeper design and correctness questions.