tsx

TypeScript execute — run TypeScript files directly in Node.js without a compilation step, with ESM support and watch mode.

tsx

Node.js

TypeScript execute — run TypeScript files directly in Node.js without a compilation step, with ESM support and watch mode.

npm GitHub Docs

Fit

Install size includes transitive dependencies. Bundle size is gzipped browser payload.

Freshness

The Problem

Running TypeScript Node.js scripts requires either a build step (tsc) or a heavy runtime like ts-node that has slow startup times, ESM compatibility issues, and complex configuration.

What It Does

tsx uses esbuild to transform TypeScript on-the-fly with near-instant startup. It supports both CommonJS and ESM, handles tsconfig.json paths, and provides a --watch flag for development. Drop-in replacement for node — just prefix your command with tsx.

Installation

bash

npm install -D tsx

Usage Example

json

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "tsx watch src/server.ts",
    "start": "tsx src/server.ts",
    "seed": "tsx scripts/seed-database.ts"
  }
}

typescript

// src/server.ts — runs directly with `tsx src/server.ts`
import { createServer } from 'http';

const server = createServer((req, res) => {
  res.end('Hello from TypeScript!');
});

server.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on :3000'));

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