TypeScript is an open source programming language developed by Microsoft and designed based on the JavaScript language. The main goal of TypeScript is to add features to JavaScript that help developers create safer, more readable, and more scalable code. One of these features is to add Static Typing. Stay tuned to the end of this article to learn more about this.
TypeScript files have the .ts extension and must be compiled to JavaScript before running in a browser or Node.js environment. This language is very popular for large projects that need better organization and to avoid runtime errors.
The concept of Symlink in Node.js projects
Symlink stands for Symbolic Link, meaning symbolic link. In file systems, this feature allows you to point to another file or directory without the need for a physical copy of it.
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In Node.js and TypeScript projects, sometimes you need multiple projects to use a common module or library. Instead of manually installing or copying this module into each project, you can point to the original version by creating a Symlink. This has many advantages:
Benefits of using Symlink in TypeScript projects
- Memory saving: No need to have multiple copies of a module.
- Faster updates: Any changes you make to the main module are immediately applied to related projects.
- Faster development: No need to reinstall Node.js packages for each project.
Steps to create Symlink in Node.js for TypeScript
Suppose we have two projects:
library-project: A project that uses a TypeScript library is.main-project: The project that uses this library.
Step 1: Link the library module to Node.js
First, go to the library-project directory and run the following command:
npm link
This command will make Node.js create a Symlink of this project in the global package repository.
Step 2: Link to the main project
Now, go to the main-project directory and run the following command:
npm link library-project
This command adds the library project's Symlink to the node_modules of the main project.
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Practical examples
Example 1: Create a simple TypeScript library
The index.ts file in the library-project project:
export const greet = (name: string): string => {
return `Hello, ${name}! Welcome!`;
};
After running the npm link and npm link library-project commands in the main-project project, you can use the library like this:
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import { greet } from 'library-project';
console.log(greet('Reza'));
Example 2: Immediate changes to the library
If we make the following change to the library-project project:
export const greet = (name: string): string => {
return `Hello, dear friend, ${name}! I hope you have a good day!`;
};
This change will be applied immediately to the main-project without the need to reinstall or copy.
Troubleshooting common problems
1. Symlink not recognized by TypeScript
In the tsconfig.json file of the main project, make sure that the baseUrl and paths properties are set:
{
"compilerOptions": {
"baseUrl": "./",
"paths": {
"library-project": ["node_modules/library-project"]
}
}
}
2. Module access problem in CI/CD environments
In production environments, Symlink may not be recognized correctly. In this case, it is recommended to use direct package installation instead of Symlink:
npm install ./path-to-library-project
Summary
Creating symlinks in Node.js and TypeScript is an effective way to manage shared libraries across multiple projects. This method helps developers make faster changes to related projects and use system memory more efficiently.
