babel-preset-minify

0.5.2 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript maintenance

Babel preset that bundles all babel-minify plugins for minification. Current stable version is 0.5.2 (last release Sep 2018). This project is part of the babel/minify monorepo, which is now in maintenance mode with no active development. The preset provides a convenient way to apply minification transforms like dead code elimination, constant folding, mangle names, and more via a single preset. Unlike terser or uglify, it operates as a Babel transform, allowing integration with Babel workflows and AST-level optimizations. It supports options to enable/disable individual plugins and has known missing dependency issues.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'babel-preset-minify' ↓

cause Forgot to install the package as devDependency.

fix

Run: npm install babel-preset-minify --save-dev

error TypeError: Cannot read property 'minify' of undefined ↓

cause Misconfigured Babel presets (e.g., using 'babel-preset-minify' instead of 'minify' or array syntax wrong).

fix

Use "presets": ["minify"] or "presets": [["minify", { options }]]

error ERROR: The 'blacklist' option has been removed. Use 'exclude'. ↓

cause Using old 'blacklist' option with babel-preset-minify >= 0.3.0.

fix

Replace 'blacklist' with 'exclude' in mangle options.

error Module not found: Can't resolve 'babel-preset-minify' in ... ↓

cause Webpack or other bundler trying to import the preset as a module directly.

fix

Do not import babel-preset-minify directly in code; use it only in Babel config.

Warnings

deprecated babel-minify project is no longer actively maintained. Consider using terser or a more modern minifier. ↓

fix Migrate to terser (via @babel/plugin-minify? but prefer standalone) or use babel-plugin-uglify or similar.

breaking Missing dependencies in version 0.5.1 causing runtime errors ↓

fix Upgrade to 0.5.2 or pin to 0.5.0. Also, ensure all peer dependencies are installed (babel-core 6.x).

breaking Renamed from Babili to babel-minify in version 0.2.0. Old import paths and configuration break. ↓

fix Update presets from 'babili' to 'minify' and update package names accordingly.

deprecated The 'blacklist' option for mangle plugin renamed to 'exclude' in version 0.3.0. ↓

fix Use 'exclude' instead of 'blacklist' in mangle options.

gotcha Does not support ES modules. Only CommonJS via require(). Using import will fail. ↓

fix Use require() for Node.js. For bundlers, ensure Babel is configured properly.

Install

npm install babel-preset-minify

yarn add babel-preset-minify

pnpm add babel-preset-minify

Imports

default
wrong
```
import preset from 'babel-preset-minify'
```
correct
```
module.exports = require('babel-preset-minify')
```
CommonJS only; ESM import will fail as package does not export ES modules. Use require() in Node.js.
preset declaration
wrong
```
"presets": ["babel-preset-minify"]
```
correct
```
"presets": ["minify"] in .babelrc or babel.config.js
```
In Babel config, use the shorthand 'minify' without the 'babel-preset-' prefix.

Node API usage

wrong

const minify = require('babel-preset-minify'); minify(code)

correct

const babel = require('@babel/core'); babel.transform(code, { presets: ['minify'] })

You must use the preset through Babel's transform API, not call it directly.

Quickstart

Demonstrates installation, .babelrc configuration with options, and Node API usage for minifying JavaScript.

// Install: npm install babel-preset-minify --save-dev

// Example .babelrc
{
  "presets": [
    ["minify", {
      "mangle": {
        "exclude": ["MyCustomError"]
      },
      "removeConsole": true,
      "keepFnName": false
    }]
  ]
}

// Node API usage
const babel = require('@babel/core');
const fs = require('fs');
const code = fs.readFileSync('./input.js', 'utf8');
const output = babel.transformSync(code, {
  presets: ['minify']
});
fs.writeFileSync('./output.min.js', output.code);