gulp-closure-compiler

0.4.0 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript abandoned

Gulp plugin for Google Closure Compiler that integrates the Closure Compiler Java-based minification and optimization into Gulp build pipelines. Version 0.4.0 (latest) is a stable release with no active development since 2016. It provides SIMPLE and ADVANCED optimization modes, supports custom compiler flags, tiered compilation, and maxBuffer configuration. Unlike alternatives like gulp-google-closure-compiler, this plugin requires a local compiler.jar and does not use the npm-based compiler distribution.

Common errors

error Error: spawn java ENOENT ↓

cause Java is not installed or not in PATH.

fix

Install Java JRE/JDK and ensure 'java' command is available.

error maxBuffer exceeded ↓

cause Closure Compiler output exceeds default buffer size (1000kb).

fix

Pass maxBuffer option: maxBuffer: 2000 for 2MB.

error Cannot find module 'gulp' ↓

cause gulp is not installed as a peer dependency.

fix

Run 'npm install gulp --save-dev'.

Warnings

gotcha compilerPath must point to a local compiler.jar file. The package does not download or bundle the compiler. ↓

fix Download compiler.jar from https://dl.google.com/closure-compiler/compiler-latest.zip and set compilerPath.

gotcha ADVANCED_OPTIMIZATIONS requires proper externs and closure_entry_point, otherwise code may be incorrectly removed. ↓

fix Provide externs for external APIs and set closure_entry_point as the main entry.

deprecated The package is no longer maintained. Consider using gulp-google-closure-compiler or closure-compiler-npm directly. ↓

fix Migrate to gulp-google-closure-compiler or use the official npm closure-compiler package.

gotcha maxBuffer default is 1000kb (in code). If output exceeds this, you get 'maxBuffer exceeded' error. ↓

fix Set maxBuffer option to a higher value in kilobytes.

gotcha Tiered compilation requires JDK 1.7+ and may cause issues on some systems. ↓

fix Ensure JDK is installed and set tieredCompilation: true only if needed.

Install

npm install gulp-closure-compiler

yarn add gulp-closure-compiler

pnpm add gulp-closure-compiler

Imports

closureCompiler

wrong

const { closureCompiler } = require('gulp-closure-compiler')

correct

import closureCompiler from 'gulp-closure-compiler'

Default export: use default import or require(). No named export.

default (function)

wrong

import { closureCompiler } from 'gulp-closure-compiler'

correct

const closureCompiler = require('gulp-closure-compiler')

CommonJS: require returns the function directly. No named import.

Type (none)
wrong
```
import * as closureCompiler from 'gulp-closure-compiler'
```
correct
```
// No types provided; use @types/gulp-closure-compiler if needed
```
No TypeScript types included. Use any or install @types/gulp-closure-compiler from DefinitelyTyped (may be outdated).

Quickstart

Basic Gulp task using SIMPLE optimization with a local closure-compiler.jar.

var gulp = require('gulp');
var closureCompiler = require('gulp-closure-compiler');

gulp.task('default', function() {
  return gulp.src('src/*.js')
    .pipe(closureCompiler({
      compilerPath: 'path/to/compiler.jar',
      fileName: 'build.js'
    }))
    .pipe(gulp.dest('dist'));
});