Builder updates: Git submodule and PNPM support

Creating a Javascript builder that is capable to build any kind of project is a long journey. That is why we frequently update the Defer builder to support various project types. Here are some of the notable features we've added in the past months.

• Typescript 5.x
• Node 20.x
• PNPM support
• Yarn Plug'n'Play
• Git submodule
• Text file import

Typescript 5.x

Microsoft released TypeScript 5.x in March. We can now assure you that it supports TypeScript 5.x without any drawbacks. The builder will automatically detect the TypeScript version for compilation, so no configuration is necessary.

Node 20.x

We are pleased to announce that we now support NodeJS versions 16.x, 18.x, and 20.x. Moving forward, we will continue to support all new LTS versions as they become available. In light of our recent addition of NodeJS 20.x support, we have made NodeJS 18.x the default for newly created projects.

PNPM support

Although NPM remains the most widely used package manager, the rapid rise of PNPM is making it an important player in the NodeJS ecosystem. That's why we have put in lot of effort to incorporate PNPM support into Defer. This has been a challenging task since PNPM works differently from other package managers. From now on, when a project has a pnpm-lock.yaml file, the builder will automatically use PNPM.

Yarn Plug'n'Play

Starting from the Yarn 2.x series, PnP is the default linker used. To ensure compatibility with projects using Yarn PnP, we are now forcing the linker value to node-modules before installing dependencies. This change will not affect the project, but will allow the builder to navigate the node_modules folder.

Git submodule

For those who prefer a centralized code, monorepos already works out of the box. However, for those who prefer to explode their codebase, we are pleased to announce that we now support Git submodules. Submodules in public Github repositories require no configuration, but for private repositories, please ensure the Github App has access.

Text file import

The number of LLM applications is increasing every day, and so are our customers need to automate their OpenAPI workflows. Our builder now supports importing .md and .txt files, making it way easier to organize their prompts.