rollup-license-plugin

3.2.1 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

Extracts OSS license information from npm packages used in Rollup or Vite builds, generating a bill of materials (JSON, HTML, CSV, etc.). Current stable version is 3.2.1 (March 2026), distributed as ESM-only with TypeScript types. Key differentiators: supports both Rollup and Vite, enforces license policies (fails builds on unacceptable licenses), excludes internal packages, and offers customizable output formats.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'rollup-license-plugin' or its corresponding type declarations. ↓

cause Package is ESM-only but project uses CommonJS require()

fix

Use dynamic import: const { createRollupLicensePlugin } = await import('rollup-license-plugin');

error Error: 'createRollupLicensePlugin' is not a function ↓

cause Incorrect import of default export (entire object)

fix

Use named import: import { createRollupLicensePlugin } from 'rollup-license-plugin';

error The plugin outputFilename is not a string ↓

cause Output path must be a string, not an object or array

fix

Pass a string like 'third-party-licenses.json'

Warnings

breaking v3 drops Node 16 support ↓

fix Upgrade to Node 18+

breaking v3 is ESM-only, no CommonJS require() ↓

fix Use import() or convert project to ESM

deprecated v2.x supported Node 14, v3 removes it ↓

fix Use Node 18+

gotcha The plugin must be placed after other plugins that may transform or remove imports ↓

fix Add the license plugin at the end of the plugins array

gotcha Output filename is relative to the build output directory ↓

fix Use path.relative or absolute path if needed

gotcha License detection is based on node_modules metadata; works only for packages resolved by npm/yarn/pnpm ↓

fix Ensure all dependencies are actually installed

Install

npm install rollup-license-plugin

yarn add rollup-license-plugin

pnpm add rollup-license-plugin

Imports

createRollupLicensePlugin

wrong

const createRollupLicensePlugin = require('rollup-license-plugin')

correct

import { createRollupLicensePlugin } from 'rollup-license-plugin'

ESM-only since v3. Use dynamic import() for CommonJS.

createViteLicensePlugin

wrong

import { createViteLicensePlugin } from 'rollup-license-plugin' (none)

correct

import { createViteLicensePlugin } from 'rollup-license-plugin'

Same as createRollupLicensePlugin but for Vite.

PluginOptions

wrong

import { PluginOptions } from 'rollup-license-plugin' (value import)

correct

import type { PluginOptions } from 'rollup-license-plugin'

TypeScript type import only; not a runtime value.

default
wrong
```
const rollupLicensePlugin = require('rollup-license-plugin').default
```
correct
```
import rollupLicensePlugin from 'rollup-license-plugin'
```
Default export is an object { createRollupLicensePlugin, createViteLicensePlugin }. Avoid require() for default.

Quickstart

Configures rollup-license-plugin in a Rollup config to generate a third-party notice JSON and fail the build on GPL/AGPL licenses.

// rollup.config.js
import { createRollupLicensePlugin } from 'rollup-license-plugin';

export default {
  input: 'src/index.js',
  output: { dir: 'dist', format: 'esm' },
  plugins: [
    createRollupLicensePlugin({
      outputFilename: 'thirdPartyNotices.json',
      // fail on GPL or AGPL licenses
      unacceptableLicenseTest: (licenseId) => /^(GPL|AGPL)/.test(licenseId),
      // exclude your own packages
      excludedPackageTest: (packageName) => packageName === '@mycompany/internal'
    })
  ]
};