Node.js (LTS) can run TypeScript files natively (type stripping enabled by default)

Key update

Node.js has enabled its "type stripping" feature by default in its LTS branch (v22.18.0), so the runtime can execute .ts files without a separate transpile step (for example: node file.ts). The capability is still labeled experimental and can be disabled with the --no-experimental-strip-types flag; the release notes call out syntax limitations and point to the TypeScript-support docs for details.

Why it matters

This removes the mandatory build/transpile round-trip for many server-side and tooling use cases (scripts, small services, test harnesses, CI jobs), which can significantly simplify developer workflows and reduce iteration and pipeline time for projects that stay within the supported TypeScript subset. In practice you should not assume full parity with a production transpile: there are documented syntax and semantics limits, some tooling and libraries still expect compiled outputs (source maps, custom transforms, platform-specific bundling), and a few real-world breakages have already appeared in larger projects when the behavior changed. Practical next steps are simple: pin and test on the Node LTS that enables this feature, run your full test suite in CI, and use the opt-out flag if you hit incompatibilities while migrating. For most teams this is an opportunity to simplify dev and CI flows, but treat it as a controlled migration rather than an immediate replacement for existing build pipelines.

Source

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