esbuild-plugin-swc

1.0.1 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

esbuild-plugin-swc v1.0.1 integrates SWC (Speedy Web Compiler) as a transform plugin for esbuild, handling JS/JSX/TS/TSX transpilation. It wraps SWC's official Compilation options, offering faster transforms than esbuild's built-in TypeScript stripping. The plugin is intended for projects that want to leverage SWC's speed while using esbuild for bundling. Released in 2023, it follows esbuild plugin conventions and is distributed as a CommonJS module via npm. Key differentiator: direct use of SWC's Compilation API for advanced configuration.

Common errors

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

cause Package not installed or typo in package name

fix

npm install -D esbuild-plugin-swc

error swcPlugin is not a function ↓

cause Using default import from require() without destructuring

fix

const { swcPlugin } = require('esbuild-plugin-swc')

error Error: The plugin 'swc' is not available (swc not installed) ↓

cause @swc/core peer dependency not installed

fix

npm install -D @swc/core

Warnings

breaking ESM import not supported ↓

fix Use CommonJS require() or dynamic import('esbuild-plugin-swc').then(m => m.swcPlugin)

gotcha @swc/core must be installed separately, not auto-installed ↓

fix Run: npm install -D @swc/core

gotcha Options must follow SWC Compilation structure (use jsc key for parser, transform) ↓

fix Refer to SWC docs: https://swc.rs/docs/configuration/compilation

Install

npm install esbuild-plugin-swc

yarn add esbuild-plugin-swc

pnpm add esbuild-plugin-swc

Imports

swcPlugin
wrong
```
import { swcPlugin } from 'esbuild-plugin-swc'
```
correct
```
const { swcPlugin } = require('esbuild-plugin-swc')
```
This package is CJS-only; ESM import syntax will fail. Use require() in CommonJS environments or dynamic import() in ESM.
default import
wrong
```
const swcPlugin = require('esbuild-plugin-swc')
```
correct
```
const swcPlugin = require('esbuild-plugin-swc').swcPlugin
```
The package exports swcPlugin as a named export, not default. Direct require() returns the module object; must destructure.
swcPlugin options
wrong
```
swcPlugin({ parser: { syntax: 'typescript' } })
```
correct
```
swcPlugin({ jsc: { parser: { syntax: 'typescript' } } })
```
Options mirror SWC's Compilation structure, not flattened. jsc object must wrap parser, transform, etc.

Quickstart

Transpile a single TypeScript entry using esbuild with the SWC plugin, outputting to 'out' directory without bundling.

const esbuild = require('esbuild');
const { swcPlugin } = require('esbuild-plugin-swc');
esbuild.build({
  entryPoints: ['index.ts'],
  bundle: false,
  outdir: 'out',
  plugins: [swcPlugin()]
}).catch(err => {
  console.error(err);
  process.exit(1);
});