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Splint VS Pmd

Compare Splint VS Pmd and see what are their differences

Splint logo Splint

Splint Home Page

Pmd logo Pmd

PMD scans Java source code and looks for potential problems like:
  • Splint Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-01-23
  • Pmd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-10

Splint features and specs

  • Static Analysis
    Splint is designed to perform static analysis of C programs, allowing developers to catch bugs early in the development process without executing the program.
  • Custom Annotations
    It supports custom annotations, enabling developers to specify intended behaviors and constraints, which helps in identifying more domain-specific issues.
  • Free and Open Source
    Splint is free to use and open source, making it accessible for individual developers and smaller teams who may not have the resources for expensive software tools.
  • Wide Adoption in Academia
    The tool is widely used in academic settings as a teaching aid for programming and software engineering courses due to its educational value in illustrating software flaws.

Possible disadvantages of Splint

  • Limited Language Support
    Splint is limited to C programs only, which can be a drawback for teams working with multiple programming languages.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers unfamiliar with static analysis tools or Splint's annotations, there is a learning curve that might slow down initial adoption.
  • Outdated Documentation
    Some users have reported that the documentation is outdated or lacking in certain areas, which can make understanding and using the tool more challenging.
  • Manual Work Required
    To get the most out of Splint, developers may need to manually annotate code, which can be time-consuming and may not fit well into all development workflows.

Pmd features and specs

  • Open Source
    PMD is open-source software, which means it's free to use and can be modified by anyone. This allows for extensive community support and collaboration.
  • Multi-language Support
    PMD supports a variety of languages such as Java, JavaScript, Salesforce.com Apex, PLSQL, XML, XSL, and others, making it a versatile tool for developers working with different technologies.
  • Custom Rule Capability
    Users can define custom rules in PMD, allowing them to enforce specific coding standards and practices pertinent to their projects.
  • Integration and Automation
    PMD easily integrates with various build tools and CI/CD systems like Maven, Ant, Gradle, and Jenkins, helping automate the detection of code issues in continuous integration pipelines.
  • Comprehensive Reporting
    PMD provides detailed reports on code quality issues, which can be exported in multiple formats such as XML, CSV, text, and HTML, aiding in comprehensive documentation and analysis.

Possible disadvantages of Pmd

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Users may experience a steeper learning curve due to the wide array of customizable features and the need to create custom rules in XML.
  • False Positives
    Like many static code analysis tools, PMD can generate false positives, which might lead developers to spend time reviewing non-issues.
  • Limited UI
    PMD primarily operates via command line and configuration files, lacking a graphical user interface, which might be inconvenient for some users who prefer visual tools.
  • Java Focus
    While it supports multiple languages, PMD is predominantly focused on Java, which might result in less comprehensive support for other languages.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running PMD on large codebases can sometimes introduce performance overhead, slowing down the development workflow, especially if not optimally configured.

Splint videos

Will a Night Splint Help Your Plantar Fasciitis? We Review 3 Braces.

More videos:

  • Review - Will A Night Splint Help Your Plantar Fasciitis?

Pmd videos

PMD: Personal Microderm PRO + Clean | Review & Demo

More videos:

  • Review - PMD Clean Review: I Tried it for 30 Days! | Beauty with Susan Yara
  • Review - PMD Personal Microderm 6-Week Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Splint and Pmd)
Code Analysis
67 67%
33% 33
Code Coverage
61 61%
39% 39
Code Review
57 57%
43% 43
Code Quality
39 39%
61% 61

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Splint and Pmd

Splint Reviews

We have no reviews of Splint yet.
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Pmd Reviews

TOP 40 Static Code Analysis Tools (Best Source Code Analysis Tools)
A tool that helps in analyzing C/C++, Java, C#, RPG and Python codes. Another good thing about this tool is it allows integration with free static checker tools like cppcheck, PMD, FindBugs. Basic Version of this tool is free but it comes with fewer features. Based on the need, you can decide whether the free version satisfies the requirement or not.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Splint seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Splint mentions (10)

  • Git: Introduce Rust and announce that it will become mandatorty
    > My gut feeling is You're probably right, I was saying it just can be transferred, with a large "just". > the fact that neither GCC nor Clang appear to have discussed reusing concepts from their optimizer passes to recreate the borrow checker or borrow checker-like functionality There is however a commitment from GCC, that every UB the compiler exploits must be reported by -fanalyzer, otherwise it's a compiler... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • C-rusted: The Advantages of Rust, in C, without the Disadvantages
    Whenever I see people talk about the portability or compatibility advantages of C, I'm reminded of how "even C isn't compatible with C", because you typically aren't talking about up-to-date GCC or LLVM on these niche platforms... you're talking about some weird or archaic vendor-provided compiler... Possibly with syntax extensions that static analyzers like splint will choke on. (Splint can't even understand near... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Announcing Rust 1.67.1
    Huh. I think I actually needed to use the equivalent position for certain splint annotations in my C retro-hobby project. Source: over 3 years ago
  • US NGO Consumer Reports also reporting on C and C++ safety for product development.
    I often like to say that Rust's bindings are a way to trick people into writing the compile-time safety annotations that they didn't want to write for things like splint. (Seriously. Look into how much splint is capable of checking with the correct annotations.). Source: over 3 years ago
  • “Rust is safe” is not some kind of absolute guarantee of code safety
    Linters like Splint [0] can do that for C. I’m not saying that Rust’s built-in approach isn’t better, but please be careful about what exactly you claim. [0] http://splint.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
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Pmd mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Pmd yet. Tracking of Pmd recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Splint and Pmd, you can also consider the following products

Coverity Scan - Find and fix defects in your Java, C/C++ or C# open source project for free

Codacy - Automatically reviews code style, security, duplication, complexity, and coverage on every change while tracking code quality throughout your sprints.

Cppcheck - Cppcheck is an analysis tool for C/C++ code. It detects the types of bugs that the compilers normally fail to detect. The goal is no false positives. CppCheckDownload cppcheck for free.

SonarQube - SonarQube, a core component of the Sonar solution, is an open source, self-managed tool that systematically helps developers and organizations deliver Clean Code.

Shellcheck - ShellCheck finds bugs in your shell scripts

FindBugs - Findbugs is a tool that looks for bugs in Java code. Findbugs finds the bugs by analyzing computer software without actually executing programs. Using this software allows for easy debugging and repairing broken script. Read more about FindBugs.