Using --no-bundle-external and NODE_PATH

[spacejack]

Hi, I'm trying to create a single bundle for a node app. I want to omit node_modules from the budle, so I use --no-bundle-external. And I'm using NODE_PATH=common to avoid a lot of require('../../..

Unfortunately it omits everything from common/ from the bundle. Is there a way to get it to just omit node_modules and native node libs (fs, path, etc.) but include my app's common files?

The only way I've got it to work so far is to manually list everything to exclude with -u foo -u bar ... which is not ideal. Any other options?

[ljharb]

NODE_PATH is deprecated anyways; I’d suggest using babel to rewrite import paths, or to use a symlink in node_modules.

[spacejack]

Thanks for the suggestions @ljharb.

I'm using Typescript which I don't believe does path rewriting for you; it defers that task to the bundler unfortunately.

Adding symlinks to node_modules doesn't sound like it would work? I think browserify would definitely ignore those modules in that case.

[ljharb]

You can use babel with typescript now, and only use tsc for typechecking.

[sternenseemann]

See also #1626 and browserify/resolve#47. NODE_PATH support seems to have been dropped.

[ljharb]

When did it work?

NODE_PATH has been community-deprecated for many, many years; i wasn't aware browserify ever supported it.

[sternenseemann]

I don't know actually, but the browserify documentation currently states that it does work — and in multiple places at that. See:

• Reflect that NODE_PATH is ignored in readme #1969
• Add note that NODE_PATH is not supported by browserify browserify-handbook#92

[ljharb]

I understand that, but it's important to figure out if the documentation was just always wrong, or if actual support for NODE_PATH was removed intentionally or unintentionally.

[sternenseemann]

The close in resolve indicates that, I'd say, but I suppose there is also a possibility this is an unintentional regression in browserify and it is indeed a bug (I'd actually love for this to get fixed).

[ljharb]

Since nobody should ever be using NODE_PATH ever for any reason, I'd prefer it not get fixed, but if it was unintentionally dropped that's a viable argument to fix it.

You may want to test various versions of browserify to determine this.