Debugging React Apps Written in TypeScript

Debugging is an essential part of any developer's workflow. However, debugging TypeScript in a React app requires some additional setup. This guide will show you how to set up your development environment to debug a React web app written in TypeScript.

VS Code

Set Up Debugging in VS Code

Open your project in VS Code.
Ensure that package.json contains a "start": "react-scripts start" script.
Ensure that tsconfig.json has "sourceMap": true in the compilerOptions object.
Ensure the following configurations are set up in your launch.json file.
{ "default": "Start and Debug React App", // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes. // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes. // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387 "version": "0.2.0", "configurations": [ { "name": "Start React App", "type": "node-terminal", "request": "launch", "command": "npm start", "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}" }, { "name": "Debug React App", "type": "chrome", "request": "launch", "url": "http://localhost:3000", "webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}/src", "sourceMaps": true, "trace": true }, { "name": "Attach to Chrome", "type": "chrome", "request": "attach", "port": 9222, "webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}/src", "sourceMaps": true, "trace": true } ], "compounds": [ { "name": "Start and Debug React App", "configurations": ["Start React App", "Debug React App"] } ] }
Note that the "Attach to Chrome" configuration is not strictly necessary, but can be helpful in some situations if you already have the app running. Use your AI assistant to help you decide when to use that.
Press F5 to begin debugging.

JetBrains WebStorm

Set Up Debugging in WebStorm

Open your project in WebStorm.
Ensure that package.json contains a "start": "react-scripts start" script.
Ensure that tsconfig.json has "sourceMap": true in the compilerOptions object.
Follow the instructions listed in the WebStorm documentation. Debug a TypeScript application running on an external web server.

21 November 2025