babel-plugin-strip-invariant

1.0.0 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

Babel plugin to remove non-essential arguments from invariant() calls in production builds. Current stable version is 1.0.0, first release. It solves a common footgun where minifiers don't remove verbose invariant messages. Alternative to manual optimization; offers pragma and argCount options for custom invariant implementations. Lightweight, no runtime dependencies.

Common errors

error SyntaxError: unknown: identifier 'invariant' is not defined ↓

cause The invariant function is not imported or available in scope after stripping arguments.

fix

Install and import the 'invariant' package: npm install invariant and add import invariant from 'invariant';

error Error: .babelrc env.production.plugins[0] must be a string or array ↓

cause Using require() or a non-serializable object in plugins array.

fix

Use string plugin name: 'babel-plugin-strip-invariant'

error Babel 7 compatibility: Plugin/Preset files are not allowed to export objects, only functions ↓

cause Plugin not updated for Babel 7 API.

fix

Use Babel 6 or check if fork exists for Babel 7.

error Module not found: Can't resolve 'babel-plugin-strip-invariant' ↓

cause Package not installed.

fix

Run npm install --save-dev babel-plugin-strip-invariant

Warnings

gotcha Plugin only runs in production environment as defined in .babelrc; development builds are unaffected. ↓

fix Ensure the plugin is placed under the 'production' env block in .babelrc or use BABEL_ENV=production.

gotcha If using a custom pragma, the function must be imported/defined; plugin does not inject anything. ↓

fix Manually import or define the custom function in your code.

gotcha argCount removes trailing arguments; ensure essential arguments are first. ↓

fix Reorder invocation so that arguments to keep are at the beginning.

deprecated Plugin has zero open issues and no updates since 2018; consider active alternatives like babel-plugin-transform-define. ↓

fix Evaluate if plugin still works with your Babel version; may need fork.

Install

npm install babel-plugin-strip-invariant

yarn add babel-plugin-strip-invariant

pnpm add babel-plugin-strip-invariant

Imports

default
wrong
```
import stripInvariant from 'babel-plugin-strip-invariant'
```
correct
```
module.exports = { plugins: ['babel-plugin-strip-invariant'] }
```
This is a Babel plugin, not a JS module. It's loaded via .babelrc or babel.config.js, not imported directly.

pragma

wrong

plugins: [[require('babel-plugin-strip-invariant'), { pragma: 'myFunc' }]]

correct

['babel-plugin-strip-invariant', { pragma: 'myFunc' }]

Use string name 'babel-plugin-strip-invariant' in plugins array, not require().

argCount

wrong

['babel-plugin-strip-invariant', { args: 2 }]

correct

['babel-plugin-strip-invariant', { argCount: 2 }]

Option key is 'argCount', not 'args'.

Quickstart

Configure Babel to strip the message argument from invariant() calls in production builds.

// .babelrc
{
  "env": {
    "production": {
      "plugins": ["babel-plugin-strip-invariant"]
    }
  }
}

// or babel.config.js
module.exports = {
  env: {
    production: {
      plugins: ['babel-plugin-strip-invariant']
    }
  }
};

// input
invariant(condition, 'This is a verbose message that will be removed in production');

// output (production build)
invariant(condition);