With the latest features and tools in Node.js, setting up a modern TypeScript project has never been easier—or more exciting. This guide will show you how to leverage the newest Node.js capabilities to create a lightweight and efficient development workflow.

Why Choose This Setup?

This setup emphasizes simplicity, native features, and minimal dependencies by leveraging:

• Native ESM (ECMAScript Modules) for cleaner, modern syntax.
• Experimental TypeScript Stripping (--experimental-strip-types) for running TypeScript files natively.
• Built-in File Watching without third-party tools like nodemon
• Native Environment Variable Support with .env files

Explore the repo for this setup: esm-pure-experimental-strip-types.

Node.js ESM

ECMAScript Modules (ESM) bring modern syntax with import and export.

Benefits of ESM:

• Performance: Static analysis of imports/exports improves optimization compared to CommonJS (CJS).
• Simplified Module Resolution: Requires explicit file extensions, speeding up module resolution. For example, instead of:

const module = require('./module');

You now write:

import module from './module.js';

Experimental TypeScript stripping (--experimental-strip-types)

The --experimental-strip-types flag lets you run .ts files directly in Node.js, eliminating the need for transpilers like Babel or SWC. Here's how to use it:

node --experimental-strip-types index.ts

Requirements:

• Use ESM syntax.
• Include explicit file extensions (e.g., .ts) in imports.

Here’s a sample tsconfig.json to get you started:

{
  "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/tsconfig",
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ESNext",
    "moduleResolution": "Node",
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "isolatedModules": true,
    "resolveJsonModule": true,
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "rootDir": "./src",
    "noEmit": true,
    "types": ["node"],
    "allowImportingTsExtensions": true,
    "verbatimModuleSyntax": true,
    "incremental": true
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

Key Configurations:

• allowImportingTsExtensions: Ensures .ts extensions are required in imports.
• verbatimModuleSyntax: This avoids altering your import/export syntax. By using --experimental-strip-types, you can bypass tools like Babel, SWC, Webpack, or TSX, streamlining your toolchain significantly.

Built-in File Watching (--watch)

Forget nodemon! Node.js now supports file watching natively. Use the --watch flag for live reloads:

node --watch index.ts

Benefits:

• Faster and more efficient than nodemon.
• Native support means fewer dependencies.

Native Environment Variable Support (--env-file)

You no longer need packages like dotenv or dotenv-safe to handle .env files. Simply use the --env-file flag:

node --env-file=.env index.ts

Advantages:

• Seamless integration with .env files.
• Fully native functionality, reducing dependency bloat.

Closing Thoughts

This modern Node.js + TypeScript setup eliminates unnecessary complexity by leveraging the latest features. With native ESM, experimental TypeScript stripping, built-in file watching, and .env support, you can:

• Reduce dependencies.
• Improve performance.
• Simplify your workflow.

By embracing these tools, you’ll boost productivity and focus on building, not configuring.

What are your favorite Node.js + TypeScript features? Let me know in the comments!

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