Sucrase is a fast, modern JavaScript and TypeScript compiler that offers near-instantaneous build times by focusing solely on syntax transformations. Unlike full type checkers, Sucrase removes TypeScript types and converts modern JavaScript syntax (like JSX, optional chaining, and nullish coalescing) into older, widely supported versions. This makes it ideal for development and environments where speed is crucial and detailed type checking is handled separately. Significantly faster than tools like Babel or tsc for quick iterations.
Sucrase releases were frequent in 2017 and 2018, with several months having multiple versions. The release frequency significantly decreased from 2019 onwards, with many months having no releases. Releases became sparse after 2021 with many months in a row having no releases. There have been no releases in 2024 or the first eight months of 2025.
Sucrase downloads showed strong growth from March 2024 to June 2025, peaking at over 71 million. After June 2025 the downloads began to diminish a bit. August downloads were around 67.5 million. September 2025 is incomplete, showing ~4.9 million downloads as of September 3rd.
