Node-RED TypeScript Node

A fast TypeScript execution node for Node-RED with Monaco editor, type checking, and multi-tab configuration.

Installation

Install via Node-RED palette manager by searching for node-red-contrib-ts

Or via npm:

npm install node-red-contrib-ts

TypeScript Node

Execute TypeScript code directly in your Node-RED flows with full type checking, modern JavaScript features, and multi-tab editor interface similar to the standard Function node.

Features

• Monaco Editor - Same editor as VS Code with syntax highlighting and IntelliSense
• TypeScript Support - Full TypeScript compilation with error checking
• Multi-Tab Interface - Separate tabs for initialization, main function, and cleanup code
• Custom Type Declarations - Define your own TypeScript interfaces and types
• External Module Support - Import npm modules with type safety
• Async/Await Ready - Your code runs in an async function context
• Multiple Outputs - Route messages to different outputs
• Two Execution Modes - Function mode (fast) or VM mode (secure)

Performance Benchmark

Benchmark results for 500,000 executions:

• Node-RED function node: 11,886ms
• TypeScript node (Function mode): 6,177ms - 1.9x faster
• TypeScript node (VM mode): 10,222ms - 1.2x faster

Available Context

Your TypeScript code has access to these variables:

• msg - The incoming message object
• node - The current node instance for logging
• RED - Node-RED API
• global - Global context storage
• env - Environment variables via env.get('VAR_NAME')
• fs, path, os, crypto, util, Buffer - Node.js modules
• fetch - HTTP client for API calls
• process - Process information

Usage

API call with custom types:

// Type Declarations tab
interface ApiResponse {
    data: {
        id: number;
        name: string;
        status: 'active' | 'inactive';
    }[];
    meta: {
        total: number;
        page: number;
    };
}

interface NodeMessage {
    payload?: {
        userId: number;
        filter?: string;
    };
}

// On Message tab
try {
    const apiKey = env.get('API_KEY');
    const { userId, filter } = msg.payload;
    
    const response = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/users/${userId}/data`, {
        headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}` }
    });
    
    if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error(`API error: ${response.status}`);
    }
    
    const apiData: ApiResponse = await response.json();
    msg.payload = apiData.data.filter(item => 
        filter ? item.name.includes(filter) : true
    );
    
    return msg;
} catch (error) {
    node.error(error.message);
    return null;
}

Configuration

The TypeScript node provides the same functionality as the standard Function node but with TypeScript support and enhanced features:

Editor Tabs

• On Start - Code executed once when the node starts (initialization)
• On Message - Main function code executed for each incoming message
• On Stop - Code executed when the node is stopped or redeployed (cleanup)

Setup Tab

• Type Declarations - Define custom TypeScript interfaces and types
• External Modules - Import npm modules with automatic type definitions
• Outputs - Number of outputs
• Timeout - Execution timeout in milliseconds
• Execution Mode - Function mode (faster) or VM mode (more secure)

Editor Features

• IntelliSense - Auto-completion for available context variables with precise type definitions
• TypeScript Validation - Real-time error checking with Node-RED context awareness
• Smart Error Filtering - Automatically ignores await/return errors for seamless Node-RED integration
• Syntax Highlighting - Full TypeScript syntax support
• Template Code - Helpful starter template for new nodes

The editor provides comprehensive TypeScript support with:

• Type checking for all Node-RED context variables (msg, node, env, etc.)
• Automatic filtering of context-specific errors (await/return statements work seamlessly)
• Real-time validation as you type with precise error messages and suggestions

License

This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

You are free to use this software in commercial environments, modify it, and distribute it without requiring to share your modifications.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to @sheng-ri for the fork that contributed important fixes and improvements including:

• No declare-error check on close.
• Fixed duplicate type definition issue.