gitwtfhub

wtf is haste-node?

skevy/haste-node — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2016-02-11

★ 2JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A dev tool that keeps Babel running in the background so your Node.js app restarts almost instantly after you save a file, instead of reloading Babel from scratch every time.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Watches files
      Keeps Babel loaded
      Fast restarts
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Babel
      Node.js
    Use cases
      Dev server reload
      CLI tool dev
      Replace nodemon babel-node
    Audience
      JS developers
      Node app builders
    Setup
      Dev dependency
      Configurable watch list
    Tradeoffs
      Dev only
      Build for production

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Speed up local development for a Node app written in modern JavaScript syntax.

REASON 2

Replace a nodemon + babel-node setup with faster restarts on file save.

REASON 3

Run an Express server or CLI tool with instant reload while writing ES6+ code.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptBabelNode.js

How it stacks up

skevy/haste-node3imed-jaberi/cryptography-si-isamm3imed-jaberi/koa-isomorphic-router
Stars222
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2016-02-112021-09-252021-02-06
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity2/51/52/5
Audiencedeveloperresearcherdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Development only, build with Babel and run plain Node for production.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to replace babel-node and nodemon in my package.json scripts with babel-watch.
Prompt 2
Help me configure babel-watch to only watch my src folder and ignore node_modules.
Prompt 3
Explain why babel-watch restarts are faster than babel-node restarts.
Prompt 4
Set up babel-watch for my Express server so it reloads instantly when I save a file.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is haste-node?

A dev tool that keeps Babel running in the background so your Node.js app restarts almost instantly after you save a file, instead of reloading Babel from scratch every time.

What language is haste-node written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Babel, Node.js.

Is haste-node actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2016-02-11).

How hard is haste-node to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is haste-node for?

Mainly developer.

View the repo → Decode another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Don't trust strangers blindly. Verify against the repo.

Other repos in this lane