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Enabling Experimental JSX Syntax Support in Babel

Updated by Tim Rabbetts on

Babel, an essential tool for developers to write next-gen JavaScript code, has often been at the forefront when it comes to supporting experimental syntax through various plugins and presets. However, an often encountered issue is when Babel reports that "support for the experimental syntax 'jsx' isn't currently enabled" when developers try to compile JSX in their projects without the proper setup.

What is JSX?

JSX (JavaScript XML) allows HTML-like syntax to be written directly within JavaScript code. It is heavily used in React, a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. This syntax is not natively understood by browsers or JavaScript engines, thus it needs to be compiled into standard JavaScript code that can be executed.

Why This Error Occurs

The error about JSX not being supported typically occurs if Babel is misconfigured or lacking the necessary plugin. JSX syntax requires the Babel plugin @babel/plugin-transform-react-jsx to transpile JSX into regular JavaScript. If this plugin is not enabled in your Babel configuration, Babel can't process JSX syntax, leading to the aforementioned error.

Fixing the Issue

To enable JSX support in Babel:

  1. Ensure you have @babel/core and @babel/preset-react installed in your project.
  2. Add or update your Babel configuration file (typically .babelrc, babel.config.js, or package.json under Babel key).
  3. In your configuration file, include the @babel/preset-react in the presets array. Here's an example:
    {
      "presets": ["@babel/preset-react"]
    }

This setting tells Babel to use the preset needed to transform JSX (and other React-related syntax) appropriately. After these changes, the error regarding the unsupported experimental syntax should be resolved, and you would be able to compile JSX successfully.

Conclusion

Proper configuration of Babel is crucial for it to work seamlessly, especially when dealing with experimental and newer syntaxes like JSX in React. Understanding and correctly setting up Babel ensures that your development process is efficient, and your applications run optimally across various environments.

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