Registry / type-stubs / esbuild-preserve-whitespace

esbuild-preserve-whitespace

JSON →
library1.1.1jsnpmunverified

An esbuild plugin that preserves blank lines and whitespace during TypeScript transpilation. Version 1.1.1 requires esbuild ^0.19.0 and the legalComments: 'inline' option. It works by replacing blank lines with marker comments before esbuild processes files, then removing them after. Unlike esbuild's default behavior (which strips most whitespace), this plugin provides configurable preservation of formatting, useful for debugging, code review, or when output readability matters. The plugin is lightweight, typed (TypeScript), and maintained on GitHub. It has no runtime dependencies beyond esbuild.

type-stubs
npm install esbuild-preserve-whitespace
github ↗package ↗
INSTALL
IMPORT
SIG · ESBUILD-PRESERVE-W
E
esbuild-preserve-whitespace
type-stubsjavascriptv1.1.1
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.

esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin
✓ import { esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin } from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'
✗ const esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin = require('esbuild-preserve-whitespace')
Package is ESM-only; CommonJS require() will fail. Use dynamic import() if needed in CJS.
PluginOptions
✓ import type { PluginOptions } from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'
✗ import { PluginOptions } from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'
PluginOptions is a type export; use 'import type' to avoid runtime issues. Available as named type export.
default import
✓ import esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'
Default export is not provided; only named export exists. Attempting default import will result in undefined.

Basic esbuild build with whitespace preservation plugin. Note that legalComments: 'inline' is mandatory.

import { esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin } from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'; import * as esbuild from 'esbuild'; await esbuild.build({ entryPoints: ['src/index.ts'], outfile: 'dist/index.js', bundle: true, legalComments: 'inline', // Required plugins: [ esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin({ verbose: false, }), ], });
Debug
Known issues
breakinglegalComments must be set to 'inline' or plugin will silently fail
fix
Add 'legalComments: "inline"' to esbuild options. Without it, marker comments used to preserve whitespace are removed.
affects: >=1.0.0
gotchaPlugin modifies source files temporarily; if the build crashes, source files may remain altered
fix
Ensure build process handles errors (e.g., try/catch) and consider using a clean working directory. The plugin restores files on success but not on failure.
affects: >=1.0.0
gotchaOnly works with files processed by esbuild; does not affect non-esbuild outputs or external files
fix
No fix; this is by design. Plugin operates on esbuild's onLoad callback; other files are untouched.
affects: >=1.0.0
deprecatedv1.0.0 had incomplete error handling
fix
Upgrade to v1.1.0 or later which includes improved error recovery.
affects: ==1.0.0
Errors
Common errors & fixes
Error: The plugin 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace' requires 'legalComments' to be set to 'inline'.
legalComments not set or set to a value other than 'inline' in esbuild options.
fix
Add 'legalComments: "inline"' to your esbuild configuration object.
TypeError: esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin is not a function
Incorrect import: using require() in CJS context or importing default instead of named export.
fix
Use 'import { esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin } from 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'' or 'const { esbuildPreserveWhitespacePlugin } = await import('esbuild-preserve-whitespace')'.
Error: Cannot find module 'esbuild-preserve-whitespace'
Package not installed or not in node_modules.
fix
Run 'npm install -D esbuild-preserve-whitespace' or equivalent for your package manager.
Upgrade
Version history
1.1.1latest on npm
Audit
Dependencies
esbuildrequiredpeer dependency; esbuild >=0.19.0 required for plugin compatibility
Agent activity
38 hits · last 30 days
node
33
OpenAI (training)
1
Resources
githubhttps://github.com/dagimg-dot/esbuild-preserve-whitespace ↗
packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/esbuild-preserve-whitespace ↗
esbuild-preserve-whitespace — npm install esbuild-preserve-whitespace · libregistry