OCLint – static code analysis for C, C++ and Objective-C

OCLint is a static code analysis tool that examines C, C++ and Objective-C source code to identify potential defects and maintainability problems. It concentrates on issues that compilers may not flag, such as unnecessarily complicated code, redundant statements and questionable programming practices.

The software provides a collection of rules covering different aspects of code quality. These include excessive method complexity, unused variables, long parameter lists and empty conditional statements.

OCLint uses the Clang compiler infrastructure to analyse source code. Developers can configure its checks and generate reports in several formats, making it suitable for local development and automated quality assurance.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

• Static analysis of C, C++ and Objective-C source code.
• Detects suspicious constructs such as empty conditional statements and exception handlers.
• Identifies unused local variables and function parameters.
• Measures cyclomatic complexity and NPath complexity.
• Reports methods that exceed configured complexity or length thresholds.
• Detects excessively long parameter lists and other code smells.
• Identifies redundant conditional statements and unnecessary parentheses.
• Flags questionable programming practices, including parameter reassignment.
• Configurable analysis rules and reporting thresholds.
• Options for enabling or disabling individual checks.
• Text, HTML, XML, JSON and PMD-compatible report formats.
• Integration with Clang-based build environments and automated development workflows.

Website: github.com/oclint/oclint
Support:
Developer: Ryuichi Intellectual Property and OCLint contributors
License: BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised” License

OCLint is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

Related Software

Read our verdict in the software roundup.

Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category. The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form.