⚠️WARNING: All content in this article uses Node.js experimental features. Please make sure you are using a version of Node.js that supports the features mentioned in this article. And remember that experimental features can change on future versions of Node.js.

Running TypeScript with a Node.js Itself

In the previous articles, we learned how to run TypeScript code using transpilation and with a runner. In this article, we will learn how to run TypeScript code using Node.js itself.

Running TypeScript code with Node.js

Node.js has experimental support for TypeScript. You can run TypeScript code directly in Node.js without the need to compile it first.

So how do you run TypeScript code with Node.js?

First, you need to install a nightly version of Node.js. You can download it from the official Node.js website.

Then, you can run your TypeScript code like this:

node --experimental-strip-types example.ts

The --experimental-strip-types flag tells Node.js to strip the type annotations from the TypeScript code before running it.

And that's it! You can now run TypeScript code directly in Node.js without the need to compile it first. In the future we all hope that this feature will be stable and available in the LTS version of Node.js, so that we can all enjoy it without any additional steps.

Limitations

At the time of writing, the experimental support for TypeScript in Node.js has some limitations. To allow typescript to run in node.js, our collaborators have chosen to only strip types from the code.

Since Node.js is only removing inline types, any TypeScript features that involve replacing TypeScript syntax with new JavaScript syntax will error. This is by design. To run TypeScript with such features, see [Full TypeScript support][].

The most prominent unsupported features that require transformation are:

• Enum
• experimentalDecorators
• namespaces
• parameter properties

In addition, Node.js does not read tsconfig.json files and does not support features that depend on settings within tsconfig.json, such as paths or converting newer JavaScript syntax into older standards.

Important notes

Thanks to all the contributors who have made this feature possible. We hope that this feature will be stable and available in the LTS version of Node.js soon.

We can understand that this feature is experimental and has some limitations, and this may disappoint you. So please be patient and wait for the stable version of this feature. And NEVER spam us. If you are happy, you can share these articles on social media and tell your friends about this feature.