js.Babel

Returns a resource created by transpiling the given JavaScript resource using Babel.

Syntax: js.Babel [OPTIONS] RESOURCE
Returns: resource.Resource
Alias: babel

The js.Babel function transforms JavaScript using Babel.

Setup

Step 1

Step 2

Install the required Node packages in the root of your project. For example, to install Babel’s core compiler, its command-line interface, and the preset for transpiling modern JavaScript based on your target environments:

npm install --save-dev @babel/core @babel/cli @babel/preset-env

Step 3

Create a Babel configuration file in the root of your project. For example, to use the environment preset to target Google Chrome version 79 or later:

babel.config.mjs

export default {
  presets: [
    [
      '@babel/preset-env',
      {
        targets: {
          chrome: "79"
        }
      }
    ]
  ]
};

Step 4

Place your JS file within the assets/js directory.

Step 5

Add the Babel executable to Hugo’s security.exec.allow list in your project configuration:

security:
  exec:
    allow:
    - ^(dart-)?sass$
    - ^go$
    - ^git$
    - ^node$
    - ^postcss$
    - ^babel$

[security]
  [security.exec]
    allow = ['^(dart-)?sass$', '^go$', '^git$', '^node$', '^postcss$', '^babel$']

{
   "security": {
      "exec": {
         "allow": [
            "^(dart-)?sass$",
            "^go$",
            "^git$",
            "^node$",
            "^postcss$",
            "^babel$"
         ]
      }
   }
}

Step 6

Create a partial template to process the JavaScript:

layouts/_partials/js.html

{{ with resources.Get "js/main.js" }}
  {{ $opts := dict
    "minified" (cond hugo.IsDevelopment false true)
    "noComments" (cond hugo.IsDevelopment false true)
    "sourceMap" (cond hugo.IsDevelopment "inline" "none")
  }}
  {{ with . | js.Babel $opts }}
    {{ if hugo.IsDevelopment }}
      <script src="{{ .RelPermalink }}"></script>
    {{ else }}
      {{ with . | fingerprint }}
        <script src="{{ .RelPermalink }}" integrity="{{ .Data.Integrity }}" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
      {{ end }}
    {{ end }}
  {{ end }}
{{ end }}

Step 7

Call the partial template from your base template:

layouts/baseof.html

<head>
  {{ partial "js.html" . }}
</head>

Options

The js.Babel function accepts an options map.

compact: (bool) Whether to remove optional newlines and whitespace. Enabled when minified is true. Default is false.
config: (string) The path to the Babel configuration file. By default, Hugo searches the root of the project directory and any modules for babel.config.js, babel.config.mjs, and babel.config.cjs in that order. Use this option only to point to a configuration file with a custom name or one located in a custom subdirectory.
minified: (bool) Whether to minify transpiled code. Enables the compact option. Default is false.
noBabelrc: (bool) Whether to ignore .babelrc and .babelignore files. Default is false.
noComments: (bool) Whether to remove comments. Default is false.
sourceMap: (string) Whether to generate source maps, one of external, inline, or none. Default is none.
verbose: (bool) Whether to enable verbose logging. Default is false.

Last updated: September 11, 2026 : content: Comply with function/method description guidance in style guide (76fa3fc9e)

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