When attempting to build a project using Vite, you may encounter a SyntaxError: Unexpected reserved word. This error typically points to a specific line in a Vite-related file and is a common issue for developers.

The full error message often appears as follows:

textroot@ip-172-7825752:/opt/lampp/htdocs/motoshare.in# npm run build
> build
> vite build

file:///opt/lampp/htdocs/motoshare.in/node_modules/vite/bin/vite.js:7
await import(‘source-map-support’).then((r) => r.default.install())
^^^^^

SyntaxError: Unexpected reserved word
at Loader.moduleStrategy (internal/modules/esm/translators.js:133:18)
at async link (internal/modules/esm/module_job.js:42:21)

This problem occurs in various development environments, including those using Laravel, React, or Electron with Vite.

Cause of the Error

The primary cause of the SyntaxError: Unexpected reserved word is an incompatible or outdated version of Node.js. Modern development tools like Vite use recent JavaScript features, such as top-level await, which are not supported by older Node.js versions. For example, using Vite with Laravel 9 requires Node.js version 16 or higher. Developers have reported encountering this error with Node.js versions like 12 and 14.

Solution

To resolve this error, you must update or switch to a compatible version of Node.js. Using Node Version Manager (nvm) is a common and effective way to manage and switch between different Node.js versions.

Follow these steps to fix the issue:

1. Check your current Node.js version by running the following command in your terminal: bashnode -v
2. Install a newer version of Node.js using nvm. Versions such as 16, 18, 21, or 22 have been shown to resolve the issue. To install version 22, for example, use this command: bashnvm install 22
3. Switch to the newly installed version. After the installation is complete, tell nvm to use the new version: bashnvm use 22
4. Re-run your build command. With the updated Node.js version active, you can now execute your original command, which should complete successfully. bashnpm run build