esbuild-plugin-noexternal

0.1.6 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

An esbuild plugin that externalizes all npm packages except those explicitly allowed. v0.1.6, stable but minimal release cadence. The key differentiator is simplicity: it inverts esbuild's default externalization logic by marking everything external except a user-defined list, similar to Vite's `noExternal` option. Best for build scenarios like SSR or bundling where most dependencies should be excluded. Ships TypeScript types.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal' ↓

cause Package not installed.

fix

npm install -D esbuild-plugin-noexternal

error The requested module 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal' does not provide an export named 'default' ↓

cause Using named import instead of default import incorrectly.

fix

Use: import externalizeAllPackagesExcept from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal'

Warnings

gotcha Plugin uses 'onResolve' to mark packages as external; does not support custom filter or namespace. ↓

fix If you need more control, consider writing a custom 'onResolve' plugin or using esbuild-plugin-external-global-packages.

gotcha All external packages must be installed; the plugin does not validate package existence. ↓

fix Ensure all dependencies not in the listed array are installed; otherwise imports will fail at runtime.

deprecated No known deprecations.

Install

npm install esbuild-plugin-noexternal

yarn add esbuild-plugin-noexternal

pnpm add esbuild-plugin-noexternal

Imports

default

wrong

const externalizeAllPackagesExcept = require('esbuild-plugin-noexternal')

correct

import externalizeAllPackagesExcept from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal'

Package is ESM-only; CommonJS require is not supported.

externalizeAllPackagesExcept (named)

wrong

import externalizeAllPackagesExcept from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal'

correct

import { externalizeAllPackagesExcept } from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal'

Both default and named exports exist; the named export is an alias for the default export.

Plugin type
wrong
```
import { Plugin } from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal'
```
correct
```
import type { Plugin } from 'esbuild'
```
The package does not export plugin types; use esbuild's own Plugin type if needed.

Quickstart

Builds a bundle that includes only 'nanoid' and 'slash'; all other npm packages are treated as external.

import esbuild from 'esbuild';
import externalizeAllPackagesExcept from 'esbuild-plugin-noexternal';

await esbuild.build({
  entryPoints: ['src/index.ts'],
  bundle: true,
  outfile: 'out.js',
  plugins: [externalizeAllPackagesExcept(['nanoid', 'slash'])],
});