# cloc — Count Lines of Code Across Any Project

> cloc counts blank lines, comment lines, and physical lines of source code in over 250 programming languages from the command line.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# cloc — Count Lines of Code Across Any Project

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install
npm install -g cloc   # or: brew install cloc / apt install cloc

# Count lines in current directory
cloc .

# Compare two codebases
cloc --diff old_version/ new_version/
```

## Introduction
cloc (Count Lines of Code) is a portable command-line utility that tallies blank lines, comment lines, and physical source lines across more than 250 programming languages. It is widely used in code audits, migration planning, and engineering dashboards.

## What cloc Does
- Counts code, comments, and blank lines for 250+ languages
- Diffs two directory trees to show added, removed, and modified lines per language
- Processes files, directories, compressed archives, and git commit ranges
- Outputs plain text, JSON, XML, YAML, CSV, or SQL insert statements
- Filters by language, extension, directory, or custom regex

## Architecture Overview
cloc is a single self-contained Perl script. It walks the file tree, identifies each file's language via extension tables and shebang heuristics, strips comments using language-specific regex rules, and accumulates per-language tallies. Diff mode pairs files between two trees and reports net changes. No daemon or database is involved.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via package manager (apt, brew, choco), npm, or download the standalone Perl script
- Runs as a one-shot CLI with no service or config file required
- Use a `.clocignore` file to exclude paths, similar to `.gitignore`
- Pass `--exclude-dir`, `--exclude-lang`, or `--exclude-ext` for fine-grained filtering
- Add custom language definitions with `--read-lang-def` or `--force-lang-def`

## Key Features
- Zero-dependency single Perl file that runs on any OS with Perl installed
- Recognizes 250+ programming and markup languages out of the box
- Diff mode compares two codebases and reports net line changes per language
- Multiple output formats (JSON, YAML, XML, CSV, SQL) for CI pipeline integration
- Handles tar/zip archives and git commit ranges without manual extraction

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Tokei** — Rust-based, significantly faster on large repos but fewer output format options
- **scc** — Go-based, adds COCOMO cost estimates and complexity metrics
- **SLOCCount** — Early predecessor to cloc, now unmaintained
- **loc** — Minimal Rust counter, fast but limited language coverage
- **wc -l** — Unix built-in that counts raw lines without language awareness

## FAQ
**Q: How accurate is cloc for polyglot repositories?**
A: cloc identifies languages by file extension and shebang lines. Ambiguous cases like `.h` files use heuristics. Override with `--force-lang`.

**Q: Can cloc count lines inside a git history range?**
A: Yes. Use `cloc --git --diff v1.0 v2.0` to compare two tags, branches, or commits.

**Q: Does cloc count generated or vendored code?**
A: By default yes. Use `--exclude-dir=vendor,node_modules` or a `.clocignore` to skip them.

**Q: How does cloc handle binary files?**
A: cloc auto-detects and skips binary files. Use `--binary-check` to tune the heuristic threshold.

## Sources
- https://github.com/AlDanial/cloc
- https://cloc.sourceforge.net/

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-4546dbbf
Author: Script Depot