No. 13 of 23 ·API Governance Software

Google API Linter

Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.3

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely0 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Google API Linter is ranked #13 of 23 in API governance software on Freedom251. It runs on Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

Google API Linter plans and pricing

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Apache 2.0 open-source software Free No paid plans stated linter.aip.dev · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on API governance software

Style guide enforcement: Yes
API linting: Yes
Governed API formats: Protocol Buffers
CI/CD integration: Yes

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The record

Purpose: The linter checks protocol buffer API surfaces for compliance with Google API standards documented in API Improvement Proposals.
Corrections: When able, the linter suggests fixes for common mistakes and inconsistencies.
Coverage limit: The documentation says some AIP guidance cannot be expressed as lint rules, and some expressible rules may not yet be written.
Rule groups: Rules are grouped by AIP block, with core and client library rules enabled by default and Cloud rules disabled by default.
Configuration: Rules can be configured with CLI flags, a configuration file, or comments in proto files.
Output formats: The CLI supports YAML, JSON, GitHub, and summary table output, with YAML as the default.
Installation: The documentation instructs users to install the CLI with Go install into the local Go binary directory.
Intended users: The tool is for developers working with APIs defined in protocol buffers and API standards.
License: The software and its documentation are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Contributions: The project accepts contributions, and its contributing guide identifies writing a new lint rule as a common contribution.
Rule requirements: Each linter rule must correspond to an AIP that mandates the behavior.
Support: The project documentation links to GitHub to file an issue and view the source repository.
Versioning: The project says it does not follow semantic versioning because adding or correcting rules can make previously clean files report problems.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best API Governance Software in 2026#13 of 23

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Sources

linter.aip.dev· checked 4 Oct 2026
linter.aip.dev/rules/· checked 4 Oct 2026
linter.aip.dev/configuration· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/googleapis/api-linter· checked 4 Oct 2026
linter.aip.dev/contributing· checked 4 Oct 2026