Babel REPL vs Terser
Babel REPL
babeljs.ioTerser
terser.orgSide by side
| Figure | Babel REPL | Terser |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · JavaScript Build Tools | 7.7 (#12) | 7.7 (#13) |
| Integrations | Babel documentation names Webpack, Rollup, and Parcel as build systems that can transpile JavaScript ahead of time. | The project documentation describes using Terser with Acorn-produced SpiderMonkey AST input and replacing nested `uglify-es` dependencies with a Yarn resolution alias. |
| Purpose | Babel describes its REPL as a playground for learning how Babel transpiles source code. | Terser is an industry-standard JavaScript minifier that shrinks variable names, removes whitespace and comments, and drops unused code. |
Plans
In their own words
Terser
Terser is a free, open-source JavaScript minifier that reduces code by shortening variable names, removing whitespace and comments, and dropping unused code. It can be used through a command-line interface or Node.js API; browser loading is supported and exposes a global `Terser` variable with a `.minify` property. The API’s `minify()` enables compression and mangling by default, and both settings can be changed or turned off. The API can return a source map, while the CLI can generate source maps for compressed JavaScript. The CLI accepts multiple input files and parses them in sequence in one global scope, or reads from standard input when no input file is specified. Compatibility options include an ECMAScript target; `ecma` defaults to 5 for compression and output formatting. Property-name mangling can break code, so the documentation says to use it only when its behavior is understood. Built-in DOM property mangling is disabled by default and is not recommended for enabling. Terser also supports Acorn-produced SpiderMonkey AST input and a Yarn resolution alias for nested `uglify-es` dependencies.