swc-project / swc-project/swc-node

Question: how to make swc-node to use less memory

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Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description

I use @swc-node to run TypeScript backend in production. because i don't like to add a build step to my workflow, on-the-fly transpilation just makes life easier

everything works fine, but the extra memory usage caused by swc is a downside to me.

to reproduce:

import { memoryUsage } from "node:process";

setInterval(() => {
  console.log(memoryUsage());
}, 2000);

node main.js: rss: 45MB, heapTotal: 6MB, heapUsed: 6MB, external: 421KB, arrayBuffers: 18KB
deno main.ts: rss: 52MB, heapTotal: 11MB, heapUsed: 10MB, external: 76KB, arrayBuffers: 0
node -r @swc-node/register main.ts: rss: 102MB, heapTotal: 30MB, heapUsed: 23MB, external: 592KB, arrayBuffers: 57KB

There is a huge gap here. I was able to 60% reduce one of my project rss, just by compiling the source code before runtime.

I wonder is there anyway to consume less memory for production usage? maybe unload/free the swc compiler after a while during runtime.

I can work on a PR, but i have no idea to start

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the reported comparison with the provided Node, Deno, and node -r @swc-node/register main.ts commands. Trace the @swc-node/register entry point and measure whether compiler memory can be released during runtime; done should include a demonstrated production approach with lower memory usage or a documented explanation of the limitation.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
node.js, typescript
Domain
backend, performance
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
20/100

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