vite-plugin-node-externals

0.0.1 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript deprecated

Vite plugin that wraps rollup-plugin-node-externals to automatically externalize Node.js built-in modules and npm dependencies in Vite builds. Version 0.0.1, released in 2021. No active release cadence. The main differentiator is that it fixes Vite's plugin ordering issue by enforcing 'pre' type, allowing rollup-plugin-node-externals to work correctly. However, the author recommends against using it and suggests directly configuring rollup-plugin-node-externals with enforce: 'pre' instead.

Common errors

error Error: Must use import to load ES Module: /path/to/vite-plugin-node-externals/index.mjs ↓

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

fix

Change require() to import() or switch to dynamic import.

error TypeError: nodeExternals is not a function ↓

cause Importing named export 'nodeExternals' from default export

fix

Use import nodeExternals from 'vite-plugin-node-externals' (default) or import { nodeExternals } from '...' (named).

error Error: The plugin 'vite-plugin-node-externals' is not compatible with current Vite version ↓

cause Vite version mismatch; package may not support Vite 3+

fix

Use rollup-plugin-node-externals directly or update vite-plugin-node-externals if available.

Warnings

deprecated Author recommends not using this package; use rollup-plugin-node-externals directly with enforce: 'pre'. ↓

fix Replace with rollup-plugin-node-externals and set enforce: 'pre'.

breaking Does not support CommonJS require() – only ES module imports work. ↓

fix Use import syntax or switch to a CJS-compatible wrapper.

gotcha Options passed to nodeExternals() may not be fully forwarded to rollup-plugin-node-externals due to thin wrapper. ↓

fix Use rollup-plugin-node-externals directly for full option support.

Install

npm install vite-plugin-node-externals

yarn add vite-plugin-node-externals

pnpm add vite-plugin-node-externals

Imports

default

wrong

const nodeExternals = require('vite-plugin-node-externals')

correct

import nodeExternals from 'vite-plugin-node-externals'

ESM-only; package has no CJS export.

nodeExternals

wrong

import nodeExternals from 'vite-plugin-node-externals'

correct

import { nodeExternals } from 'vite-plugin-node-externals'

Named export also available, but default export is the plugin function.

PluginOptions

wrong

import { PluginOptions } from 'vite-plugin-node-externals'

correct

import type { PluginOptions } from 'vite-plugin-node-externals'

TypeScript type import only.

Quickstart

Basic setup to externalize Node builtins and deps in a Vite library build.

// vite.config.js
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import nodeExternals from 'vite-plugin-node-externals';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    nodeExternals(),
  ],
});