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.

Directorate

Answer 1

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.

Mccammon

if, like me, this didn't quite work for you - try the solution provided in this answer: https://mcmap.net/q/81245/-how-to-upgrade-typescript-to-the-latest-version Cheers! – Samphire

I was able to make it work without a global installation: npm i typescript npx tsc --init – Combustion

for a local installation node_modules/.bin/tsc --init – Goddaughter

Is this answer out of date? npx tsc --init returns "Unknown compiler option 'init'." – Kirmess

@AndyRay This fixed it for me: sudo npm install typescript -g --force – Inenarrable

@Inenarrable 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 – Kirmess

@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. – Inenarrable

Answer 2

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 

Immeasurable

Why do we need the two dashes in between tsc and --init? – Fanatical

@Fanatical That's a delimiter so everything after -- is treated as an argument to a script itself and is not parsed by npm. – Immeasurable

Answer 3

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.

Rambunctious

Why not just use npx tsc --init? If Typescript is installed as a local dev dependency, tsc will exist in node_modules/.bin/tsc. – Majewski

Answer 4

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.

Zach

I had this error: "This is not the tsc command you are looking for". Using npx typescript --init worked, though. – Brack

Answer 5

this worked for me:

tsc --init

Displeasure

Answer 6

install TypeScript :

npm install typescript

add tsc script to package.json:

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

run this:

npm run tsc -- --init

Bronchi

Answer 7

i am using this,

yarn add -D typescript
yarn tsc --init

this fixed it for me

Sepaloid

Answer 8

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.

Paradis

simple typo. It should tsc --init not int :-) – Temperate

Answer 9

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

Politian

Answer 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

Burck

Answer 11

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

Newby

Answer 12

$ 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"
  },

Sontag

This only works if you have "tsc": "tsc" in the scripts section of your package.json – Odell

Answer 13

$ tsc --init this command works for me

Heedless

Answer 14

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

Ungraceful

Answer 15

npx tsc --init For to run this command you must have the typescript installed

Longrange

That is the same thing as what the top voted answers said... – Dewberry

Answer 16

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.

Babita

This is for windows only. – Novobiocin

Answer 17

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

Hiedihiemal

Answer 18

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 ^^"

Lookin