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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Code Review
  4. Code Review
  5. FindBugs vs PMD

FindBugs vs PMD

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

FindBugs
FindBugs
Stacks625
Followers100
Votes0
PMD
PMD
Stacks46
Followers111
Votes0
GitHub Stars5.2K
Forks1.5K

FindBugs vs PMD: What are the differences?

  1. Key difference 1: Language compatibility FindBugs is primarily designed for Java code analysis, while PMD supports multiple programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, XML, SQL, and others. This means that PMD can be used for code analysis in a wider range of projects that use different programming languages.

  2. Key difference 2: Rule sets FindBugs provides its own set of pre-defined rules for identifying common coding issues and bugs in Java code. On the other hand, PMD also offers a set of pre-defined rules, but it allows users to define their own custom rules as well. This flexibility of creating custom rule sets sets PMD apart from FindBugs.

  3. Key difference 3: Analysis approach FindBugs analyzes compiled bytecode and detects issues by examining the bytecode instructions. It performs static analysis without the need for executing the code. PMD, on the other hand, analyzes the source code directly and performs rule-based analysis on the code structure and patterns. This difference in analysis approach can result in variation in the types of issues detected by each tool.

  4. Key difference 4: IDE integration FindBugs provides direct integration with popular Java development environments, such as Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, and NetBeans. It allows developers to run the analysis from within the IDE and view the results seamlessly. PMD also offers IDE integration but supports a broader range of programming languages beyond Java. Therefore, PMD's IDE integration may not be as comprehensive as FindBugs for Java-specific projects.

  5. Key difference 5: Performance FindBugs is known for its fast analysis and low overhead on resources. It is capable of analyzing large codebases efficiently. PMD, on the other hand, can be slower compared to FindBugs due to its more extensive rule-based analysis on the source code. The performance difference may vary depending on the size and complexity of the codebase being analyzed.

  6. Key difference 6: Community support and maintenance Both FindBugs and PMD have active developer communities, but FindBugs has received less active maintenance in recent years. PMD, on the other hand, has continued to receive updates, bug fixes, and new features from its community. This difference in community support and maintenance can impact the availability of new rules or bug fixes in each tool.

In summary, FindBugs and PMD differ in language compatibility, rule sets, analysis approach, IDE integration, performance, and community support. These differences make PMD a more versatile tool for code analysis across multiple programming languages, while FindBugs excels in providing efficient analysis for Java code specifically.

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Detailed Comparison

FindBugs
FindBugs
PMD
PMD

It detects possible bugs in Java programs. Potential errors are classified in four ranks: scariest, scary, troubling and of concern. This is a hint to the developer about their possible impact or severity.

It is a source code analyzer. It finds common programming flaws like unused variables, empty catch blocks, unnecessary object creation, and so forth. It includes CPD, the copy-paste-detector.

static analysis of the Java bytecode; early feedback about potential errors in the code
supports multiple languages; enforce a coding standard for your codebase; built-in checks
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
5.2K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
1.5K
Stacks
625
Stacks
46
Followers
100
Followers
111
Votes
0
Votes
0
Integrations
Jenkins
Jenkins
Java
Java
NetBeans IDE
NetBeans IDE
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Eclipse
Eclipse
Gradle
Gradle
Windows
Windows
Java
Java
Linux
Linux
macOS
macOS

What are some alternatives to FindBugs, PMD?

Code Climate

Code Climate

After each Git push, Code Climate analyzes your code for complexity, duplication, and common smells to determine changes in quality and surface technical debt hotspots.

Codacy

Codacy

Codacy automates code reviews and monitors code quality on every commit and pull request on more than 40 programming languages reporting back the impact of every commit or PR, issues concerning code style, best practices and security.

Phabricator

Phabricator

Phabricator is a collection of open source web applications that help software companies build better software.

PullReview

PullReview

PullReview helps Ruby and Rails developers to develop new features cleanly, on-time, and with confidence by automatically reviewing their code.

Gerrit Code Review

Gerrit Code Review

Gerrit is a self-hosted pre-commit code review tool. It serves as a Git hosting server with option to comment incoming changes. It is highly configurable and extensible with default guarding policies, webhooks, project access control and more.

SonarQube

SonarQube

SonarQube provides an overview of the overall health of your source code and even more importantly, it highlights issues found on new code. With a Quality Gate set on your project, you will simply fix the Leak and start mechanically improving.

RuboCop

RuboCop

RuboCop is a Ruby static code analyzer. Out of the box it will enforce many of the guidelines outlined in the community Ruby Style Guide.

CodeFactor.io

CodeFactor.io

CodeFactor.io automatically and continuously tracks code quality with every GitHub or BitBucket commit and pull request, helping software developers save time in code reviews and efficiently tackle technical debt.

ESLint

ESLint

A pluggable and configurable linter tool for identifying and reporting on patterns in JavaScript. Maintain your code quality with ease.

Amazon CodeGuru

Amazon CodeGuru

It is a machine learning service for automated code reviews and application performance recommendations. It helps you find the most expensive lines of code that hurt application performance and keep you up all night troubleshooting, then gives you specific recommendations to fix or improve your code.

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