tsconfig-paths

What is tsconfig-paths?

The tsconfig-paths npm package is used to map module paths based on the paths defined in the tsconfig.json file. This allows TypeScript developers to use custom path mappings to simplify imports in their projects. It is particularly useful for avoiding relative path hell and for making the codebase cleaner and more maintainable.

What are tsconfig-paths's main functionalities?

Custom Path Mapping

This feature allows you to map paths in your TypeScript project so that you can import modules using aliases instead of relative paths. The code sample demonstrates how to register custom path mappings using the tsconfig-paths package.

require('tsconfig-paths').register({ baseUrl: './', paths: { '@app/*': ['./src/app/*'] } });

Integration with Node.js

This feature enables you to integrate tsconfig-paths with Node.js so that when you run your TypeScript-compiled JavaScript files, the custom paths are resolved correctly. The code sample shows how to run a Node.js application with tsconfig-paths support using the -r (require) flag.

node -r tsconfig-paths/register src/server.ts

Command Line Interface

tsconfig-paths provides a CLI tool called tsconfig-paths-bootstrap that can be used to bootstrap the path mappings before running your application. This is useful when you want to ensure that the path mappings are applied before any module resolution takes place.

tsconfig-paths-bootstrap

Other packages similar to tsconfig-paths

module-alias

module-alias is a package that allows you to create aliases for directories and register custom module paths. It is similar to tsconfig-paths but does not rely on the tsconfig.json file for configuration. Instead, you define aliases directly in your package.json or through API calls.

babel-plugin-module-resolver

babel-plugin-module-resolver is a Babel plugin that allows you to add custom path resolutions to your project. It is similar to tsconfig-paths in that it helps you avoid relative paths, but it is configured through Babel's configuration file and is typically used in conjunction with Babel's transpilation process.

README

tsconfig-paths

Use this to load modules whose location is specified in the paths section of tsconfig.json. Both loading at run-time and via API are supported.

Typescript by default mimics the Node.js runtime resolution strategy of modules. But it also allows the use of path mapping which allows arbitrary module paths (that doesn't start with "/" or ".") to be specified and mapped to physical paths in the filesystem. The typescript compiler can resolve these paths from tsconfig so it will compile OK. But if you then try to execute the compiled files with node (or ts-node), it will only look in the node_modules folders all the way up to the root of the filesystem and thus will not find the modules specified by paths in tsconfig.

If you require this package's tsconfig-paths/register module it will read the paths from tsconfig.json and convert node's module loading calls into to physical file paths that node can load.

How to install

yarn add --dev tsconfig-paths

or

npm install --save-dev tsconfig-paths

How to use

With node

node -r tsconfig-paths/register main.js

If process.env.TS_NODE_BASEURL is set it will override the value of baseUrl in tsconfig.json:

TS_NODE_BASEURL=./dist node -r tsconfig-paths/register main.js

With ts-node

ts-node -r tsconfig-paths/register main.ts

If process.env.TS_NODE_PROJECT is set it will be used to resolved tsconfig.json

With webpack

For webpack please use the tsconfig-paths-webpack-plugin.

With mocha and ts-node

As of Mocha >= 4.0.0 the --compiler was deprecated. Instead --require should be used. You also have to specify a glob that includes .ts files because mocha looks after files with .js extension by default.

mocha -r ts-node/register -r tsconfig-paths/register "test/**/*.ts"

With other commands

As long as the command has something similar to a --require option that can load a module before it starts, tsconfig-paths should be able to work with it.

With ts-node and VSCode

The following is an example configuration for the .vscode/launch.json.

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Debug Functions",
      "request": "launch",
      "type": "node",
      "runtimeArgs": [
        "-r",
        "${workspaceFolder}/functions/node_modules/ts-node/register",
        "-r",
        "${workspaceFolder}/functions/node_modules/tsconfig-paths/register"
      ],
      "args": ["${workspaceFolder}/functions/src/index.ts"],
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "protocol": "inspector",
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development",
        "TS_NODE_PROJECT": "${workspaceFolder}/functions/tsconfig.json"
      },
      "outFiles": ["${workspaceFolder}/functions/lib/**/*.js"]
    }
  ]
}

Bootstrapping with explicit params

If you want more granular control over tsconfig-paths you can bootstrap it. This can be useful if you for instance have compiled with tsc to another directory where tsconfig.json doesn't exists.

For example, create a wrapper script called tsconfig-paths-bootstrap.js with the contents below:

const tsConfig = require("./tsconfig.json");
const tsConfigPaths = require("tsconfig-paths");

const baseUrl = "./"; // Either absolute or relative path. If relative it's resolved to current working directory.
const cleanup = tsConfigPaths.register({
  baseUrl,
  paths: tsConfig.compilerOptions.paths,
});

// When path registration is no longer needed
cleanup();

Then run with:

node -r ./tsconfig-paths-bootstrap.js main.js

Configuration Options

You can set options by passing them before the script path, via programmatic usage or via environment variables.

ts-node --project customLocation/tsconfig.json -r tsconfig-paths/register "test/**/*.ts"

CLI and Programmatic Options

Environment variable denoted in parentheses.

• -P, --project [path] Path to TypeScript JSON project file (TS_NODE_PROJECT)

Config loading process

1. Use explicit params passed to register
2. Use process.env.TS_NODE_PROJECT to resolve tsConfig.json and the specified baseUrl and paths.
3. Resolves tsconfig.json from current working directory and the specified baseUrl and paths.

Programmatic use

The public API consists of these functions:

• register
• loadConfig
• createMatchPath / createMatchPathAsync
• matchFromAbsolutePaths / matchFromAbsolutePathsAsync

register

export interface ExplicitParams {
  baseUrl: string;
  paths: { [key: string]: Array<string> };
  mainFields?: Array<string>;
  addMatchAll?: boolean;
}

/**
 * Installs a custom module load function that can adhere to paths in tsconfig.
 */
export function register(explicitParams: ExplicitParams): () => void;

This function will patch the node's module loading so it will look for modules in paths specified by tsconfig.json. A function is returned for you to reinstate Node's original module loading.

loadConfig

export function loadConfig(cwd: string = process.cwd()): ConfigLoaderResult;

export type ConfigLoaderResult =
  | ConfigLoaderSuccessResult
  | ConfigLoaderFailResult;

export interface ConfigLoaderSuccessResult {
  resultType: "success";
  absoluteBaseUrl: string;
  paths: { [key: string]: Array<string> };
}

export interface ConfigLoaderFailResult {
  resultType: "failed";
  message: string;
}

This function loads the tsconfig.json. It will start searching from the specified cwd directory. Passing the tsconfig.json file directly instead of a directory also works.

createMatchPath

/**
 * Function that can match a path
 */
export interface MatchPath {
  (
    requestedModule: string,
    readJson?: Filesystem.ReadJsonSync,
    fileExists?: (name: string) => boolean,
    extensions?: ReadonlyArray<string>
  ): string | undefined;
}

/**
 * Creates a function that can resolve paths according to tsconfig paths property.
 * @param absoluteBaseUrl Absolute version of baseUrl as specified in tsconfig.
 * @param paths The paths as specified in tsconfig.
 * @param mainFields A list of package.json field names to try when resolving module files.
 * @param addMatchAll Add a match-all "*" rule if none is present
 * @returns a function that can resolve paths.
 */
export function createMatchPath(
  absoluteBaseUrl: string,
  paths: { [key: string]: Array<string> },
  mainFields: string[] = ["main"],
  addMatchAll: boolean = true
): MatchPath {

The createMatchPath function will create a function that can match paths. It accepts baseUrl and paths directly as they are specified in tsconfig and will handle resolving paths to absolute form. The created function has the signature specified by the type MatchPath above.

matchFromAbsolutePaths

/**
 * Finds a path from tsconfig that matches a module load request.
 * @param absolutePathMappings The paths to try as specified in tsconfig but resolved to absolute form.
 * @param requestedModule The required module name.
 * @param readJson Function that can read json from a path (useful for testing).
 * @param fileExists Function that checks for existence of a file at a path (useful for testing).
 * @param extensions File extensions to probe for (useful for testing).
 * @param mainFields A list of package.json field names to try when resolving module files.
 * @returns the found path, or undefined if no path was found.
 */
export function matchFromAbsolutePaths(
  absolutePathMappings: ReadonlyArray<MappingEntry.MappingEntry>,
  requestedModule: string,
  readJson: Filesystem.ReadJsonSync = Filesystem.readJsonFromDiskSync,
  fileExists: Filesystem.FileExistsSync = Filesystem.fileExistsSync,
  extensions: Array<string> = Object.keys(require.extensions),
  mainFields: string[] = ["main"]
): string | undefined {

This function is lower level and requires that the paths as already been resolved to absolute form and sorted in correct order into an array.

createMatchPathAsync

This is the async version of createMatchPath. It has the same signature but with a callback parameter for the result.

matchFromAbsolutePathsAsync

This is the async version of matchFromAbsolutePaths. It has the same signature but with a callback parameter for the result.

How to publish

yarn version --patch
yarn version --minor
yarn version --major