Keeping code clean and consistent is important in any project. That’s why we use tools like linters to catch bugs and formatters to make code look nice.
Right now, most JavaScript and TypeScript projects use:

  • ESLint for linting.

  • Prettier for formatting.

This combo works well, but it can feel a bit heavy:

  • You need to set up and maintain two tools.

  • Sometimes the rules overlap or conflict.

  • It adds extra steps to your workflow.

That’s where Biome comes in — a new tool that aims to replace both ESLint and Prettier with a faster, simpler, all-in-one solution.

🌱 What is Biome?

Biome is an all-in-one toolchain for web development that replaces ESLint and Prettier with a faster, simpler, and unified solution — written in Rust.

🚀** In short:**

Biome = Linter + Formatter + Import sorter + JSON/CSS support, all in one fast CLI tool.

🧩 What does Biome do?

✅ Linting: Like ESLint – it checks your code for problems and bad practices.

✅ Formatting: Like Prettier – it automatically formats your code to follow a consistent style.

✅ Import Sorting: Organizes your imports neatly.

✅ Works with: JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, JSON,...(More)

✅ Super fast: Thanks to Rust, it can be 25x faster than the ESLint + Prettier combo.

✅ Zero dependencies: You only need Biome – not 10 different plugins/configs.

✅ Single config file: Uses biome.json or biome.jsonc.

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📚 More info:

🧑‍💻 Real Project Setup

I tested Biome on a Vite + React + TypeScript project. It was super quick and simple:

  • Create Vite app: 
yarn add vite

Note: I chose React + Typescript option

  • Installed Biome: 
yarn add --dev --exact @biomejs/biome
  • Initialized config: 
yarn biome init
  • Migrate from ESlint (ESLint is installed in Vite + TS by default): 
yarn biome migrate eslint --write

Note: After run migrate command you can remove eslint config file and all ESLint plugin libraries

  • Change the script in package.json: 
"lint": "biome check --write ./src"

Note: Just check lint and format in ./src folder

✅ Done! Linting, formatting, and import sorting were ready to go with just one tool and one config file.

No need to install ESLint, Prettier, their plugins, or manage multiple config files. Biome handled it all.

✨ What I liked

🚀 Fast (Vite + Biome feels snappy!).

🧩 All-in-one tool: lint + format + sort imports.

💼 Single config – no .eslintrc, no .prettierrc and less devDependencies.

🔍 Clear error messages, auto-fixes on save.

🎯 Great DX from the start — especially on a fresh project.

👇 Below is a quick comparison table between Biome, ESLint, and Prettier to give you a better overview.

Feature / Tool 🟢 Biome 🔵 ESLint 🎨 Prettier
✅ Linting ✔️ Built-in ✔️ Core feature ❌ Not supported
✅ Formatting ✔️ Built-in ⚠️ Limited ✔️ Core feature
✅ Import sorting ✔️ Built-in ⚠️ Plugin needed (plugin-import) ⚠️ Plugin needed (plugin-import)
Plugin support 🚧 Limited (still growing) ✔️ Very flexible (many plugins available) ✔️ Limited to language-specific plugins (for formatting only)
🧩 All-in-one tool ✔️ Yes ❌ No ❌ No
⚡ Performance 🚀 Super fast (Rust) 🐢 Slower (Node.js) 🐢 Slower (Node.js)
📦 Dependencies needed 🟢 1 package 🔵 5–10+ (plugins, configs...) 🟠 1 core + optional plugins
📈 Community size 🔄 Growing 🧍‍♂️ Mature & large 👥 Large & stable
🧠 Learning curve 😄 Easy ⚠️ Medium to steep 😄 Easy

✅ Pros of Biome

Feature Benefit
🚀 Blazing fast Written in Rust – faster than ESLint + Prettier (up to 25× faster), which helps reduce CI/CD execution time significantly
🧩 All-in-one tool Linting, formatting, import sorting – no need to install multiple tools
📁 Single config file Just biome.json – no more juggling .eslintrc, .prettierrc, etc.
🧹 Built-in import sorting No need for eslint-plugin-import or similar plugins
💬 Clear error messages Easy to understand and fix, even for beginners
🧑‍💻 Great developer experience Works well with VS Code and modern editors
🔧 Zero-config starter biome init sets everything up fast
📦 Lightweight dependency You don’t need to install 10+ ESLint/Prettier plugins

⚠️ Cons of Biome

Limitation Notes
🔌 Plugin ecosystem is young No support (yet) for custom ESLint plugins or advanced rules
🧪 Still evolving Some features (like SCSS, Vue, Astro...) still in development
🔍 No dynamic config Config is JSON only (no .js config logic like in ESLint)
📊 Not as widely adopted Smaller community than ESLint/Prettier for now
📂 Config file can be very large If migrating from ESLint and Prettier with many plugins, the config file can become quite large
⚠️ Not recommended for very old existing projects For very old existing projects already set up with ESLint and Prettier, switching to Biome may lead to unexpected conflicts in the project.

🧾 Conclusion

Biome is a powerful, modern alternative to the ESLint + Prettier combo. If you're starting a new JavaScript/TypeScript project, especially with tools like Vite, Biome offers a cleaner and faster experience with less setup.

While it’s still maturing and missing some advanced plugin features, its performance, simplicity, and all-in-one nature make it a strong choice for most everyday frontend development needs.