esbuild-svelte

library0.9.4jsnpmunverified

esbuild plugin that resolves and compiles .svelte files for bundling with esbuild. Current stable version 0.9.4, actively maintained. Supports Svelte 4 and 5 (peer dep range >=4.2.1 <6). Key differentiators: zero-config setup for CSS handling (external by default, can inject), built-in caching for incremental builds, and full support for Svelte preprocessors including TypeScript. Compared to alternatives like svelte-loader for webpack or vite-plugin-svelte, this plugin is tailored for esbuild's speed and simplicity, with minimal dependencies and straightforward API.

devops

npm install esbuild-svelte

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ESBUILD-SVELTE

esbuild-svelte

devopsjavascriptv0.9.4

Install

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Import

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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 18–223 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–223 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

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

default export (sveltePlugin)

✓ import sveltePlugin from 'esbuild-svelte'

✗ const sveltePlugin = require('esbuild-svelte')

ESM-only; CommonJS require will fail. Also, avoid importing from a subpath like 'esbuild-svelte/plugin'.

sveltePlugin

✓ import sveltePlugin from 'esbuild-svelte'

✗ import { sveltePlugin } from 'esbuild-svelte'

The plugin is a default export, not a named export. Named import will be undefined.

SveltePluginOptions (TypeScript type)

✓ import type { SveltePluginOptions } from 'esbuild-svelte'

✗ import { SveltePluginOptions } from 'esbuild-svelte'

Use 'import type' for type-only imports to avoid runtime issues with ESM.

Shows minimal esbuild build script with sveltePlugin, including required mainFields and conditions for Svelte component resolution.

import esbuild from 'esbuild'; import sveltePlugin from 'esbuild-svelte'; await esbuild.build({ entryPoints: ['src/main.js'], bundle: true, outfile: 'dist/bundle.js', plugins: [sveltePlugin()], mainFields: ['svelte', 'browser', 'module', 'main'], conditions: ['svelte', 'browser'], logLevel: 'info', });

Debug

Known issues

breakingVersion 0.8.0 dropped support for Svelte 3 and Node <18.

fix

Upgrade Svelte to >=4.2.1 and Node to >=18.

affects: >=0.8.0

deprecatedThe 'external' option in plugin options has been deprecated; use compilerOptions.css instead.

fix

Set compilerOptions.css: 'external' to emit external CSS, or 'injected' to include in JS.

affects: >=0.8.0

gotchaMissing 'svelte' in esbuild conditions or mainFields causes resolution failures for Svelte component libraries.

fix

Add 'svelte' to conditions and 'svelte' to mainFields in esbuild build options.

affects: >=0.1.0

gotchaPlugin does not handle HMR or dev server; it's a compile-only plugin.

fix

Use a separate dev server like sirv and configure esbuild in watch mode, or consider vite-plugin-svelte for dev experience.

affects: >=0.1.0

breakingIn version 0.7.0, the default CSS handling changed from 'injected' to 'external'.

fix

Explicitly set compilerOptions.css if default behavior matters.

affects: >=0.7.0 <0.8.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: No matching export in 'esbuild-svelte' for import 'sveltePlugin'

Incorrect named import instead of default import.

fix

Change to: import sveltePlugin from 'esbuild-svelte';

TypeError: sveltePlugin is not a function

Using CommonJS require which returns a module object instead of the default export.

fix

Use ESM import or use require('esbuild-svelte').default.

Cannot find module 'esbuild-svelte'

Missing dependency or incorrect Node version (<18).

fix

Run 'npm install esbuild-svelte' and ensure Node >=18.

Error: The 'svelte' package must be installed and version >=4.2.1

Missing or outdated peer dependency svelte.

fix

Run 'npm install svelte@^4.2.1'.

Error: '@sveltejs/vite-plugin-svelte' is not compatible with esbuild-svelte

Conflicting plugins; both handle .svelte files.

fix

Remove vite-plugin-svelte from plugins array when using esbuild-svelte.

Upgrade

Version history

0.9.4latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

esbuildrequiredPeer dependency: required for plugin to function; esbuild >=0.17.0

svelterequiredPeer dependency: required to compile .svelte files; Svelte >=4.2.1 <6

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/EMH333/esbuild-svelte ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/esbuild-svelte ↗