TypeScript Path Aliases Still Break at Runtime in 2026 — Here Is Why

TypeScript path aliases defined in tsconfig.json only affect type-checking and editor autocomplete, not the JavaScript code the compiler actually emits. When tsc outputs JavaScript, alias imports such as @/components/Button remain unchanged, causing runtime failures because Node.js and other tools cannot resolve them. Every tool in the build pipeline — including Vite, Webpack, esbuild, Jest, and Node.js — requires its own separate alias resolution configuration. Developers often assume a single tsconfig.json paths entry is sufficient, but this misconception is a leading cause of silent production deployment failures. To prevent these issues, teams must treat path aliases as a cross-tool contract and configure resolution consistently across all build and runtime environments.
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