Babel Core - Shell (Bash)

Babel is a JavaScript compiler that converts the latest ECMAScript features into a backward-compatible version of JavaScript. Babel uses several plugins to customize and extend its functionality. Babel core is the heart of the Babel compiler, responsible for compiling JavaScript code.

In this article, we will focus on using Babel core in a bash shell environment. We assume that you have already installed Node.js, npm and Babel.

How to use Babel Core in Bash Shell?

1. First, create a new project directory and navigate into it.

mkdir my-project
cd my-project

2. Then, create a new JavaScript file with some ES6 code.

touch main.js

3. After that, install Babel core and the Babel CLI as devDependencies in your project.

npm install --save-dev @babel/core @babel/cli

4. Now, create a new .babelrc file in your project root folder and configure it with the appropriate Babel plugins and presets.

touch .babelrc

Here is an example of a .babelrc file.

{
  "presets": ["@babel/preset-env"]
}

5. Finally, run the Babel CLI command in your terminal to compile your main.js file.

npx babel main.js --out-dir dist

Your compiled code will be located in the dist folder.

Conclusion

Babel core is an essential tool for modern JavaScript development. It allows you to write code using the latest syntax and features, and then compile that code into backward-compatible JavaScript for older browsers and platforms. By using Babel core in a bash shell environment, you can streamline your development process and ensure that your code is compatible with a wide range of browsers and platforms.