TypeScript

Build Commands

Set up TypeScript project references for monorepos and complex projects. Build multiple packages with dependency ordering, incremental compilation, and composite projects.

10 commands

Pro Tips

Use 'tsc --build' (or 'tsc -b') for multi-project builds — it respects project references and build order.

Add 'composite: true' and 'references' to tsconfig.json for proper project dependency tracking.

Use 'tsc -b --clean' to remove all build outputs from referenced projects.

Common Mistakes

Project references require 'composite: true' and 'declaration: true'. Missing these causes confusing build errors.

Build mode doesn't support all tsconfig options. Check the docs for unsupported options in composite projects.

Commands

Build project references

$ tsc --build

Build project with all referenced projects in correct order.

Build with watch

$ tsc --build --watch

Build mode with continuous watching for changes.

Clean build outputs

$ tsc --build --clean

Delete all output files from referenced projects.

Force rebuild

$ tsc --build --force

Rebuild all projects regardless of up-to-date status.

Dry run build

$ tsc --build --dry

Show what would be built without actually building.

Verbose build output

$ tsc --build --verbose

Show detailed logging during multi-project build.

Incremental project build

$ tsc --build --incremental

Build project references with incremental compilation for faster rebuilds.

Build multiple projects

$ tsc --build packages/*/tsconfig.json

Build multiple project configs simultaneously (monorepo pattern).

Preview build plan

$ tsc --build --dry --verbose

Show detailed build plan without executing (useful for debugging).

Enable composite mode

$ tsc --composite

Enable constraints for project references (required for --build).