diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index d3625bc..2de6080 100755
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 default_install_hook_types: [pre-commit, commit-msg]
 default_stages: [commit, manual]
+exclude: ^\{\{cookiecutter.repo_name\}\}/
 repos:
     - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
       rev: v4.6.0
@@ -58,4 +59,3 @@ repos:
             stages:
                 - commit
                 - manual
-            exclude: \{\{cookiecutter.repo_name\}\}/
diff --git a/cookiecutter.json b/cookiecutter.json
index 99da881..4aae013 100644
--- a/cookiecutter.json
+++ b/cookiecutter.json
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@
     "repo_url": "URL to repository",
     "env_name": "{{ cookiecutter.project_name.lower().replace(' ', '-') + '-env' }}",
     "install_jupyter": ["yes", "no"],
+    "linter_name": ["pylint", "ruff"],
     "cicd_configuration": ["none", "gitlab"]
 }
diff --git a/hooks/post_gen_project.py b/hooks/post_gen_project.py
index 5249e0e..1a25930 100644
--- a/hooks/post_gen_project.py
+++ b/hooks/post_gen_project.py
@@ -106,25 +106,33 @@ def copy_chosen_files(self) -> None:
                 shutil.copy2(src, dst)
 
 
-def get_ci_cd_file_manager(ci_cd_options: str) -> ConditionalFileManager:
+def get_conditional_file_manager(ci_cd_option: str, linter_option: str) -> ConditionalFileManager:
     template_root_dir = pathlib.Path.cwd()
-    temp_files_dir = template_root_dir.joinpath(".temp_ci_cd")
-    if ci_cd_options == "none":
-        manager = ConditionalFileManager(
-            temp_files_dir=temp_files_dir,
-            template_root_dir=template_root_dir,
-            relevant_paths_list=[],
-        )
-    elif ci_cd_options == "gitlab":
-        manager = ConditionalFileManager(
-            temp_files_dir=temp_files_dir,
-            template_root_dir=template_root_dir,
-            relevant_paths_list=[".gitlab-ci.yml"],
-        )
-    else:
-        raise NotImplementedError(
-            f"Option {ci_cd_options} is not implemented as ci_cd_file_manager"
-        )
+    temp_files_dir = template_root_dir.joinpath(".conditional_files")
+    relevant_paths = []
+
+    match ci_cd_option:
+        case "gitlab":
+            relevant_paths.append(".gitlab-ci.yml")
+        case "none":
+            pass
+        case _:
+            raise NotImplementedError(f"Option {ci_cd_option} is not implemented as CI/CD pipeline")
+
+    match linter_option:
+        case "pylint":
+            relevant_paths.append(".pylintrc")
+        case "ruff":
+            relevant_paths.append("ruff.toml")
+        case _:
+            raise NotImplementedError(f"Option {linter_option} is not implemented as Linter")
+
+    manager = ConditionalFileManager(
+        temp_files_dir=temp_files_dir,
+        template_root_dir=template_root_dir,
+        relevant_paths_list=relevant_paths,
+    )
+
     return manager
 
 
@@ -143,7 +151,10 @@ def get_ci_cd_file_manager(ci_cd_options: str) -> ConditionalFileManager:
     print("before")
     # setup ci/cd related files (if any)
     print("initializing")
-    CICD_FILE_MANAGER = get_ci_cd_file_manager(ci_cd_options="{{cookiecutter.cicd_configuration}}")
+    CICD_FILE_MANAGER = get_conditional_file_manager(
+        ci_cd_option="{{cookiecutter.cicd_configuration}}",
+        linter_option="{{cookiecutter.linter_name}}",
+    )
     print("copying")
     CICD_FILE_MANAGER.copy_chosen_files()
     print("cleaning")
diff --git a/pytest.ini  b/pytest.ini 
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5578bc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pytest.ini 	
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+[pytest]
+log_cli = true
+log_cli_level = DEBUG
+log_cli_format = %(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s
+log_cli_date_format = %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S
diff --git a/tests/test_cookiecutter_template.py b/tests/test_cookiecutter_template.py
index 43503b9..0f8fbba 100644
--- a/tests/test_cookiecutter_template.py
+++ b/tests/test_cookiecutter_template.py
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 # pylint: disable=redefined-outer-name
 # standard library imports
+import itertools
+import json
 import os
 import pathlib
+import random
 import uuid
 
 # third party imports
 import pytest
+import yaml
 from cookiecutter.main import cookiecutter
 
 # local imports
@@ -28,7 +32,33 @@ def template_environment(tmp_path, request):
     PACKAGE_MANAGER.remove_env(env_name=env_name)
 
 
-def validate_base_project_files(env_dir):
+def get_all_possible_configuration_permutations(n_samples: int | None = 5):
+    """
+    Generates all possible configurations from cookiecutter.json for all elements where
+    the value is a list (i.e., user has >1 pre-defined option). By default, 5 random
+    permutations will be selected from all permutations and then tested afterwards.
+    :param number_of_envs: How many environments should be built/tested. Defaults to 5. Set to None to test exhaustively
+    :return: list of number_of_envs permutations that were randomly selected from all possible permutations.
+    """
+    with open(f"{TEMPLATE_DIRECTORY}/cookiecutter.json", "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        cookiecutter_config = json.load(f)
+
+    option_fields = {key: val for key, val in cookiecutter_config.items() if isinstance(val, list)}
+    option_keys, option_vals = zip(*option_fields.items())
+    all_permutations = [
+        dict(zip(option_keys, permutation)) for permutation in itertools.product(*option_vals)
+    ]
+
+    if n_samples is not None:
+        if n_samples > len(all_permutations):
+            return all_permutations
+
+        return random.sample(all_permutations, n_samples)
+
+    return all_permutations
+
+
+def validate_base_project_files(env_dir: pathlib.Path):
     """
     Validates that the environment directory was created and contains the expected files
     """
@@ -37,29 +67,96 @@ def validate_base_project_files(env_dir):
         expected_dir_path = env_dir.joinpath(expected_dir)
         assert expected_dir_path.is_dir(), f"Did not find dir: {expected_dir_path}"
 
+    # Linter & CI files checked separately
+
     expected_files = [
         ".commitlintrc.yaml",
         ".gitattributes",
         ".gitignore",
         ".pre-commit-config.yaml",
         ".prettierrc",
-        ".pylintrc",
         "check_commit_msgs.sh",
         "environment.yaml",
         "pyproject.toml",
         "README.md",
     ]
+
     for expected_file in expected_files:
         expected_file_path = env_dir.joinpath(expected_file)
         assert expected_file_path.is_file(), f"Did not find file: {expected_file_path}"
 
 
-def validate_gitlab_configuration(env_dir, expect_present=True):
-    file_path = env_dir.joinpath(".gitlab-ci.yml")
-    if expect_present:
-        assert file_path.is_file(), f"Did not find file: {file_path}"
+def validate_python_environment(env_dir: pathlib.Path) -> list[str]:
+    with open(env_dir.joinpath("environment.yaml"), "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        python_deps: list[str] = yaml.safe_load(f)["dependencies"]
+
+    assert "python=3.10.9" in python_deps, "Did not find python=3.10.9 in environment.yaml"
+
+    python_deps_noversion = [i.split("=")[0] for i in python_deps]
+
+    return python_deps, python_deps_noversion
+
+
+def validate_cicd_configuration(env_dir: pathlib.Path, cicd_configuration: str):
+    all_possible_cicd_configs = {"gitlab": ".gitlab-ci.yml"}
+
+    if cicd_configuration == "none":
+        for fname in all_possible_cicd_configs.values():
+            config_path = env_dir.joinpath(fname)
+            assert (
+                not config_path.is_file()
+            ), f"Expected not to find cicd config {config_path} for {cicd_configuration}"
     else:
-        assert not file_path.is_file(), f"Expected not to find file: {file_path}"
+        try:
+            fname = all_possible_cicd_configs[cicd_configuration]
+        except KeyError:
+            raise NotImplementedError(  # pylint: disable=W0707
+                f"No test implemented for cicd for {cicd_configuration}"
+            )
+
+        config_path = env_dir.joinpath(fname)
+        assert (
+            config_path.is_file()
+        ), f"Did not find cicd config {config_path} for {cicd_configuration}"
+
+
+def validate_linter_configuration(
+    env_dir: pathlib.Path, python_packages: list[str], linter_name: str
+):
+    match linter_name:
+        case "pylint":
+            config_name = ".pylintrc"
+        case "ruff":
+            config_name = "ruff.toml"
+        case _:
+            raise NotImplementedError(f"No test implemented for linter {linter_name}")
+
+    file_path = env_dir.joinpath(config_name)
+
+    assert (
+        linter_name in python_packages
+    ), f"Did not find {linter_name} in environment.yaml but specified as linter"
+    assert file_path.is_file(), f"Did not find linter config: {file_path} for {linter_name}"
+
+
+def validate_jupyter_configuration(python_packages: list[str], install_jupyter: str):
+    match install_jupyter:
+        case "yes":
+            assert (
+                "jupyter" in python_packages
+            ), "install_jupyter == yes but jupyter not in environment.yaml"
+            assert (
+                "nbqa" in python_packages
+            ), "install_jupyter == yes but nbqa not in environment.yaml"
+        case "no":
+            assert (
+                not "jupyter" in python_packages
+            ), "install_jupyter == no but jupyter in environment.yaml"
+            assert (
+                not "nbqa" in python_packages
+            ), "install_jupyter == no but nbqa in environment.yaml"
+        case _:
+            raise ValueError(f"{install_jupyter} is not an option for install_jupyter")
 
 
 def validate_pre_commit(env_dir, env_name):
@@ -77,16 +174,23 @@ def validate_pre_commit(env_dir, env_name):
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "template_environment",
-    [
-        {},
-        {"cicd_configuration": "gitlab"},
-    ],
+    get_all_possible_configuration_permutations(n_samples=5),
     indirect=["template_environment"],
 )
 def test_template(template_environment):
     env_dir, env_name, env_config = template_environment
     validate_base_project_files(env_dir)
-    validate_gitlab_configuration(
-        env_dir, expect_present=env_config.get("cicd_configuration") == "gitlab"
+
+    _, python_packages = validate_python_environment(env_dir)
+
+    validate_cicd_configuration(env_dir, cicd_configuration=env_config.get("cicd_configuration"))
+
+    validate_linter_configuration(
+        env_dir, python_packages, linter_name=env_config.get("linter_name")
     )
+
+    validate_jupyter_configuration(
+        python_packages, install_jupyter=env_config.get("install_jupyter")
+    )
+
     validate_pre_commit(env_dir, env_name)
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.temp_ci_cd/.gitlab-ci.yml b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/.gitlab-ci.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.temp_ci_cd/.gitlab-ci.yml
rename to {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/.gitlab-ci.yml
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pylintrc b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/.pylintrc
similarity index 100%
rename from {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pylintrc
rename to {{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/.pylintrc
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/ruff.toml b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/ruff.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4795d03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.conditional_files/ruff.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# sync with black
+line-length = 100
+
+# No need for NBQA as ruff has native Jupyter support
+extend-include = ["*.ipynb"]
+
+# https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/rules/
+ignore = [
+#    "E501", # Line too long, handled by black
+#    "W291", # Trailing whitespace, handled by black
+#    "W292", # Missing final newline, handled by black
+#    "PLR0904", # Too many public methods
+#    "PLR0911", # Too many return statements
+#    "PLR0913", # Too many arguments
+#    "PLC0415", # Import outside toplevel
+    # NA as checks yet but mentioned in github comments
+    # "C0305", # Trailing newlines, handled by black
+    # "C0114", # Missing module docstring
+    # "C0115", # Missing class docstring
+    # "C0116", # Missing function docstring
+    # "R0902", # Too many instance attributes
+    # "R0903", # Too few public methods
+    # "R0914", # Too many locals
+    # "W0124", # Confusing with statement
+    # "C0413", # Wrong import position
+    # "C0410", # Multiple imports
+    # "R1705", # No else return
+    # "W0201", # Attribute defined outside init
+    # "E1123", # Unexpected keyword arg
+    # "C0401", # Wrong spelling in comment
+    # "C0402", # Wrong spelling in docstring
+    # "C0403"  # Invalid character in docstring
+]
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 6d42f1c..cd9e67a 100644
--- a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ repos:
             pass_filenames: true
             stages:
                 - commit-msg
+    {%- if cookiecutter.linter_name == "pylint" %}
     - repo: https://github.com/pycqa/isort
       rev: 5.13.2
       hooks:
@@ -40,6 +41,12 @@ repos:
             stages:
                 - commit
                 - manual
+    {%- elif cookiecutter.linter_name == "ruff" %}
+    - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
+      rev: v0.6.7
+      hooks: 
+      - id: ruff
+    {%- endif %}
     - repo: local
       hooks:
           - id: black
@@ -48,11 +55,15 @@ repos:
             args: [--config=./pyproject.toml]
             language: system
             types: [python]
+          {%- if cookiecutter.linter_name == "pylint" %}
           - id: pylint
             name: pylint
             entry: pylint
             language: system
             types: [python]
+          {%- endif %}
+          {%- if cookiecutter.install_jupyter == "yes" %}
+            {%- if cookiecutter.linter_name == "pylint" %}
           - id: nbqa-pylint
             name: nbqa-pylint
             entry: nbqa pylint
@@ -61,6 +72,14 @@ repos:
             args:
                 - --disable=pointless-statement,duplicate-code,expression-not-assigned
                 - --const-rgx=(([A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*)|(__.*__)|([a-z_][a-z0-9_]{0,50}))$
+            {%- elif cookiecutter.linter_name == "ruff" %}
+          - id: nbqa-ruff
+            name: nbqa-ruff
+            entry: nbqa ruff
+            language: system
+            files: \.ipynb
+            {%- endif %}
+          {%- endif %}
     - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-prettier
       rev: v3.1.0
       hooks:
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/environment.yaml b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/environment.yaml
index 9c1b46c..80d1350 100644
--- a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/environment.yaml
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/environment.yaml
@@ -3,10 +3,14 @@ channels:
     - conda-forge
 dependencies:
     - black=24.4.2
-    - nbqa=1.8.5
     {%- if cookiecutter.install_jupyter == 'yes' %}
     - jupyter=1.0.0
+    - nbqa=1.8.5
+    {%- endif %}
+    {%- if cookiecutter.linter_name == "pylint" %}
+    - pylint=3.2.5
+    {%- elif cookiecutter.linter_name == "ruff" %}
+    - ruff=0.6.7
     {%- endif %}
     - python=3.10.9
     - pre-commit=3.7.1
-    - pylint=3.2.5
diff --git a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/pyproject.toml b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/pyproject.toml
index 7a08402..32bc85c 100644
--- a/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/pyproject.toml
+++ b/{{cookiecutter.repo_name}}/pyproject.toml
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ exclude = '''
 )
 '''
 
+{% if cookiecutter.linter_name == "pylint" %}
 [tool.isort]
-profile='black'
+profile = 'black'
 line_length = 100
+{% endif %}