Registry / web-framework / barely-a-dev-server

barely-a-dev-server

library0.8.3jsnpmunverified

A thin, opinionated wrapper for esbuild that watches and serves TypeScript files as ESM. Current stable version: 0.8.3. Release cadence: irregular, with multiple minor releases in 2024. Key differentiators: minimal codebase (<200 lines), zero runtime dependencies beyond esbuild, automatic source maps, and integrated dev server that maps entry .ts files to .js. Unlike esbuild's own --servedir, this directly serves compiled output with live rebuilds. No CLI, no live reload, no non-TS transformations. Requires Node >=19 or Bun >=1.0.30.

web-framework http-networking

npm install barely-a-dev-server

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BARELY-A-DEV-SERVE

barely-a-dev-server

web-frameworkjavascriptv0.8.3

harness data pending

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

No compatibility data collected yet for this library.

Code

Verified usage

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

barelyServe

✓ import { barelyServe } from 'barely-a-dev-server'

✗ const barelyServe = require('barely-a-dev-server')

ESM-only package; CommonJS require() will fail. Named export, not default.

barelyServe

✓ import { barelyServe } from 'barely-a-dev-server'

✗ import barelyServe from 'barely-a-dev-server'

Default import is incorrect; use named import with braces.

Starts a dev server on port 3333 that watches and serves TypeScript files from the 'src' directory as ESM with source maps.

// script/build.js import { barelyServe } from 'barely-a-dev-server'; barelyServe({ entryRoot: 'src', dev: true, port: 3333, esbuildOptions: { target: 'esnext', }, });

Debug

Known issues

breakingv0.6.0 changed file globbing to rely on esbuild, which may break builds expecting custom pattern matching.

fix

If you relied on custom glob patterns, update your entry points to match esbuild's built-in resolution.

affects: >=0.6.0 <0.8.0

gotchaAll .ts files under entryRoot are treated as entry points, potentially generating many output files.

fix

Place library files outside entryRoot; only keep actual entry scripts inside.

affects: >=0.0.0

deprecatedv0.7.0 introduced bundleCSS option; prior versions do not support CSS bundling.

fix

Upgrade to >=0.7.0 and use bundleCSS option if CSS bundling is needed.

affects: <0.7.0

gotchaHTML files must reference .js output, not .ts source; the 'href' attribute is not processed by the server.

fix

In <script> tags, set src='./index.js' (not .ts). The href attribute is informational only.

affects: >=0.0.0

breakingv0.8.0 uses @cubing/dev-config/esbuild/es2022 under the hood, which may change build defaults (e.g., target).

fix

Check your code for ES2022 compatibility; override esbuildOptions.target if needed.

affects: >=0.8.0

breakingv0.6.1 removed a workaround for Bun; Bun >=1.0.30 is now required.

fix

Update Bun to >=1.0.30 or use Node >=19.

affects: >=0.6.1

gotchaNo CLI; you must import and call barelyServe manually or use node -e.

fix

Write a small script calling barelyServe() or run: node -e 'import("barely-a-dev-server").then(s => s.barelyServe({entryRoot: "src"}))'

affects: >=0.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module 'barely-a-dev-server'

Trying to use CommonJS require() on an ESM-only package.

fix

Use import syntax: import { barelyServe } from 'barely-a-dev-server'

TypeError: barelyServe is not a function

Using default import instead of named import.

fix

Correct import: import { barelyServe } from 'barely-a-dev-server'

Failed to resolve entry point "src/index.ts"

Entry root contains .ts files that esbuild cannot resolve; possibly wrong path or missing file.

fix

Ensure entryRoot is relative to current working directory and contains .ts files.

Upgrade

Version history

0.8.3latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

esbuildrequiredCore bundler and transpiler for TypeScript compilation, watch mode, and file serving.

Agent activity

14 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/lgarron/barely-a-dev-server ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/barely-a-dev-server ↗