Registry / web-framework / babel-plugin-transform-commonjs

babel-plugin-transform-commonjs

library1.1.6jsnpmunverified

A Babel 7 plugin that transforms CommonJS modules (require, module.exports, exports) into ES modules (import/export). Version 1.1.6 is the latest stable release. It aims to produce spec-compliant ESM code and throws on unsupported patterns like non-static require or require.extensions. It offers escape hatches (synchronousImport, exportsOnly) for controlled conversion. Unlike @babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs (which targets the opposite direction), this plugin converts CJS to ESM and is mainly used for building ESM-compatible bundles or migration.

web-framework

npm install babel-plugin-transform-commonjs

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BABEL-PLUGIN-TRANS

babel-plugin-transform-commonjs

web-frameworkjavascriptv1.1.6

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.

default export

✓ import plugin from 'babel-plugin-transform-commonjs'

✗ const plugin = require('babel-plugin-transform-commonjs'); const { default: plugin } = require('babel-plugin-transform-commonjs')

The plugin is an ESM default export. In CommonJS context, use require and access .default.

plugin as object

✓ { plugins: ['transform-commonjs'] }

✗ { plugins: [require('babel-plugin-transform-commonjs')] }

String shorthand is preferred in Babel config; if passing options, use array form: [['transform-commonjs', { ... }]].

options

✓ { plugins: [['transform-commonjs', { synchronousImport: true, exportsOnly: true }]] }

✗ { plugins: [['transform-commonjs', { onlyExports: true }]] }

The option is 'exportsOnly', not 'onlyExports' (documented as 'onlyExports' but the code uses 'exportsOnly' — check version).

Installs the plugin, configures Babel, and transforms a CJS file with named exports.

npm install --save-dev babel-plugin-transform-commonjs @babel/core echo '{ "plugins": ["transform-commonjs"] }' > .babelrc echo 'var { readFileSync } = require("path"); exports.readFileSync = readFileSync;' > input.js npx babel input.js

Debug

Known issues

breakingNon-static require calls (e.g., require(condition ? 'a' : 'b')) raise an exception by default.

fix

Use 'synchronousImport: true' to convert non-static require to dynamic import (may produce invalid code outside bundler).

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaInvalid named exports (e.g., exports["I'mateapot"]) are not available as named exports; they only appear on default export.

fix

Refactor exports to use valid identifiers or access via default export.

affects: >=1.0.0

deprecatedThe option 'onlyExports' is documented but the code expects 'exportsOnly'. Check your Babel config.

fix

Use 'exportsOnly' instead of 'onlyExports'.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: [BABEL] unknown: You gave us a visitor for the node type "Expression" but it's not a valid type

Using an outdated version of @babel/core (<7) or incompatible Babel version.

fix

Install @babel/core@^7 and ensure @babel/core is in devDependencies.

Module not found: Can't resolve 'path'

The plugin does not transform require calls for Node built-ins; bundler may fail if it expects a full ESM environment.

fix

Ensure bundler (e.g., webpack) polyfills Node core modules, or use a bundler that supports them natively.

Upgrade

Version history

1.1.6latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

@babel/corerequiredRequired as a peer dependency; plugin runs within Babel's transform pipeline.

Agent activity

10 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/tbranyen/babel-plugin-transform-commonjs ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/babel-plugin-transform-commonjs ↗