@babel/core

What is @babel/core?

@babel/core is the core library of the Babel JavaScript compiler. It is primarily used for transforming ES6+ code into backwards compatible JavaScript that can be run by older JavaScript engines. Babel is widely used for its ability to transpile new JavaScript syntax, JSX, TypeScript, and for its plugin system that allows developers to use experimental features and customize the build process.

What are @babel/core's main functionalities?

Syntax Transformation

Transforms modern JavaScript syntax into a backwards compatible version. For example, it can convert ES6 arrow functions into regular ES5 functions.

require('@babel/core').transform('code', { presets: ['@babel/preset-env'] });

Plugin/Preset Application

Applies Babel plugins or presets to the code to enable specific transformations or sets of transformations.

require('@babel/core').transform('code', { plugins: ['@babel/plugin-transform-arrow-functions'] });

Source Map Generation

Generates source maps which help in debugging the original source code after it has been transformed by Babel.

require('@babel/core').transform('code', { sourceMaps: true });

Code Generation

Generates code from an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST). This is useful when you want to transform the AST directly or manipulate it before generating code.

require('@babel/core').transformFromAst(ast, 'code', { presets: ['@babel/preset-env'] });

Other packages similar to @babel/core

typescript

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. It offers type checking and is aimed at the development of large applications. While it does transpile code, it is more focused on type safety and less on new syntax features.

esbuild

esbuild is an extremely fast JavaScript bundler and minifier. It also provides a limited set of transformation features, such as JSX and TypeScript support. It is not as extensible as Babel but is focused on speed and efficiency.

swc

swc is a super-fast compiler written in Rust that aims to be a drop-in replacement for Babel. It supports most of the modern JavaScript features and is focused on performance. It is gaining popularity in the JavaScript community for its speed.

README

@babel/core

Babel compiler core.

See our website @babel/core for more information or the issues associated with this package.

Install

Using npm:

npm install --save-dev @babel/core

or using yarn:

yarn add @babel/core --dev

Changelog

v7.26.0 (2024-10-25)

:rocket: New Feature

• babel-core, babel-generator, babel-parser, babel-plugin-syntax-import-assertions, babel-plugin-syntax-import-attributes, babel-preset-env, babel-standalone, babel-types
  • #16850 Enable import attributes parsing by default (@nicolo-ribaudo)
• babel-core
  • #16862 feat: support async plugin's pre/post (@timofei-iatsenko)
• babel-compat-data, babel-plugin-proposal-regexp-modifiers, babel-plugin-transform-regexp-modifiers, babel-preset-env, babel-standalone
  • #16692 Add transform-regexp-modifiers to preset-env (@JLHwung)
• babel-parser
  • #16849 feat: add startIndex parser option (@DylanPiercey)
• babel-generator, babel-parser, babel-plugin-syntax-flow
  • #16841 Always enable parsing of Flow enums (@nicolo-ribaudo)
• babel-helpers, babel-preset-typescript, babel-runtime-corejs3
  • #16794 Support import() in rewriteImportExtensions (@liuxingbaoyu)
• babel-generator, babel-parser
  • #16708 Add experimental format-preserving mode to @babel/generator (@nicolo-ribaudo)

:bug: Bug Fix

• babel-core
  • #16928 Workaround Node.js bug for parallel loading of TLA modules (@nicolo-ribaudo)
  • #16926 Fix loading of modules with TLA in Node.js 23 (@nicolo-ribaudo)

:nail_care: Polish

• babel-plugin-proposal-json-modules, babel-plugin-transform-json-modules, babel-standalone
  • #16924 Rename proposal-json-modules to transform-json-modules (@nicolo-ribaudo)

:house: Internal

• babel-code-frame, babel-highlight
  • #16896 Inline @babel/highlight in @babel/code-frame (@nicolo-ribaudo)
• babel-generator, babel-parser, babel-types
  • #16732 Add kind to TSModuleDeclaration (@liuxingbaoyu)

:running_woman: Performance

• babel-helper-module-transforms, babel-plugin-transform-modules-commonjs
  • #16882 perf: Improve module transforms (@liuxingbaoyu)