Elephize

4.0.0-alpha.13 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Elephize is a TypeScript-to-PHP transpiler designed for server-side rendering of React components. The current stable version is 3.1.3, while 4.0.0-alpha.13 is available as a pre-release. It transpiles a limited set of React and TypeScript constructs into PHP, targeting VKCOM's ecosystem. Key differentiators include direct PHP output for SSR, dependency on TypeScript 5.x, and a CLI tool for batch processing. However, it has sparse documentation in English and is primarily maintained for internal use.

Common errors

error Cannot find module '@vkontakte/elephize' ↓

cause Missing dependency or wrong import path.

fix

Run npm install @vkontakte/elephize

error TypeError: elephize.transpile is not a function ↓

cause Using default import instead of named import for 'transpile'.

fix

Use import { transpile } from '@vkontakte/elephize'

error Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'code') ↓

cause Not awaiting the async transpile function.

fix

Add await or use .then(result => ...)

error Unsupported syntax: SpreadElement ↓

cause JSX spread operator is not supported.

fix

Rewrite without spread in JSX.

Warnings

breaking Peer dependency TypeScript ^5.0.2 required. ↓

fix Install TypeScript 5.x: npm install -D typescript@^5.0.2

deprecated Version 4.x is in alpha; API may change. ↓

fix Use latest stable 3.x for production.

gotcha Only a limited subset of React and TypeScript is supported (e.g., no hooks, no JSX spread). ↓

fix Review documentation for supported syntax before using.

gotcha No CommonJS support; ESM only. ↓

fix Use import syntax; do not use require().

gotcha The transpile function is async; must be awaited or handled with .then(). ↓

fix Always await or chain promises.

Install

npm install dk-elephize

yarn add dk-elephize

pnpm add dk-elephize

Imports

elephize

wrong

const elephize = require('@vkontakte/elephize')

correct

import elephize from '@vkontakte/elephize'

ESM-only package; CommonJS require will fail.

transpile
wrong
```
import transpile from '@vkontakte/elephize'
```
correct
```
import { transpile } from '@vkontakte/elephize'
```
Named export 'transpile' is the primary function; default export is the whole module.

ElephizeOptions

import type { ElephizeOptions } from '@vkontakte/elephize'

Type-only import; only available in TypeScript.

Quickstart

Shows basic usage of the transpile function to convert a React component to PHP.

import { transpile } from '@vkontakte/elephize';

const sourceCode = `
  const App = () => {
    return <div>Hello World</div>;
  };
  export default App;
`;

const options = {
  filename: 'App.tsx',
  target: 'php',
  ssr: true
};

transpile(sourceCode, options).then(result => {
  console.log(result.code);
}).catch(err => {
  console.error(err);
});