estree-to-babel

12.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

Converts ESTree-compatible JavaScript AST (from parsers like acorn, cherow, espree) to Babel AST for use with tools like @babel/traverse, @babel/types, etc. Current stable version is v12.0.1, released in 2025. Requires Node >=22 and ships TypeScript types. Key differentiators: handles differences between ESTree and Babel AST (Literal vs StringLiteral, ChainExpression vs OptionalMemberExpression, etc.), TypeScript-ESTree specifics (ClassPrivateProperty, TSQualifiedName), and provides convertParens option to control parenthesization. ESM-only since v12, dropping CommonJS support.

Common errors

error SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module ↓

cause Using ESM import syntax with CommonJS project (no 'type': 'module' in package.json).

fix

Add 'type': 'module' to package.json or use .mjs extension.

error TypeError: estreeToBabel is not a function ↓

cause Using require('estree-to-babel') which returns a module object, not the function directly. For CommonJS, use require('estree-to-babel').default or stay on v11.

fix

Use import { estreeToBabel } from 'estree-to-babel' (ESM) or require('estree-to-babel').default (CJS, but not recommended).

error Module not found: Can't resolve 'estree-to-babel' ↓

cause Missing npm install or incorrect path.

fix

Run 'npm install estree-to-babel' and ensure node_modules is present.

Warnings

breaking v12.0.0 dropped CommonJS support; package is ESM-only. require() will throw ERR_REQUIRE_ESM. ↓

fix Use import statements instead of require(). If you need CommonJS, stay on v11.x.

breaking v12.0.0 dropped support for Node < 22. Older Node versions will produce runtime errors. ↓

fix Upgrade Node.js to >=22.0.0.

gotcha The function mutates the input AST object; it does not return a new copy. Be careful if you need to keep the original ESTree AST. ↓

fix Clone the input AST before passing to estreeToBabel if you need the original.

deprecated convertParens option default will change in future versions; currently defaults to true (parenthesized expressions are converted). ↓

fix Explicitly set convertParens: true/false to future-proof your code.

Install

npm install estree-to-babel

yarn add estree-to-babel

pnpm add estree-to-babel

Imports

estreeToBabel

wrong

const estreeToBabel = require('estree-to-babel')

correct

import { estreeToBabel } from 'estree-to-babel'

ESM-only since v12.0.0; CommonJS require will fail.

estreeToBabel default export
wrong
```
import { convert } from 'estree-to-babel'
```
correct
```
import convert from 'estree-to-babel'
```
The default export is also the estreeToBabel function. Avoid named import 'convert'.

for TypeScript types

wrong

import { EstreeToBabelOptions } from 'estree-to-babel'

correct

import type { EstreeToBabelOptions } from 'estree-to-babel'

Type import to avoid bundling. Options type is exported since v11.0.2.

Quickstart

Parses JavaScript with cherow, converts to Babel AST, and traverses using @babel/traverse.

import { parse } from 'cherow';
import { estreeToBabel } from 'estree-to-babel';
import { traverse } from '@babel/traverse';

const source = `
const f = ({a}) => a;
`;

const estreeAst = parse(source);
const babelAst = estreeToBabel(estreeAst);

traverse(babelAst, {
  ObjectProperty(path) {
    console.log(path.node.key.name);
    // output: 'a'
  },
});