Registry / serialization / babel-plugin-transform-typescript

babel-plugin-transform-typescript

library7.0.0-alpha.19jsnpmunverified

This package, `@babel/plugin-transform-typescript`, is a core Babel plugin designed to strip TypeScript type annotations from code, transforming it into standard ECMAScript. It operates solely on the syntax level and does not perform any type-checking; users must integrate the TypeScript compiler (tsc) separately for type validation. The current stable major version is 7 (e.g., v7.29.2 as of March 2026), with active development ongoing for Babel 8, which is currently in release candidate stages (e.g., v8.0.0-rc.3). Babel maintains a frequent release cadence for patch versions and rolls out minor/major updates periodically. A key differentiator is its focus on pure syntax transformation, which makes it faster than a full TypeScript compilation but also means it explicitly does not support TypeScript-specific features like `namespace` declarations, `const enum`s, or the legacy `export =` and `import =` syntax, as these features require type information for meaningful transformation.

serialization

npm install babel-plugin-transform-typescript

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BABEL-PLUGIN-TRANS

babel-plugin-transform-typescript

serializationjavascriptv7.0.0-alpha.19

Install

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Import

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Disk

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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.

Config via plugins array

✓ { "plugins": [ "@babel/plugin-transform-typescript" ] }

✗ { "plugins": [ "babel-plugin-transform-typescript" // Older, unscoped name ] }

This is the standard way to include the plugin in `.babelrc.json` or `babel.config.json`. The plugin itself is implicitly loaded by Babel.

Programmatic usage

✓ const transform = require('@babel/core').transformSync; const plugin = require('@babel/plugin-transform-typescript'); const code = `const x: number = 0;`; const output = transform(code, { plugins: [plugin] }).code;

✗ import { plugin } from '@babel/plugin-transform-typescript';

The plugin is typically required directly as a CommonJS module for programmatic usage, not imported as an ESM module for direct execution in application code. It exports the plugin function as its default export.

CLI usage

✓ babel --plugins @babel/plugin-transform-typescript src/index.ts --out-file dist/index.js

✗ babel --plugins transform-typescript src/index.ts

When using the Babel CLI, specify the full scoped package name for the plugin. The older unscoped name might work depending on your `node_modules` structure but is discouraged.

This quickstart demonstrates how to install and configure `@babel/plugin-transform-typescript` to transpile a TypeScript file containing interfaces, type-only imports, and functions into standard JavaScript using the Babel CLI.

/* file: package.json */ { "name": "my-ts-project", "version": "1.0.0", "scripts": { "build": "babel src --out-dir dist --extensions \".ts,.tsx\"" }, "devDependencies": { "@babel/cli": "^7.0.0", "@babel/core": "^7.0.0", "@babel/plugin-transform-typescript": "^7.0.0" } } /* file: babel.config.js */ module.exports = { plugins: [ "@babel/plugin-transform-typescript", // If you use React and JSX, also add: // "@babel/plugin-transform-react-jsx" ] }; /* file: src/index.ts */ interface User { id: number; name: string; email?: string; } const user: User = { id: 1, name: "Alice", email: "alice@example.com" }; function greet(person: User): string { return `Hello, ${person.name}! Your ID is ${person.id}.`; } console.log(greet(user)); // Example of a type-only import (will be stripped by Babel) import type { UtilityType } from './types'; // A type declaration type UtilityType = { timestamp: number }; const data: UtilityType = { timestamp: Date.now() }; console.log(`Current data timestamp: ${data.timestamp}`); /* To run this example: */ /* 1. Create the files above */ /* 2. `npm install` */ /* 3. `npm run build` */ /* 4. `node dist/index.js` */

Debug

Known issues

breakingWhen upgrading to Babel 8 (currently in release candidate), `@babel/plugin-transform-typescript` drops support for TypeScript's legacy `module <identifier>` syntax. This is part of a broader push to align with modern ES Modules.

fix

Migrate `module <identifier> { ... }` declarations to modern ES Modules using `import`/`export` syntax, or consider using TypeScript's `namespace` feature with appropriate Babel configuration if absolutely necessary (though `namespace` is generally discouraged in favor of ES Modules).

affects: >=8.0.0-beta.4

gotchaThis plugin *only* strips TypeScript type annotations; it does not perform type checking. Code that is syntactically valid but contains type errors will still be transpiled without error. You must run the TypeScript compiler (tsc) separately for full type validation.

fix

Integrate `tsc` into your build process to perform type checking. A common pattern is to use Babel for transpilation and `tsc` solely for type verification (e.g., `tsc --noEmit`).

affects: >=7.0.0

gotchaThe plugin explicitly does not support certain TypeScript-specific features like `namespace` declarations, `const enum`s, or the legacy `export =` and `import =` syntax. These features require type information to transpile correctly, which Babel's type-stripping approach does not provide.

fix

Avoid using `namespace`, `const enum`, `export =`, and `import =`. Prefer modern ES Module `import`/`export` statements. For constant-like enums, consider regular `enum`s or plain objects/literals.

affects: >=7.0.0

breakingUpgrading to Babel 8 generally introduces several breaking changes across the Babel ecosystem, including changes in `babel-parser`, `@babel/code-frame`, and `@babel-eslint-parser`. While this plugin's specific API might remain stable, overall Babel configuration and integration may require significant updates.

fix

Review the full Babel 8 upgrade guide carefully. Test your entire build pipeline thoroughly when moving from Babel 7 to Babel 8. Pay attention to parser options, default behaviors, and deprecated features.

affects: >=8.0.0-beta.1

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find plugin '@babel/plugin-transform-typescript'. Make sure you have installed it properly and are passing it a valid path.

The plugin package is not installed or incorrectly referenced in the Babel configuration.

fix

Ensure `@babel/plugin-transform-typescript` is installed (`npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-transform-typescript`) and correctly specified in your `babel.config.js` or `.babelrc` (e.g., `plugins: ['@babel/plugin-transform-typescript']`).

TS2345: Argument of type 'number' is not assignable to parameter of type 'string'.

This is a TypeScript type error, which Babel does not catch because it only strips types and does not perform type checking.

fix

Run `tsc --noEmit` as part of your build process or ensure your IDE/editor is configured to show TypeScript errors. Correct the type mismatch in your source code.

SyntaxError: 'namespace' is not supported by Babel or 'const enum' is not supported by Babel

Attempting to use TypeScript features explicitly unsupported by `@babel/plugin-transform-typescript`.

fix

Refactor your code to use ES Module `import`/`export` instead of `namespace`, and use standard `enum`s or plain JavaScript objects/literals instead of `const enum`s.

Upgrade

Version history

7.0.0-alpha.19latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

@babel/corerequiredRequired as the core Babel transpiler to execute the plugin.

Agent activity

26 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/babel/babel ↗

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

homepagehttps://babeljs.io ↗