Build Tools – `tsc` vs. Babel vs. SWC

tsc

Pros: Full type‑checking, emits declaration files, zero‑config. Cons: Slower transpilation, limited to TypeScript features.

Babel with TypeScript preset

npm i -D @babel/core @babel/cli @babel/preset-typescript

babel.config.json

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

Babel does not type‑check – you need a separate tsc --noEmit step.

SWC (Rust‑based)

npm i -D @swc/core @swc/cli

swc.config.json

{ "jsc": { "target": "es2022" }, "module": { "type": "es6" } }

SWC is much faster than Babel and tsc but lacks some advanced type‑only features.

When to choose what?

• Libraries → tsc (need declarations).
• React apps → Babel + react-refresh.
• Large monorepos → SWC for speed.