flake8
ℹ️
Flake8 has been largely superseded by newer tools like Ruff, which offer significantly faster performance and more features. Consider using Ruff for new projects.
Flake8 is a Python linting tool that enforces style consistency and checks for programming errors. It combines multiple code quality tools into a single interface: PyFlakes for logical errors, pycodestyle for style checking, and mccabe for code complexity checking.
Key Features
Code Analysis
- Detects undefined variables and imports
- Identifies unused imports and variables
- Finds syntax errors and questionable coding patterns
- Measures cyclomatic complexity
Style Enforcement
- Validates PEP 8 compliance
- Checks line length limits
- Enforces whitespace rules
- Verifies import ordering
Configuration Support
- Per-project settings via
setup.cfg,tox.ini, or.flake8 - Line-level error suppression with
# noqa - Granular rule enabling/disabling
- Custom maximum line length
Usage
Basic command line usage:
# Install with uv
uv pip install flake8
# Run flake8
flake8 path/to/code/Limitations
- No auto-fix capabilities
- Slower performance compared ruff
- Limited type checking support
- No formatting capabilities
Learn More
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