Registry / devops / esbuild-runner-plugins

esbuild-runner-plugins

library2.3.0-plugins.0jsnpmunverified

esbuild-runner (esr) is a high-speed on-the-fly transpiler for modern JavaScript, TypeScript, and JSX, powered by esbuild. It replaces slower alternatives like ts-node and babel-register for running scripts, tests, or arbitrary code without pre-building. Current version is 2.3.0-plugins.0, built on esbuild (peer dependency of any version). It offers two modes: bundling (default, one-shot esbuild invocation) and transform (file-by-file with caching via --cache flag). Useful for development workflows, Jest transforms, and VSCode debugging. Ships TypeScript definitions. No built-in plugins; the 'plugins' suffix indicates compatibility with esbuild plugins.

devops web-framework

npm install esbuild-runner-plugins

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ESBUILD-RUNNER-PLU

esbuild-runner-plugins

devopsjavascriptv2.3.0-plugins.0

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.

esr

✓ npx esr script.ts

✗ esr script.ts (if not installed globally)

esr is a CLI binary; import is not applicable. Use npx or globally install.

✓ require('esbuild-runner/register')

✗ import 'esbuild-runner/register'

CommonJS only; no ESM equivalent. Use with node -r or runtime require.

jest transform

✓ transform: { '\.ts$': 'esbuild-runner/jest' }

✗ transform: { '\.ts$': 'esbuild-runner' }

Must specify /jest subpath in Jest config.

esbuild runner config

✓ module.exports = { type: 'transform', esbuild: { target: 'esnext' } }

✗ export default { ... }

Config file uses CommonJS, not ES modules.

Shows CLI and programmatic usage with TypeScript, including esr binary and require hook.

// Install locally npm add --dev esbuild-runner esbuild // Create a TypeScript file: hello.ts export function greet(name: string): string { return `Hello, ${name}!`; } // Run it with esr (no build step) esr -e 'console.log(greet("World"))' hello.ts // Or use register for REPL or scripts node -r esbuild-runner/register -e "const { greet } = require('./hello'); console.log(greet('World'));"

esr --version

Debug

Known issues

gotchaesbuild-runner does not transpile node_modules by default; if a dependency uses unsupported JS features, it may fail at runtime.

fix

Configure esbuild options in esbuild-runner.config.js to adjust target or include specific modules.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaThe 'plugins' version suffix (e.g., 2.3.0-plugins.0) may cause confusion with regular esbuild-runner; plugins are not included, only the runner.

fix

Use standard esbuild-runner (non-plugins) unless you specifically need compatibility with esbuild plugins.

affects: 2.3.0-plugins.0

deprecatedThe --cache flag is not stable and may be removed in future versions.

fix

Use bundle mode (default) for best performance; avoid relying on transform cache.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaesbuild-runner does not support all Node.js features; notably, 'import()' with CJS modules may not work as expected.

fix

Use esbuild's supported syntax or consider alternative runners like tsx.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module 'esbuild-runner/register'

Package not installed or installed incorrectly.

fix

npm install --save-dev esbuild-runner

TypeError: esbuild is not a function

Missing esbuild peer dependency.

fix

npm install --save-dev esbuild

Error: Must use import to load ES Module: esbuild-runner/register

Trying to require an ESM-only package; register is CJS only.

fix

Use require() instead of import, or use -r flag with node.

SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'export'

esbuild-runner not registered or misconfigured.

fix

Run with -r esbuild-runner/register or use esr binary.

Upgrade

Version history

2.3.0-plugins.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

esbuildrequiredCore transpilation engine.

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/bashmish/esbuild-runner ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/esbuild-runner-plugins ↗