Cherry CLJS

0.5.34 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Cherry is an experimental ClojureScript-to-ES6 module compiler that outputs readable, source-mapped .mjs files. It aims to reduce friction between ClojureScript and JavaScript tooling by producing ES6 modules that can be used directly with Node.js, Vite, and other modern JS toolchains. Unlike the official ClojureScript compiler, Cherry does not depend on Google Closure and is distributed as an NPM package. It supports macros, REPL, async/await, JSX via #jsx, and JS object destructuring. Version 0.5.34 is the latest; the project is experimental and not recommended for production use, with many bugs and frequent breaking changes.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'cherry-cljs' when trying to import ↓

cause Package is not installed or import path is incorrect.

fix

Run npm install cherry-cljs@latest. Ensure import uses named export: import { cherry } from 'cherry-cljs'.

error SyntaxError: The requested module 'cherry-cljs' does not provide an export named 'default' ↓

cause Wrong import style: default import used but package only exports named exports.

fix

Use import { cherry } from 'cherry-cljs' instead of import cherry from 'cherry-cljs'.

error CompilerException: Unsupported :require syntax ↓

cause Using old ClojureScript require syntax for JS modules.

fix

Use new syntax: (:require ["module-name" :as alias]) or (:require ["module-name" :refer [symbol]]).

Warnings

breaking Cherry is experimental and not recommended for production; APIs and output may change without notice. ↓

fix Pin a specific version and test thoroughly before upgrading.

gotcha Compiled output depends on 'cherry-cljs' runtime module. Breaking changes in the runtime may break compiled code. ↓

fix Ensure runtime version matches compiler version, or use lockfile.

deprecated The `cherry-cljs/core` subpath import was replaced by named export `core`. ↓

fix Use `import { core } from 'cherry-cljs'` instead.

gotcha Cherry does not support all ClojureScript features, e.g., some macros or interop patterns. ↓

fix Refer to issue tracker for known incompatibilities; consider Squint for CLJS syntax to JS compilation.

breaking Version 0.5.0 changed how require of JS modules works: now uses JavaScript import syntax in output. ↓

fix Update .cljs files to use the new require syntax: `(:require ["mod" :as mod])` instead of `(:require ["mod" :refer [foo]])` for default imports.

gotcha Source maps may not always be accurate in development mode due to experimental nature. ↓

fix Use `npx cherry run --debug` for better error messages, but expect occasional mismatches.

Install

npm install cherry-cljs

yarn add cherry-cljs

pnpm add cherry-cljs

Imports

cherry
wrong
```
import cherry from 'cherry-cljs'
```
correct
```
import { cherry } from 'cherry-cljs'
```
Default export is not available; cherry is a named export.
compileString
wrong
```
const compileString = require('cherry-cljs/compileString')
```
correct
```
import { compileString } from 'cherry-cljs'
```
Only ESM imports are supported. compileString is a named export from the main package.
cljs.core
wrong
```
import * as core from 'cherry-cljs/core'
```
correct
```
import { core } from 'cherry-cljs'
```
cljs.core functionality is bundled in the main 'cherry-cljs' package as a named export 'core'.

Quickstart

Compile and run a minimal ClojureScript file that uses Node.js fs and url modules.

mkdir cherry-test && cd cherry-test
npm init -y
npm install cherry-cljs@latest
cat > example.cljs << 'EOF'
(ns example
  (:require ["fs" :as fs]
            ["url" :refer [fileURLToPath]]))

(prn (fs/existsSync (fileURLToPath js/import.meta.url)))

(defn foo [{:keys [a b c]}]
  (+ a b c))

(js/console.log (foo {:a 1 :b 2 :c 3}))
EOF
npx cherry run example.cljs