Update: Create Linter.version API (fixes #9271)

docs/developer-guide/nodejs-api.md

@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ linter.defineParser("my-custom-parser", {
 const results = linter.verify("// some source text", { parser: "my-custom-parser" });
 ```
 
-### Linter#version
+### Linter#version/Linter.version
 
 Each instance of `Linter` has a `version` property containing the semantic version number of ESLint that the `Linter` instance is from.
 
@@ -302,6 +302,14 @@ const linter = new Linter();
 linter.version; // => '4.5.0'
 ```
 
+There is also a `Linter.version` property that you can read without instantiating `Linter`:
+
+```js
+const Linter = require("eslint").Linter;
+
+Linter.version; // => '4.5.0'
+```
+
 ## linter
 
 The `eslint.linter` object (deprecated) is an instance of the `Linter` class as defined [above](#linter). `eslint.linter` exists for backwards compatibility, but we do not recommend using it because any mutations to it are shared among every module that uses `eslint`. Instead, please create your own instance of `eslint.Linter`.

lib/linter.js

@@ -888,6 +888,15 @@ module.exports = class Linter {
         this.environments = new Environments();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Getter for package version.
+     * @static
+     * @returns {string} The version from package.json.
+     */
+    static get version() {
+        return pkg.version;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Configuration object for the `verify` API. A JS representation of the eslintrc files.
      * @typedef {Object} ESLintConfig

tests/lib/linter.js

@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ describe("Linter", () => {
         sandbox.verifyAndRestore();
     });
 
+    describe("Static Members", () => {
+        describe("version", () => {
+            it("should return same version as instance property", () => {
+                assert.strictEqual(Linter.version, linter.version);
+            });
+        });
+    });
+
     describe("when using events", () => {
         const code = TEST_CODE;