Registry / devops / babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite

babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite

library2.0.0jsnpmunverified

A Babel plugin that rewrites bare import specifiers (like 'lodash') to browser-compatible URL-based paths for use without a bundler, currently at stable version 2.0.0. It resolves bare imports to absolute or relative URLs pointing to node_modules on a web server, with configurable options like modulesDir, alwaysRootImport, and ignorePrefixes. This plugin is a pragmatic solution until native import maps gain full browser support, making it distinct from bundler-based approaches like Webpack or Rollup. It supports ESM, CJS, and TypeScript projects using Babel, actively maintained, and requires @babel/core >=7.8.3.

devops http-networking web-framework

npm install babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BABEL-PLUGIN-BARE-

babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite

devopsjavascriptv2.0.0

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

resolve

✓ import { resolve } from 'babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite'

✗ const resolve = require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite').resolve

The package has a named export 'resolve' for programmatic use. In CJS, you can destructure from require.

default

✓ import bareImportRewrite from 'babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite'

✗ const bareImportRewrite = require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite')

The plugin is the default export. For CJS, require returns the plugin function directly (no .default).

resolve

✓ const { resolve } = require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite')

✗ const resolve = require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite')

Common mistake: importing the whole module instead of destructuring resolve.

Shows minimal Babel config and the transformation of a bare import to a URL path for browser use.

// .babelrc { "plugins": [ ["bare-import-rewrite", { "modulesDir": "/node_modules", "alwaysRootImport": ["lodash"], "failOnUnresolved": true }] ] } // Input: import _ from 'lodash'; // Output: import _ from '/node_modules/lodash/index.js';

Debug

Known issues

breakingIn version 2.0.0, the default value of 'preserveSymlinks' changed from false to true.

fix

If you rely on symlink resolution, set preserveSymlinks: false in plugin options.

affects: 2.0.0

deprecatedThe option 'processAtProgramExit' is deprecated and may be removed in a future major version.

fix

Remove the option from your config.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaIf 'modulesDir' is not set, the plugin may generate relative paths that break in different deployment contexts.

fix

Always set modulesDir to an absolute URL path like '/node_modules' or use the default.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaResolving modules from multiple directories using 'resolveDirectories' requires careful ordering; leftmost takes precedence.

fix

Ensure the most important node_modules directory is first in the array.

affects: >=1.0.0

breakingNode.js 10 or above is required; older versions are unsupported.

fix

Upgrade Node.js to version 10.13.0 or later.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaThe 'resolve' export is synchronous and should not be used for async workflows.

fix

Use the plugin only in synchronous Babel transformations; wrap async calls if needed.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module '@babel/core'

@babel/core is a peer dependency not installed.

fix

Run 'npm install @babel/core' to install the peer dependency.

TypeError: plugin is not a function

Importing the default export incorrectly in ESM.

fix

Use 'import bareImportRewrite from 'babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite'' (default) or 'import { default as bareImportRewrite } from '...'

The 'resolve' method throws 'Cannot read property 'split' of undefined'

Calling require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite') and then treating it as the resolve function.

fix

Use 'const { resolve } = require('babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite');' instead.

Uncaught Error: Cannot find module 'lodash' while resolving bare import

Module not found in node_modules or 'failOnUnresolved' is set to false causing silent failure.

fix

Install the missing module with 'npm install lodash' or check the module name.

Upgrade

Version history

2.0.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

@babel/corerequiredPeer dependency: Babel plugin requires @babel/core to function.

Agent activity

12 hits · last 30 days

node

Amazon

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/cfware/babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/babel-plugin-bare-import-rewrite ↗