Webpack
A static module bundler for modern JavaScript applications.
Webpack bundles JavaScript modules — and, via loaders, CSS, images, fonts, and many other assets — into static files for the browser. It became the dominant frontend bundler in the mid- 2010s and powered most of the modern frontend tooling ecosystem during that period: Create React App, Next.js's older versions, Vue CLI, Angular CLI, and many others all built on Webpack.
The configuration file (webpack.config.js) became famously intricate as projects grew, with separate concerns (loaders for each file type, plugins, optimisation, dev-server settings) adding up to non-trivial JavaScript code. The complexity is also Webpack's strength — almost any imaginable bundling behaviour is achievable.
Tobias Koppers started Webpack in 2012. The project is funded by sponsorships and an Open Collective. Vite, esbuild, Turbopack, and other newer bundlers have captured most of the new-project bundler share over the past few years, but Webpack remains deeply embedded in many existing applications and continues to receive maintenance.
Install
npm install --save-dev webpack webpack-cli
Authors
- Tobias Koppers (creator)
- Webpack contributors