Baseline Analyzer CLI

A command-line tool (baseline-check .) that scans a web project's files and generates a report: - which features are "safe" - which features are not yet Baseline

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Inspiration

As a solo developer, I often spent a lot of time manually checking whether my code followed best practices and modern compatibility standards. The idea behind Baseline Analyzer CLI came from my need to automate this process — to quickly understand which features in my codebase are modern, outdated, or experimental, without having to dig through documentation or browser tables.

What it does

Baseline Analyzer CLI scans project files and analyzes the CSS and HTML features used in the codebase. It provides a clear summary of: Baseline compatibility (based on browser or Node.js support) Modern syntax usage (e.g., optional chaining, nullish coalescing, etc.) Potential upgrade paths for older projects Clean, readable reports — either in the terminal or directly inside VS Code This helps developers maintain modern, reliable, and forward-compatible codebases with minimal effort.

How we built it

The project was built using Node.js with a modular structure. We used: The VS Code API to integrate with the editor for real-time insights ESLint, Acorn, and custom parsers for feature detection A small CLI tool to run standalone outside of the editor GitHub Actions for automated builds and tests

Challenges we ran into

Parsing large codebases efficiently without slowing down the editor Handling multiple language syntaxes in one analyzer Designing a flexible output format that works both in CLI and VS Code UI Dealing with complex compatibility data across browsers and runtimes

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building a unified tool that works in both command-line and VS Code environments Accurately mapping code features to baseline compatibility data Creating an open-source solution that can help other developers modernize their projects faster Learning a ton about AST parsing, language features, and developer experience design

What we learned

How to integrate a Node.js CLI with a VS Code extension seamlessly Deep understanding of syntax parsing and code introspection Importance of user experience and clear developer feedback in CLI tools How to structure and publish open-source developer tools

What's next for Baseline Analyzer CLI

Adding a web dashboard for visual reports Supporting Python and Java projects in future versions Integrating with GitHub Actions for automated baseline checks Providing a configurable rules engine so teams can define their own compatibility targets

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