Ts-node: in newest version 5.0.0 debugging is not possible using --inspect parameter

[michalchochol]

In [email protected] --inspect parameter does not work anymore. It was working in previous ts-node version.

[RanadeepPolavarapu]

I am having same issue. Nothing about --inspect was mentioned in changelog either.

[egoroof]

node --inspect -r ts-node/register path/to/ts

[blakeembrey]

That’s the intent. Please check the README or change log or more info and use the node command above for inspecting and other node.js flags.

[michalchochol]

Unfortunately this solution does not work with pm2, which uses ts-node by default to run typescript and passes arguments to ts-node via node_args property.

[blakeembrey]

Can you provide a reference or code snippet so I can verify that claim? Seems like a simple thing to fix.

[michalchochol]

Hi,

lets assume we have ts-node installed locally via npm and very simple app-test to run:

let fun = () => {console.log('app.js'); setTimeout(fun, 1000);}; 
fun();

Normally to run and debug app using node:

node --inspect=7000 app-test.js //works OK with debugger

node --inspect=7000 -r ts-node/register app-test.ts //works OK with debugger

To run and debug using pm2 (without typescript installed internally in pm2):

pm2 start --node-args="--inspect=7000" app-test.js //works OK with debugger

pm2 start app-test.ts // does not work

pm2 start --node-args="--inspect=7000 -r ts-node/register" app-test.ts // does not work

Last two examples do not work, because by default pm2 uses ts-node interpreter to run typescript -> https://github.com/Unitech/pm2/blob/master/lib/API/interpreter.json

If we install typescript in pm2 by: _pm2 install typescript_ it also installs the latest version of ts-node.

So now we can normally start our script like this:

pm2 start app-test.ts // works OK

pm2 start --node-args="--inspect=7000 -r ts-node/register" app-test.ts // works but without debugger

Last example works without debugger because --node-args are passed to ts-node interpreter and finally ignored. It was working ok with [email protected]:

pm2 start --node-args="--inspect=7000" app-test.ts

TEMPORARY WORKAROUND:
After installation of typescript and ts-node modules in pm2, my global pm2 instance keep newest versions of typescript and ts-node in its node_modules subfolder:
~/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.4/lib/node_modules/pm2/node_modules/ts-node - here is [email protected] located. To enable debugger I had to manually replace this folder with [email protected] folder installed in other place. Now debugger works, because pm2 uses 4.1.0 version by default together with newest [email protected].

[blakeembrey]

Seems like you should submit a fix to pm2. The feature of using node flags via the CLI was an explicit decision and won’t be enabled in future releases.

[blakeembrey]

Could it be as simple as deleting those interpreters? I noticed that the register method is used somewhere else in the code but I’m not familiar with how it works.

[michalchochol]

I don't think so it is so simple, but I'm going to try :) Thanks for your time and great project - ts-node really helps and saves a lot of development time.

[marcj]

Any solution yet to start newest ts-node with inspect via pm2?

[majelbstoat]

I can't see in the documentation how to combine both a --preserve-symlinks arg for node, and a --project arg for ts-node.

node -r ts-node/register --preserve-symlinks --project tsconfig.server.json says unknown arg --project which makes sense.

ts-node --project tsconfig.server.json --preserve-symlinks doesn't work, probably for the same reason --inspect doesn't work.

--

Update: I was fortunate, and able to use NODE_PRESERVE_SYMLINKS=1 ts-node --project tsconfig.server.json but it is still not clear how to pass args to both ts-node and node at the same time.

[blakeembrey]

@majelbstoat Unfortunately it's not possible to combine both, that's a limitation with using node.js --require. You need to use environment variables instead.

[Nilos]

For everyone looking into this in the future:

Node supports passing almost any command line options using an environment variable called
NODE_OPTIONS: https://nodejs.org/api/cli.html#cli_node_options_options

[blakeembrey]

@Nilos Both ways are possible. You can do TS_NODE_PROJECT=xxx node --require ts-node/register --extra-args index.ts or NODE_OPTIONS=xxx ts-node --project=xxx --extra-args index.ts. I documented the first approach in the README, but the second is equally valid, just uses the ts-node executable instead of the node executable. Can you share why you think one is easier than the other since they both require environment variables?

[Nilos]

@blakeembrey I did not know about the TS_NODE_PROJECT option. Is every command line option for ts-node controllable this way?

I actually think TS_NODE_PROJECT is better as my node application spawns other node application which would inherit the NODE_OPTIONS which breaks the sub-processes.

[blakeembrey]

@Nilos See https://github.com/TypeStrong/ts-node#cli-and-programmatic-options.

[agborkowski]

nodemon --config config.json
json { "exec": "node --inspect -r ts-node/register ./src/index.ts" }
works well

full config
`json { "verbose": true, "debug": false, "exec": "node --inspect -r ts-node/register ./src/index.ts", "ignore": [ "mochawesome-report", "node_modules", "./test", "**/*.d.ts", "*.test.ts", "*.spec.ts", "fixtures/*", "test/**/*", "docs/*" ], "events": { "restart": "echo \"[Warning] Remember run npm run test b4 push to dev branch !\"" }, "watch": ["./src"], "ext": "ts, gql", "inspect": true }

[impmja]

Thanks @agborkowski , your solution works indeed! :+1:

[eddyekofo94]

@agborkowski Thank you very much brother. God bless

[elliottsj]

As an alternative to environment variables or ts-node/register, you can pass options in this form:

node [node options] ./node_modules/.bin/ts-node [ts-node options] [script.ts]

e.g.

node --inspect-brk ./node_modules/.bin/ts-node --transpile-only script.ts

[GerbenRampaart]

@agborkowski Not all heroes wear capes. +1

[yleflour]

If you want to keep using pm2, the NODE_OPTIONS env variable works well.

Here is my configuration (after running pm2 install typescript)

apps:
  - name: my-app
    script: ./src/index.ts
    watch:
      - src
    env:
      NODE_OPTIONS: --inspect

[hejiaji]

Why is that?

@agborkowski @blakeembrey

[blakeembrey]

@hejiaji You are probably emitting ES6 modules instead of CommonJS? I don't think it has anything to do with ts-node/register vs ts-node CLI. I'd need more information if that's not the cause.

[hejiaji]

Oh right! thanks @blakeembrey , then to more specific on my question:
i have a command like this
ts-node --typeCheck --project tsconfig.server.json --files true server/index.ts
How can i transfer to node command completely?
node -r ts-node/register server/index.ts cannot indicate the --project and --file arguments.

[hejiaji]

Figured it out!! using Environment variable to tackle this!

export TS_NODE_PROJECT=tsconfig.server.json; export TS_NODE_FILES=true && node -r ts-node/register --inspect server/index.ts

Thanks @blakeembrey

[adrian-moisa]

node --inspect -r ts-node/register path/to/ts

How can I also provide the --project ./tsconfig-server.json arg for ts-node ? I really need to have a different tsconfig because of react native.

Edit

Found some help here: Overriding tsconfig.json for ts-node in mocha. We need to setup a custom register for ts-node method and call it from the command line.

nodemon.json

{
    "verbose": false,
    "ext": "ts js json yaml",
    "watch": [
        "server/**/*.ts",
        "server/**/*.yaml"
    ],
    "ignore": [],
    "exec": "node --inspect --require ./ts-hook.js ./server/main.ts"
}

ts-hook.js

require("ts-node").register({
    project: "tsconfig-server.json",
});

[marcj]

@adrian-moisa export TS_NODE_PROJECT=./tsconfig-server.json ts-node path/to/ts.

[michalchochol]

@yleflour perfect solution :) thanks a lot

If you want to keep using pm2, the NODE_OPTIONS env variable works well.

Here is my configuration (after running pm2 install typescript)

apps:
  - name: my-app
    script: ./src/index.ts
    watch:
      - src
    env:
      NODE_OPTIONS: --inspect

[Evilart86]

This helps me to configure Webstorm Debuger
node version: 12.3.1
ts-node version: 8.5.4