esbuild-plugin-external-package

1.0.0 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

An esbuild plugin that automatically marks all dependencies from package.json as external during bundling. Version 1.0.0 is the initial stable release with no known release cadence. Unlike manual externals configuration, it scans dependencies, devDependencies, peerDependencies, and optionalDependencies, saving developers from maintaining a separate list. Ships TypeScript types. Lightweight with no runtime dependencies.

Common errors

error Error: [plugin: external-package] Must use import to load ES Module: /path/to/esbuild-plugin-external-package ↓

cause Using CommonJS require() on an ESM-only package.

fix

Use import or dynamic import() instead of require().

Warnings

gotcha Plugin uses ESBuild's analyzeMetafile? No, it only marks externals; does not modify bundle otherwise. ↓

fix If you need externals but also metafile analysis, combine with other plugins.

gotcha Plugin marks all dependencies as external, including devDependencies. This may cause runtime errors if devDependencies are needed at runtime. ↓

fix Update plugin configuration if available, or filter dependencies manually.

Install

npm install esbuild-plugin-external-package

yarn add esbuild-plugin-external-package

pnpm add esbuild-plugin-external-package

Imports

default

wrong

import { externalPackage } from 'esbuild-plugin-external-package'

correct

import externalPackage from 'esbuild-plugin-external-package'

The plugin is a default export, not a named export.

externalPackage

wrong

const externalPackage = require('esbuild-plugin-external-package')

correct

import externalPackage from 'esbuild-plugin-external-package'

The package is ESM-only; CommonJS require will fail unless using dynamic import.

type definition
```
import type { ExternalPackagePlugin } from 'esbuild-plugin-external-package'
```
TypeScript types are included; use import type for type-only usage.

Quickstart

Builds a bundle where all package.json dependencies are marked external, leaving them as imports in the output.

import esbuild from 'esbuild';
import externalPackage from 'esbuild-plugin-external-package';

await esbuild.build({
  entryPoints: ['./src/index.js'],
  bundle: true,
  outfile: './dist/index.js',
  plugins: [externalPackage],
  format: 'esm',
  target: 'es2020',
});