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docs(dockerfile): warn about the npm omit=dev + tsc build trap in TypeScript Actors #2716

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docs(dockerfile): warn about the npm omit=dev + tsc build trap in TypeScript Actors #2716

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26 changes: 26 additions & 0 deletions sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md
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Expand Up @@ -79,6 +79,32 @@

:::

:::warning TypeScript Actors and `npm install --omit=dev`

If your Actor is written in TypeScript and its `package.json` `build` script invokes `tsc` (the TypeScript compiler), the JavaScript template's Dockerfile above will break the build inside the Docker image. `--omit=dev` drops `devDependencies` — including `typescript` — so `tsc` is not on `PATH` when the build script runs, and the whole image build fails with `sh: tsc: not found`.

Check failure on line 84 in sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md

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GitHub Actions / lint 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around '— '.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around '— '.", "location": {"path": "sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 84, "column": 270}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

Check failure on line 84 in sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md

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GitHub Actions / lint 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around '— '.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around '— '.", "location": {"path": "sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 84, "column": 245}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

For TypeScript projects, either:

1. Run the build **before** the production install (recommended — smaller final image):

Check failure on line 88 in sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md

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GitHub Actions / lint 

[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around ' — '.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around ' — '.", "location": {"path": "sources/platform/actors/development/actor_definition/source_code.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 88, "column": 64}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

```dockerfile
FROM apify/actor-node:24 AS build
COPY --chown=myuser:myuser package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --include=dev
COPY --chown=myuser:myuser . ./
RUN npm run build
RUN npm prune --omit=dev

FROM apify/actor-node:24
COPY --from=build --chown=myuser:myuser /home/myuser ./
```

2. Or drop `--omit=dev` from the single-stage install and rely on `npm run build` succeeding because devDependencies are present.

Symptoms of this trap: the remote build fails during the `RUN npm run build` step with `tsc: not found` (or `Cannot find module 'typescript'`) even though the code compiles locally. Every retry burns a build cycle, so it's worth catching in the Dockerfile itself.

:::

### `package.json`

The `package.json` file defines the `npm start` command:
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