Introduction to Webpack
The Webpack is defined as a module blunder and also helps to bundle the modules and have different task runner. All assets and files are considered as modules and have one dependency graph in it. The dependency graph is used to relate the modules with each other taking help from references between files. It is used to traverse the modules so that the dependency graph can be created so that one single bundle can be built. The programming language used for this purpose is JavaScript.
What is Webpack?
It is defined as a static module bundler that uses JavaScript applications in it. A dependency graph is created that can be used to bundle all the JavaScript modules in one single module as all the JavaScript modules are interdependent on each other.
There are some important concepts that are related that needs to understand before using the tool. Some of them are mentioned below:
1. Entry
For the webpack module, the entry point is a module so that the webpack can start to build the internal type dependency graph. All the entry points and modules are included in the dependency graph so that no module is left in the dependency graph that is not included. The default entry point is ./src/index.js. A separate module can be also specified in webpack configuration files.
2. Output
It is another type of property that guides the location where bundles will be stored and what name need to be given to the files. By default, the value set is ./dist/main.js for the main bundle, and for generated files, the./dist is given as the default value. The other files can be image files or any other file. The value can be specified in the configuration file as per user requirements.
3. Loaders
There are two types of files type supported that includes JSON files and JavaScript files. For support, another type of file format the webpack uses the loaders so that it can convert the file into a valid format module. The loaders are used to convert the source of the non-supported module into the supported module so that it can added in the dependency graph. For example, the CoffeeScript language is converted in a JavaScript file.
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4. Plugins
The plugins are the alternative to loaders as they are more powerful than loader and perform several functions that loader can’t perform. The plugins can be used to manage the asset, minimization of the bundle, and optimize the bundles so that it can be used in a better way.
5. Mode
There are two categories of source code – one is for [production purpose and one is for development purpose. The module is used to change the mode to production, development or some other mode. The built-in options are there in the webpack. By default, the mode value set is to production.
How to Use Webpack?
As the webpack is used to compile the JavaScript modules. After installing, the user can interact either by API or CLI. There are several steps to get started with webpack:
- User needs to create a directory, initialization of npm, and then installation of webpack in the local system. And then webpack-cli need to be installed.
- After installation, the next step is to create the bundles. In this step, the source code and distribution code need to be segregated.
- After that module can be created using the web browsers. Using webpack old browsers can also be used.
- The next thing is to configure the webpack. There is one configuration file given that the user need to configure.
- The npm scripts are created to test the webpack copy using the webpack CLI.
- After creating the scripts, the scripts are run to get the output. The output can be displayed in webpack-CLI that helps to save efforts and cost.
Importance of Webpack
There are several important factor related. Some of them are mentioned below:
1. Automation
All the automation work is directly done by the webpack. There is no need to add JavaScript libraries in the HTML header webpack can be used to do all this stuff and help the developers to save efforts. It is used to add all necessary library into bundle so that it can be used in the modules.
2. Load Speed
When any single script is loaded in the webpage it takes a lot of effort and also a costlier method. The webpack helps in reducing the costing as all the modules can be bundle up into one single module. The webserver can easily fetch one single module compare to fetch all modules one by one.
3. Load Important Scripts Only
When any normal application is use, all the JavaScript modules are loaded by the normal application that create unnecessary burden but in webpack only necessary modules are loaded so that the necessary modules are only loaded and reduce the burden on the webserver. The Webpack is also important as it helps in code splitting. As the scripts can be loaded on demand by using this application.
4. Dependency Issues
The dependency issues are eliminated while using the webpack application. The libraries and scripts in such a manner that dependency among them can be reduce.
5. Development Can Be Done Fast
The Webpack offers hot module replacement so that development time can be reduced. By this, productivity can be a boost. The JavaScript module development cannot be boost up but the CSS module can be boost up using the webpack. As there is no need to load the full web page when the developer debug any issue in code or scripts. The build system can also be controlled with webpack.
Conclusion
The webpack is a type of application that is used for compiling the JavaScript modules. Using the webpack user can bundle up the different modules in one single module. The dependency graph can be created from all the modules. The dependency from modules can be easily removed by using the webpack. The webpack software reduce the efforts and cost while loading the JavaScript that creates more importance for using this tool.
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