refactor(@angular/build): remove unnecessary realpath resolution for workspace root

Previously, `canonicalizePath` resolved `context.workspaceRoot` using `realpathSync` unless `preserveSymlinks` was enabled. Resolving the workspace root was originally intended to align workspace paths with Node/TypeScript default physical file resolution, but created an unnecessary path asymmetry between `preserveSymlinks` settings and mutated the logical workspace path.

Furthermore, passing the resolved real path as `absWorkingDir` to esbuild caused esbuild to format metafile paths relative to the real path rather than the logical workspace root. This required workarounds to remap metafile paths back to the workspace root.

This change is safe today because Angular compiler plugins and path resolution utilities normalize relative paths dynamically without requiring `workspaceRoot` to be realpath'd. Removing `realpathSync` from `canonicalizePath` ensures `workspaceRoot` consistently remains the logical workspace path across all builders, esbuild natively formats metafile paths relative to `workspaceRoot`, and `remapMetafileBasePath` is no longer needed.

Author: clydin

packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/options.ts

@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export async function normalizeOptions(
     options.preserveSymlinks ?? process.execArgv.includes('--preserve-symlinks');
 
   // Setup base paths based on workspace root and project information
-  const workspaceRoot = canonicalizePath(context.workspaceRoot, preserveSymlinks);
+  const workspaceRoot = canonicalizePath(context.workspaceRoot);
   const projectMetadata = await context.getProjectMetadata(projectName);
   const { projectRoot, projectSourceRoot } = getProjectRootPaths(workspaceRoot, projectMetadata);
 

packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/options.ts

@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export async function normalizeOptions(
       : process.execArgv.includes('--preserve-symlinks');
 
   // Setup base paths based on workspace root and project information
-  const workspaceRoot = canonicalizePath(context.workspaceRoot, preserveSymlinks);
+  const workspaceRoot = canonicalizePath(context.workspaceRoot);
 
   const projectMetadata = await context.getProjectMetadata(projectName);
   const { projectRoot, projectSourceRoot } = getProjectRootPaths(workspaceRoot, projectMetadata);

packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/bundler-context.ts

@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import {
   context,
 } from 'esbuild';
 import assert from 'node:assert';
-import { realpathSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { basename, extname, join, relative, resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { toPosixPath } from '../../utils/path';
 import { SERVER_GENERATED_EXTERNALS } from '../../utils/server-rendering/manifest';
@@ -66,7 +65,6 @@ export class BundlerContext {
   #optionsFactory: BundlerOptionsFactory<BuildOptions & { metafile: true; write: false }>;
   #shouldCacheResult: boolean;
   #loadCache?: MemoryLoadResultCache;
-  #realWorkspaceRoot?: string;
   readonly watchFiles = new Set<string>();
 
   constructor(
@@ -264,17 +262,6 @@ export class BundlerContext {
       }
     }
 
-    // esbuild always resolves its working directory through symbolic links (including
-    // Windows directory junctions) and generates metafile paths relative to the resolved
-    // path. When `preserveSymlinks` is enabled, the workspace root is intentionally not
-    // resolved, and the metafile paths are then relative to a different base directory.
-    // The paths are remapped so that all downstream consumers can rely on the documented
-    // invariant that metafile paths are relative to the workspace root.
-    this.#realWorkspaceRoot ??= realpathSync(this.workspaceRoot);
-    if (this.#realWorkspaceRoot !== this.workspaceRoot) {
-      remapMetafileBasePath(result.metafile, this.#realWorkspaceRoot, this.workspaceRoot);
-    }
-
     // Update files that should be watched.
     // While this should technically not be linked to incremental mode, incremental is only
     // currently enabled with watch mode where watch files are needed.
@@ -510,61 +497,6 @@ export class BundlerContext {
  * @param fromBase The absolute base directory the metafile paths are currently relative to.
  * @param toBase The absolute base directory the metafile paths should be made relative to.
  */
-export function remapMetafileBasePath(metafile: Metafile, fromBase: string, toBase: string): void {
-  const remapped = new Map<string, string>();
-  const remap = (value: string): string => {
-    // Skip virtual files and paths with a scheme-like or namespace prefix (e.g., `angular:`)
-    if (
-      isInternalAngularFile(value) ||
-      isInternalBundlerFile(value) ||
-      /^[^\\/.]{2,}:/.test(value)
-    ) {
-      return value;
-    }
-
-    let result = remapped.get(value);
-    if (result === undefined) {
-      // esbuild metafile paths always use POSIX path separators
-      result = toPosixPath(relative(toBase, resolve(fromBase, value)));
-      remapped.set(value, result);
-    }
-
-    return result;
-  };
-
-  const inputs: Metafile['inputs'] = {};
-  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(metafile.inputs)) {
-    for (const importRecord of value.imports) {
-      if (!importRecord.external) {
-        importRecord.path = remap(importRecord.path);
-      }
-    }
-    inputs[remap(key)] = value;
-  }
-  metafile.inputs = inputs;
-
-  const outputs: Metafile['outputs'] = {};
-  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(metafile.outputs)) {
-    if (value.entryPoint !== undefined) {
-      value.entryPoint = remap(value.entryPoint);
-    }
-    if (value.cssBundle !== undefined) {
-      value.cssBundle = remap(value.cssBundle);
-    }
-    for (const importRecord of value.imports) {
-      if (!importRecord.external) {
-        importRecord.path = remap(importRecord.path);
-      }
-    }
-    const outputInputs: (typeof value)['inputs'] = {};
-    for (const [inputKey, inputValue] of Object.entries(value.inputs)) {
-      outputInputs[remap(inputKey)] = inputValue;
-    }
-    value.inputs = outputInputs;
-    outputs[remap(key)] = value;
-  }
-  metafile.outputs = outputs;
-}
 
 function isInternalAngularFile(file: string) {
   return file.startsWith('angular:');

packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/bundler-context_spec.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.dev/license
  */
 
-import { realpathSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { isAbsolute, posix, relative, resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { platform } from 'node:process';
 
@@ -53,18 +52,15 @@ export function isSubDirectory(parent: string, child: string): boolean {
 }
 
 /**
- * Canonicalizes a file path by normalising Windows drive-letter casing to uppercase
- * and optionally resolving symbolic links.
+ * Canonicalizes a file path by normalising Windows drive-letter casing to uppercase.
  *
  * @param pathString - The file path to canonicalize.
- * @param preserveSymlinks - If true, symbolic links will not be resolved.
  * @returns The canonicalized file path.
  */
-export function canonicalizePath(pathString: string, preserveSymlinks = false): string {
-  const resolved = preserveSymlinks ? pathString : realpathSync(pathString);
-  if (platform === 'win32' && /^[a-z]:/.test(resolved)) {
-    return resolved[0].toUpperCase() + resolved.slice(1);
+export function canonicalizePath(pathString: string): string {
+  if (platform === 'win32' && /^[a-z]:/.test(pathString)) {
+    return pathString[0].toUpperCase() + pathString.slice(1);
   }
 
-  return resolved;
+  return pathString;
 }

packages/angular/build/src/utils/path.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.dev/license
  */
 
-import { isSubDirectory } from './path';
+import { canonicalizePath, isSubDirectory } from './path';
 
 describe('isSubDirectory', () => {
   it('should return true for a direct child', () => {
@@ -39,3 +39,9 @@ describe('isSubDirectory', () => {
     expect(isSubDirectory('/foo/bar', '/foo/bar/..baz/qux')).toBeTrue();
   });
 });
+
+describe('canonicalizePath', () => {
+  it('should return the path unmodified on POSIX systems', () => {
+    expect(canonicalizePath('/foo/bar/baz')).toBe('/foo/bar/baz');
+  });
+});