How can I generate a tsconfig.json file?

Question

How can I generate a tsconfig.json via the command line? I tried command tsc init, but this doesn't work.

score 695 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 21 '20 at 23:12

695

It is supported since the release of TypeScript 1.6.

The correct command is --init not init:

$ tsc --init

Try to run in your console the following to check the version:

$ tsc -v

If the version is older than 1.6 you will need to update:

$ npm install -g typescript

Remember that you need to install node.js to use npm.

edited Apr 21 '20 at 23:12

mikemaccana

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answered Apr 28 '16 at 14:17

Remo H. Jansen

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if, like me, this didn't quite work for you - try the solution provided in this answer: http://stackoverflow.com/a/32532656/1732184 Cheers! – prestonsmith Apr 20 '17 at 21:02
16

I was able to make it work without a global installation: `npm i typescript` `npx tsc --init` – Andreas Warberg Dec 10 '19 at 14:21
2

for a local installation `node_modules/.bin/tsc --init` – burntsugar Jan 30 '20 at 00:22
16

Is this answer out of date? `npx tsc --init` returns "Unknown compiler option 'init'." – Andy Ray Mar 15 '20 at 21:50
@AndyRay This fixed it for me: `sudo npm install typescript -g --force` – nathanfranke Jul 03 '20 at 21:43
1

@nathanfranke you should NEVER install libraries as sudo, and --force isn't related to this instal issue. That probably means you're installing it to your system installed node, instead of a user (you) installed node using nvm – Andy Ray Jul 06 '20 at 01:50
@AndyRay Running npm global without sudo: "or try running the command again as root/Administrator". However you're right that it's probably a better idea to modify the permissions. – nathanfranke Jul 06 '20 at 03:43

score 84 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 15 '19 at 13:29

84

For those who have TypeScript installed as a local package (and possibly as a dev dependency) via:

$ npm install typescript --save-dev

...and who have added tsc script to package.json:

"scripts": {
   ...
   "tsc": "tsc"
},

You can call tsc --init via npm:

$ npm run tsc -- --init

answered Aug 15 '19 at 13:29

Bojan Komazec

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Why do we need the two dashes in between tsc and --init? – lorless Jun 14 '21 at 15:44
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@lorless That's a delimiter so everything after `--` is treated as an argument to a script itself and is not parsed by `npm`. – Bojan Komazec Jun 15 '21 at 21:52

score 74 · Answer 3 · edited Aug 22 '22 at 08:59

74

If you don't want to install TypeScript globally (which makes sense to me, so you don't need to update it constantly), you can use npx:

npx -p typescript tsc --init

The key point is using the -p flag to inform npx that the tsc binary belongs to the typescript package.

edited Aug 22 '22 at 08:59

Pang

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answered Jul 14 '20 at 07:42

Luca Faggianelli

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Why not just use `npx tsc --init`? If Typescript is installed as a local dev dependency, tsc will exist in `node_modules/.bin/tsc`. – tenni Jan 22 '21 at 00:35

Black · Answer 4 · 2021-09-26T19:41:58.010

54

You need to have typescript library installed and then you can use

npx tsc --init

If the response is error TS5023: Unknown compiler option 'init'. that means the library is not installed

yarn add --dev typescript

or for npm

npm i --save-dev typescript

and run npx command again

I recommend not to install dependencies globally as it is easier to manage the versioning for each project. It is also easier for coworkers to see an install what is needed to run the project with one command.

edited Sep 26 '21 at 19:41

answered Nov 08 '20 at 14:03

Black

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I had this error: "This is not the tsc command you are looking for". Using npx typescript --init worked, though. – Boris K Nov 26 '21 at 14:26

score 29 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 09 '18 at 07:10

29

this worked for me:

tsc --init

answered Sep 09 '18 at 07:10

Diego Santa Cruz Mendezú

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score 11 · Answer 6 · edited Aug 14 '23 at 12:45

11

install TypeScript :

npm install typescript

add tsc script to package.json:

"scripts": {
  "tsc": "tsc"
 },

run this:

npm run tsc -- --init

edited Aug 14 '23 at 12:45

Sina Lotfi

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answered May 31 '20 at 02:04

AissaDevLab

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score 10 · Answer 7 · edited Dec 10 '22 at 22:36

10

npm install -g typescript 
tsc --init

Then sometimes after you globally updated typescript you probably again need to add it to your current project.

npm install typecsript ts-node nodemon - if you need it.

edited Dec 10 '22 at 22:36

nicodp

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answered Oct 20 '22 at 18:48

sushmitha reddy

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simple typo. It should tsc --init not int :-) – Mugilan Ragupathi Nov 18 '22 at 19:07

score 9 · Answer 8 · edited Aug 04 '22 at 11:49

9

i am using this,

yarn add -D typescript
yarn tsc --init

this fixed it for me

edited Aug 04 '22 at 11:49

rofrol

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answered Aug 09 '20 at 10:59

aditia falacha arvin

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score 8 · Answer 9 · answered Feb 16 '19 at 14:43

Setup a ts project as following steps:

install typescript yarn global add typescript
create a package.json: run yarn init or setting defaults yarn init -yp
create a tsconfig.json: run tsc --init
(*optional) add tslint.json

The project structure seems like:

│  package.json
│  tsconfig.json
│  tslint.json
│  yarn.lock
│
├─dist
│      index.js
│
└─src
       index.ts

score 3 · Answer 10 · answered Aug 30 '21 at 12:10

the Normal way to generate the tsconfig file is to create a file with a name tsconfig.json then open {} ,inside this {} hit

ctrl + spacebar ( Windows)

cmd + spacebar (mac)

then choose compilationOptions then choose what options you need

For auto-generation (tsconfig.json) using VSCode terminal or any cmd on the same directory you wanna create :

tsc --init

score 3 · Answer 11 · answered Jan 25 '23 at 11:57

In case someone comes here looking for what I was looking for, the tsconfig.json file with more options

npx tsconfig.json

was not working for me so instead:

npx tsconfig.json.cmd

gave me the tsconfig.json file I was looking for which offers more options

this worked for me on Windows

score 2 · Answer 12 · edited Jan 03 '21 at 15:29

2

$ npm run tsc -- --init
This worked for the below package.json

  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/jasmine": "^3.6.2",
    "@types/node": "^14.14.19",
    "jasmine": "^3.6.3",
    "protractor": "^7.0.0",
    "typescript": "^4.1.3"
  },

edited Jan 03 '21 at 15:29

Anurag A S

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answered Jan 03 '21 at 02:38

ChinmoyJ

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This only works if you have "tsc": "tsc" in the scripts section of your package.json – ThdK Jan 14 '22 at 19:50

score 0 · Answer 13 · edited May 30 '20 at 18:21

0

I recommend to uninstall typescript first with the command:

npm uninstall -g typescript

then use the chocolatey package in order to run:

choco install typescript

in PowerShell.

edited May 30 '20 at 18:21

β.εηοιτ.βε

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answered May 30 '20 at 17:39

Sloka Roy

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This is for windows only. – raarts Jul 30 '20 at 10:47

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered May 20 '21 at 21:40

0

From 2ality. You can add a function in your .zshrc or .bashrc to shortcut to the local bin path.

# in .zshrc:
function npm-do { (PATH=$(npm bin):$PATH; eval $@;) }

# working inside your directory:
npm-do tsc --init

answered May 20 '21 at 21:40

Luke Miles

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score 0 · Answer 15 · answered Jul 04 '23 at 10:53

0

I did not used npm install -g typescript I only entered the command from the official documentation npm install typescript --save-dev, this is why I could not in my case use tsc -v or tsc --init ^^"

answered Jul 04 '23 at 10:53

Anaïs Revellat

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score 0 · Answer 16 · answered Jul 24 '23 at 06:57

0

$ tsc --init this command works for me

answered Jul 24 '23 at 06:57

Hannah Nguyen

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score 0 · Answer 17 · answered Aug 14 '23 at 16:42

0

You can simply run npx tsc --init without having to install any packages locally.

answered Aug 14 '23 at 16:42

Shah

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How can I generate a tsconfig.json file?

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