javascript - How to make an import shortcut/alias in create-react-app?

Question

How to set import shortcuts/aliases in create-react-app? From this:

import { Layout } from '../../Components/Layout'

to this:

import { Layout } from '@Components/Layout'

I have a webpack 4.42.0 version. I don't have a webpack.config.js file in the root directory. I've tried to create one myself with this code inside:

const path = require('path')

module.exports = {
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/'),
    }
  }
};

But it doesn't seem to work. I've seen the NODE_PATH=. variant in .env file. But I believe, it is deprecated - better not to use. And also, I have a posstcss.config.js file. Because I've installed the TailwindCss and I import the CSS library there. I've tried to paste the same code there, but it also didn't work.

Answer 1

NOTE FOR CONFUSING TERMS

// Absolute path: paths which are relative to specific path

import Input from 'components' // src/components
import UsersUtils from 'page/users/utils' // src/page/users/utils

// Alias path: other naming to specific path
import Input from '@components' // src/components
import UsersUtils from '@userUtils' // src/page/users/utils

In order for webpack's aliases to work, you need to configure the default webpack.config.js of create-react-app.

The official way is to use the eject script.

But the recommended way is to use a library without ejecting, like craco.

After following the installation, add craco.config.js to your root folder with the desired configuration.

My example:

// craco.config.js
const path = require(`path`);
const alias = require(`./src/config/aliases`);

const SRC = `./src`;
const aliases = alias(SRC);

const resolvedAliases = Object.fromEntries(
  Object.entries(aliases).map(([key, value]) => [key, path.resolve(__dirname, value)]),
);

module.exports = {
  webpack: {
    alias: resolvedAliases,
  },
};

Where aliases.js (./src/config/aliases) exports a helper function:

const aliases = (prefix = `src`) => ({
  '@atoms': `${prefix}/components/atoms`,
  '@molecules': `${prefix}/components/molecules`,
  '@organisms': `${prefix}/components/organisms`,
  '@templates': `${prefix}/components/templates`,
  '@components': `${prefix}/components`,
  '@config': `${prefix}/config`,
  '@enums': `${prefix}/enums`,
  '@hooks': `${prefix}/hooks`,
  '@icons': `${prefix}/components/atoms/Icons`,
  '@styles': `${prefix}/styles`,
  '@utils': `${prefix}/utils`,
  '@state': `${prefix}/state`,
  '@types': `${prefix}/types`,
  '@storybookHelpers': `../.storybook/helpers`,
});

module.exports = aliases;

VSCode IntelliSense

In addition, you should add jsconfig.json file for path IntelliSense in VSCode (or tsconfig.json), see followup question.

Now such code with IntelliSense will work:

// NOTE THAT THOSE ARE ALIASES, NOT ABSOLUTE PATHS
// AutoComplete and redirection works
import {ColorBox} from '@atoms';
import {RECOIL_STATE} from '@state';