babel-register

Babel's require hook for Node.js that automatically compiles files on the fly when required. Current stable version is 6.26.0 (legacy Babel 6) and 7.x (latest v7.29.2). Babel 8 (v8.0.0-rc.3) is in release candidate phase. This package binds to Node's require() to transpile .es6, .es, .jsx, and .js files. Key differentiator: it's the simplest way to use Babel without a build step, ideal for development or small scripts. Alternatives like @babel/register for Babel 7+ are recommended. Supports caching via BABEL_CACHE_PATH, and ignores node_modules by default. Note: does not include polyfills; requires separate babel-polyfill for generators/async.