rollup-plugin-simple-babel

1.0.6 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript maintenance

A simple Rollup plugin that wraps Babel to allow seamless transpilation during bundling. Version 1.0.6 (latest as of early 2019) is stable but low maintenance. It passes all Babel options through via the plugin invocation. Unlike @rollup/plugin-babel, it does not automatically select files or require Babel configuration; it transforms all JavaScript files. Recommended only for trivial setups; most projects should use @rollup/plugin-babel for better integration, performance, and automatic detection of Babel configs.

Common errors

error TypeError: Cannot read property 'transform' of undefined ↓

cause @babel/core is not installed or not properly resolved

fix

Run: npm install @babel/core --save-dev

error Error: Cannot find module '@babel/preset-env' ↓

cause Babel preset not installed

fix

Run: npm install @babel/preset-env --save-dev

error TypeError: babel is not a function ↓

cause Using named import or wrong import style

fix

Use default import: import babel from 'rollup-plugin-simple-babel'

Warnings

gotcha By default, this plugin transforms all files; no 'include' or 'exclude' filtering. ↓

fix Use @rollup/plugin-babel which supports filtering and is actively maintained.

deprecated Package is no longer actively maintained; use @rollup/plugin-babel instead. ↓

fix Migrate to @rollup/plugin-babel: npm install @rollup/plugin-babel --save-dev

breaking Requires Babel 7+; does not work with Babel 6. ↓

fix Ensure @babel/core and Babel presets/plugins are installed as devDependencies.

gotcha Does not read Babel configuration from .babelrc or babel.config.js automatically; you must pass options via plugin. ↓

fix Duplicate Babel options in rollup.config.js or use @rollup/plugin-babel which respects babel config files.

gotcha Package exports a single default function; named import (import { babel }) is undefined. ↓

fix Use default import: import babel from 'rollup-plugin-simple-babel'

Install

npm install rollup-plugin-simple-babel

yarn add rollup-plugin-simple-babel

pnpm add rollup-plugin-simple-babel

Imports

babel
wrong
```
import { babel } from 'rollup-plugin-simple-babel'
```
correct
```
import babel from 'rollup-plugin-simple-babel'
```
Default export only; named import will break. CJS: const babel = require('rollup-plugin-simple-babel').default
babel()
wrong
```
plugins: [babel({...})] without calling as function
```
correct
```
plugins: [babel()]
```
Must invoke as a function; passing options object directly will be ignored.
babel({presets: [...]})
wrong
```
plugins: [babel({presets: ['env']})]
```
correct
```
plugins: [babel({ presets: ['@babel/preset-env'] })]
```
Preset names must be full package names (e.g., '@babel/preset-env'), not short names. Babel 7+ requires @babel/ scoped packages.

Quickstart

Minimal Rollup config using rollup-plugin-simple-babel with Babel presets and plugins.

// rollup.config.js
import babel from 'rollup-plugin-simple-babel';
import resolve from '@rollup/plugin-node-resolve';

export default {
  input: 'src/main.js',
  output: {
    file: 'dist/bundle.js',
    format: 'cjs'
  },
  plugins: [
    resolve(),
    babel({
      presets: ['@babel/preset-env'],
      plugins: ['@babel/plugin-transform-runtime']
    })
  ]
};