TypeScript runtime comparisons

Comparison of Node.js TypeScript runtimes.

Disclaimer: This comparison is by the author & maintainer of tsx

Compared runtimes

• tsx
• @swc/register
• esbuild-runner
• jiti
• sucrase
• ts-node
• tsm

Methodology

• Tested on Node.js v12.20.0 because they all support it, and the node: prefix is not supported in require()

• Tested in both package types commonjs & module when applicable

Symbols

Symbol	Description
✅	Pass (Sometimes clickable)
❌	Fail
⛔️	Error (Hover to see error message)

Project stats

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
npm downloads
Install size
GitHub stars
Issues open
Issues closed
Last commit

Transformation

Supported transformation features and code tranformation correctness.

Package type: CommonJS

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
TypeScript syntax	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
ESM → CJS: import/export syntax	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
ESM → CJS: import.meta.url shim	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌
CJS scope in .js file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
CJS scope in .ts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
CJS scope in .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
CJS scope in .cts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
No CJS scope in .mjs file	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
No CJS scope in .mts file	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
Source maps	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅

Package type: Module

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
TypeScript syntax	✅	⛔️	⛔️	✅	⛔️	✅	✅
CJS scope in .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
CJS scope in .cts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	✅	⛔️	✅	❌
No CJS scope in .js file	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
No CJS scope in .ts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	❌	⛔️	✅	✅
No CJS scope in .mjs file	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
No CJS scope in .mts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	❌	⛔️	✅	✅
Source maps	✅	⛔️	⛔️	❌	⛔️	✅	✅

* CommonJS scope (CJS scope) refers to having the following variables available in the module scope: module, exports, require, __filename, __dirname.

Resolution

Whether require()/import() can resolve a given specifier.

require()

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
.ts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
.ts file via .js	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
.ts file without extension	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
index.ts file via directory	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
.cts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
.cts file via .cjs	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
.mts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
.mts file via .mjs	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
node: prefix	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅
tsconfig.json paths	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

import()

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
.ts file	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
.ts file via .js	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
.ts file without extension	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	✅
index.ts file via directory	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
.cts file	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
.cts file via .cjs	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
.mts file	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
.mts file via .mjs	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
tsconfig.json paths	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

Interoperability

Whether it can correctly load a file for interoperability.

Package type: CommonJS

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
require() .js file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	✅	✅	✅	✅	⛔️
require() .ts file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	✅	✅	✅	✅	⛔️
require() .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
require() .cts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
require() .mjs file	✅	⛔️	✅	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️
require() .mts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️
import() .js file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	❌	⛔️	✅	❌	⛔️
import() .ts file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	✅	❌	✅
import() .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅
import() .cts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	❌	✅	✅
import() .mjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	⛔️	✅	✅
import() .mts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	✅	✅

Package type: Module

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
require() .js file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️
require() .ts file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	✅	⛔️	✅	⛔️	⛔️
require() .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
require() .cts file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
require() .mjs file	✅	⛔️	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️
require() .mts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️	⛔️
import() .js file (ESM export)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
import() .ts file (ESM export)	✅	⛔️	⛔️	✅	⛔️	✅	✅
import() .cjs file	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅
import() .cts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	❌	⛔️	✅	✅
import() .mjs file	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
import() .mts file	✅	⛔️	⛔️	✅	⛔️	✅	✅

Performance features

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
Compiler	esbuild	SWC	esbuild	Babel	Sucrase (Babel fork)	TypeScript / SWC	esbuild
Disk cache	✅ ?	❌	✅ ?	✅ ?	❌	❌ ?	❌

DX features

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
TypeScript REPL	✅ ?	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅ ?	❌
Watch mode	✅ ?	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Type checking	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
Hides experimental feature warnings	✅	-	-	-	-	✅ ?	❌
Binaries	tsx	swc-node	esr	jiti	sucrase-node	ts-node, ts-node-esm, +4	tsm

Testing

	tsx	@swc/register	esbuild-runner	jiti	sucrase	ts-node	tsm
Operating systems	Linux & Windows	Linux	No tests	Linux & Windows	Linux	Linux & Windows	Linux & Windows
Node.js versions	12.20 ~ 18	Latest LTS	No tests	16	14 & 16	12 ~ 18 + Nightly	12.22.10 ~ 16.14