@anatine/esbuild-decorators

1.0.0 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

An esbuild plugin for TypeScript decorator metadata (emitDecoratorMetadata and experimentalDecorators). Current stable version 1.0.0, maintained on GitHub by reconbot. It handles the tsconfig setting `emitDecoratorMetadata: true` by inspecting .ts files for decorators and transpiling them with the TypeScript compiler, since esbuild does not natively support TypeScript experimental decorators. Releases are infrequent; the plugin is a fork of the anatine organization's esbuildnx plugin with fixed peer dependencies and ESM/CJS module support. Alternatives include `esbuild-plugin-decorator` and `esbuild-decorators-loader`, but this package focuses on simplicity and direct tsconfig integration.

Common errors

error Error: The module 'esbuild-decorators' does not provide a default export ↓

cause Using `import esbuildDecorators from 'esbuild-decorators'` instead of named import.

fix

Use import { esbuildDecorators } from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators'.

error Error: Could not find a declaration file for module '@anatine/esbuild-decorators' ↓

cause Types are not installed or module resolution is misconfigured.

fix

Install the package as a devDependency and ensure 'typescript' is installed. The package ships types.

error TypeError: esbuildDecorators is not a function ↓

cause Using `require('@anatine/esbuild-decorators')` without destructuring.

fix

Use const { esbuildDecorators } = require('@anatine/esbuild-decorators').

Warnings

breaking This plugin overrides esbuild's TypeScript handling; files with decorators are transpiled by tsc, not esbuild, which breaks bundling speed and may cause mismatches in module resolution. ↓

fix Use only for projects that require experimental decorators; avoid mixing with other esbuild TypeScript plugins.

gotcha The plugin uses a regex to detect decorators, which may not match all edge cases (e.g., decorators with complex arguments, multiline decorators). Test thoroughly. ↓

fix Review the regex pattern and file an issue if your decorator syntax is not detected.

gotcha When `force: true`, all .ts files are transpiled via tsc, which significantly slows down builds. Use only for debugging or small projects. ↓

fix Set `force: false` (default) to let the plugin decide which files need tsc.

deprecated The package name `esbuild-decorators` is used by the npm registry but the import is from `@anatine/esbuild-decorators`. The original `esbuild-decorators` package may be abandoned. ↓

fix Import from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators'.

Install

npm install esbuild-decorators

yarn add esbuild-decorators

pnpm add esbuild-decorators

Imports

esbuildDecorators

wrong

import esbuildDecorators from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators'

correct

import { esbuildDecorators } from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators'

Only named export. Default import is not available.

esbuildDecorators

wrong

const esbuildDecorators = require('@anatine/esbuild-decorators')

correct

const { esbuildDecorators } = require('@anatine/esbuild-decorators')

CJS require with destructuring because the module exports a named object.

EsbuildDecoratorsOptions
```
import type { EsbuildDecoratorsOptions } from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators'
```
TypeScript type export for the plugin options interface.

Quickstart

Shows how to integrate the plugin into an esbuild build, passing the tsconfig and optional options.

import { build } from 'esbuild';
import { esbuildDecorators } from '@anatine/esbuild-decorators';

async function main() {
  await build({
    entryPoints: ['src/index.ts'],
    outfile: 'dist/index.js',
    bundle: true,
    platform: 'node',
    target: 'node14',
    plugins: [
      esbuildDecorators({
        tsconfig: './tsconfig.json',
        cwd: process.cwd(),
        force: false,
        tsx: false,
      }),
    ],
  });
}

main().catch(console.error);