JavaScript Module Bundlers and Task Runners Comparison
webpack vs rollup vs gulp vs browserify vs grunt vs parcel
1 Year
webpackrollupgulpbrowserifygruntparcel
What's JavaScript Module Bundlers and Task Runners?

JavaScript module bundlers and task runners are essential tools in modern web development that help manage and optimize the workflow of building applications. They allow developers to bundle JavaScript files, manage dependencies, and automate repetitive tasks such as minification, transpilation, and live reloading. These tools enhance the development experience by improving performance, reducing load times, and ensuring that applications are modular and maintainable. Each tool has its unique features and use cases, making it crucial for developers to choose the right one based on their project requirements and team preferences.

NPM Package Downloads Trend
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Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
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webpack26,956,16364,8895.21 MB25313 days agoMIT
rollup26,133,99025,4572.6 MB58312 days agoMIT
gulp1,394,26233,03311.2 kB319 months agoMIT
browserify1,385,00314,624363 kB3962 months agoMIT
grunt768,28812,26468.3 kB1612 years agoMIT
parcel191,90843,54643.9 kB6592 days agoMIT
Feature Comparison: webpack vs rollup vs gulp vs browserify vs grunt vs parcel

Bundling Approach

  • webpack:

    Webpack is highly configurable and supports various module formats, allowing for complex bundling scenarios and optimizations.

  • rollup:

    Rollup focuses on ES module bundling and tree-shaking, producing smaller and more optimized bundles by removing unused code.

  • gulp:

    Gulp uses a streaming approach to bundle files, allowing for more efficient processing and better performance during the build process.

  • browserify:

    Browserify allows you to use Node.js-style require() calls in your browser code, enabling a straightforward bundling process for CommonJS modules.

  • grunt:

    Grunt does not bundle files directly; instead, it automates tasks that can include bundling through plugins, making it more of a task runner than a bundler.

  • parcel:

    Parcel automatically bundles your files without requiring configuration, making it user-friendly and efficient for smaller projects.

Configuration Complexity

  • webpack:

    Webpack has a steep learning curve due to its extensive configuration options, but it offers unparalleled flexibility and power for complex applications.

  • rollup:

    Rollup requires some configuration, especially for plugins and optimizations, but it is generally simpler than Webpack.

  • gulp:

    Gulp's configuration is more straightforward as it uses JavaScript code, allowing for a more programmatic approach to defining tasks.

  • browserify:

    Browserify requires minimal configuration, making it easy to set up for projects that use CommonJS modules.

  • grunt:

    Grunt relies heavily on configuration files, which can become complex and verbose as the project grows, requiring more maintenance.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is designed to work out of the box with zero configuration, making it ideal for developers who want to get started quickly without setup overhead.

Performance

  • webpack:

    Webpack can be optimized for performance, but its initial setup may lead to longer build times without proper configuration. However, it excels in handling large applications with complex dependencies.

  • rollup:

    Rollup generates highly optimized bundles with tree-shaking capabilities, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster load times for applications.

  • gulp:

    Gulp is known for its speed due to its streaming build system, which processes files in memory and can handle large projects efficiently.

  • browserify:

    Browserify can be slower for larger projects due to its single-threaded nature and the way it processes modules, but it is efficient for smaller applications.

  • grunt:

    Grunt can be slower than other tools because it runs tasks sequentially, which may lead to longer build times for larger projects.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is designed for speed and automatically optimizes builds, making it one of the fastest bundlers available, especially for smaller projects.

Ecosystem and Community

  • webpack:

    Webpack has a large and active community, with extensive documentation and a rich ecosystem of plugins and loaders, making it the go-to choice for many developers.

  • rollup:

    Rollup has a dedicated community focused on module bundling, especially for libraries, and it supports various plugins for extended functionality.

  • gulp:

    Gulp has a strong community and a rich ecosystem of plugins, allowing for extensive customization and functionality in build processes.

  • browserify:

    Browserify has a smaller ecosystem compared to others, but it integrates well with Node.js libraries and has a dedicated community.

  • grunt:

    Grunt has a vast ecosystem of plugins, making it versatile for various tasks, but its popularity has declined in favor of newer tools.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is gaining popularity for its simplicity and ease of use, and its community is growing rapidly, leading to more plugins and resources.

Learning Curve

  • webpack:

    Webpack has a steep learning curve due to its complexity and configuration options, but it offers powerful features for those willing to invest the time.

  • rollup:

    Rollup has a moderate learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with ES modules and tree-shaking concepts.

  • gulp:

    Gulp is relatively easy to learn, especially for developers familiar with JavaScript, as it allows for a more intuitive task definition using code.

  • browserify:

    Browserify has a gentle learning curve, especially for developers familiar with Node.js and CommonJS modules.

  • grunt:

    Grunt can have a steep learning curve due to its configuration-heavy approach, which may be overwhelming for newcomers.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is designed to be user-friendly with little to no configuration, making it ideal for beginners and quick projects.

How to Choose: webpack vs rollup vs gulp vs browserify vs grunt vs parcel
  • webpack:

    Choose Webpack if you need a powerful and flexible bundler that supports complex configurations and advanced features like code splitting, hot module replacement, and asset management. It's suitable for large-scale applications.

  • rollup:

    Choose Rollup if you are focused on creating libraries or applications that require tree-shaking to eliminate dead code. Rollup excels in producing optimized bundles for ES modules.

  • gulp:

    Choose Gulp if you favor a code-over-configuration approach and want to create build processes using JavaScript code. Gulp is known for its speed and simplicity in defining streaming build processes.

  • browserify:

    Choose Browserify if you need a simple solution for bundling JavaScript modules using the CommonJS module system, especially for projects that prioritize compatibility with Node.js-style modules.

  • grunt:

    Choose Grunt if you prefer a configuration-driven approach to task automation and need a wide variety of plugins for different tasks. It's suitable for projects where you want to define tasks in a clear and organized manner.

  • parcel:

    Choose Parcel if you want a zero-configuration bundler that automatically handles dependencies and optimizations. It's ideal for quick prototypes or projects where you want to minimize setup time.

README for webpack


npm

node builds1 builds2 dependency-review coverage PR's welcome


install size

webpack

Webpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.

Table of Contents

  1. Install
  2. Introduction
  3. Concepts
  4. Contributing
  5. Support
  6. Core Team
  7. Sponsoring
  8. Premium Partners
  9. Other Backers and Sponsors
  10. Gold Sponsors
  11. Silver Sponsors
  12. Bronze Sponsors
  13. Backers
  14. Special Thanks

Install

Install with npm:

npm install --save-dev webpack

Install with yarn:

yarn add webpack --dev

Introduction

Webpack is a bundler for modules. The main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.

TL;DR

  • Bundles ES Modules, CommonJS, and AMD modules (even combined).
  • Can create a single bundle or multiple chunks that are asynchronously loaded at runtime (to reduce initial loading time).
  • Dependencies are resolved during compilation, reducing the runtime size.
  • Loaders can preprocess files while compiling, e.g. TypeScript to JavaScript, Handlebars strings to compiled functions, images to Base64, etc.
  • Highly modular plugin system to do whatever else your application requires.

Get Started

Check out webpack's quick Get Started guide and the other guides.

Browser Compatibility

Webpack supports all browsers that are ES5-compliant (IE8 and below are not supported). Webpack also needs Promise for import() and require.ensure(). If you want to support older browsers, you will need to load a polyfill before using these expressions.

Concepts

Plugins

Webpack has a rich plugin interface. Most of the features within webpack itself use this plugin interface. This makes webpack very flexible.

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :---------------------------------------: | :----------------: | :-----------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | mini-css-extract-plugin | mini-css-npm | mini-css-size | Extracts CSS into separate files. It creates a CSS file per JS file which contains CSS. | | compression-webpack-plugin | compression-npm | compression-size | Prepares compressed versions of assets to serve them with Content-Encoding | | html-webpack-plugin | html-plugin-npm | html-plugin-size | Simplifies creation of HTML files (index.html) to serve your bundles | | pug-plugin | pug-plugin-npm | pug-plugin-size | Renders Pug files to HTML, extracts JS and CSS from sources specified directly in Pug. |

Loaders

Webpack enables the use of loaders to preprocess files. This allows you to bundle any static resource way beyond JavaScript. You can easily write your own loaders using Node.js.

Loaders are activated by using loadername! prefixes in require() statements, or are automatically applied via regex from your webpack configuration.

Files

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :---------------: | :--------: | :----------: | :------------------------------------------------------- | | val-loader | val-npm | val-size | Executes code as module and considers exports as JS code |

JSON

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------: | :----------: | :------------------------------: | | | cson-npm | cson-size | Loads and transpiles a CSON file |

Transpiling

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-----------: | :------------: | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | | babel-npm | babel-size | Loads ES2015+ code and transpiles to ES5 using Babel | | | type-npm | type-size | Loads TypeScript like JavaScript | | | coffee-npm | coffee-size | Loads CoffeeScript like JavaScript |

Templating

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :-------------: | :--------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | html-npm | html-size | Exports HTML as string, requires references to static resources | | | pug-npm | pug-size | Loads Pug templates and returns a function | | | pug3-npm | pug3-size | Compiles Pug to a function or HTML string, useful for use with Vue, React, Angular | | | md-npm | md-size | Compiles Markdown to HTML | | | posthtml-npm | posthtml-size | Loads and transforms a HTML file using PostHTML | | | hbs-npm | hbs-size | Compiles Handlebars to HTML |

Styling

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :------------: | :-------------: | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | <style> | style-npm | style-size | Add exports of a module as style to DOM | | | css-npm | css-size | Loads CSS file with resolved imports and returns CSS code | | | less-npm | less-size | Loads and compiles a LESS file | | | sass-npm | sass-size | Loads and compiles a Sass/SCSS file | | | stylus-npm | stylus-size | Loads and compiles a Stylus file | | | postcss-npm | postcss-size | Loads and transforms a CSS/SSS file using PostCSS |

Frameworks

| Name | Status | Install Size | Description | | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :------------: | :-------------: | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | vue-npm | vue-size | Loads and compiles Vue Components | | | polymer-npm | polymer-size | Process HTML & CSS with preprocessor of choice and require() Web Components like first-class modules | | | angular-npm | angular-size | Loads and compiles Angular 2 Components | | | riot-npm | riot-size | Riot official webpack loader | | | svelte-npm | svelte-size | Official Svelte loader |

Performance

Webpack uses async I/O and has multiple caching levels. This makes webpack fast and incredibly fast on incremental compilations.

Module Formats

Webpack supports ES2015+, CommonJS and AMD modules out of the box. It performs clever static analysis on the AST of your code. It even has an evaluation engine to evaluate simple expressions. This allows you to support most existing libraries out of the box.

Code Splitting

Webpack allows you to split your codebase into multiple chunks. Chunks are loaded asynchronously at runtime. This reduces the initial loading time.

Optimizations

Webpack can do many optimizations to reduce the output size of your JavaScript by deduplicating frequently used modules, minifying, and giving you full control of what is loaded initially and what is loaded at runtime through code splitting. It can also make your code chunks cache friendly by using hashes.

Contributing

We want contributing to webpack to be fun, enjoyable, and educational for anyone, and everyone. We have a vibrant ecosystem that spans beyond this single repo. We welcome you to check out any of the repositories in our organization or webpack-contrib organization which houses all of our loaders and plugins.

Contributions go far beyond pull requests and commits. Although we love giving you the opportunity to put your stamp on webpack, we also are thrilled to receive a variety of other contributions including:

  • Documentation updates, enhancements, designs, or bugfixes
  • Spelling or grammar fixes
  • README.md corrections or redesigns
  • Adding unit, or functional tests
  • Triaging GitHub issues -- especially determining whether an issue still persists or is reproducible.
  • Searching #webpack on twitter and helping someone else who needs help
  • Teaching others how to contribute to one of the many webpack's repos!
  • Blogging, speaking about, or creating tutorials about one of webpack's many features.
  • Helping others in our webpack gitter channel.

To get started have a look at our documentation on contributing.

If you are worried or don't know where to start, you can always reach out to Sean Larkin (@TheLarkInn) on Twitter or simply submit an issue and a maintainer can help give you guidance!

We have also started a series on our Medium Publication called The Contributor's Guide to webpack. We welcome you to read it and post any questions or responses if you still need help.

Looking to speak about webpack? We'd love to review your talk abstract/CFP! You can email it to webpack [at] opencollective [dot] com and we can give pointers or tips!!!

Creating your own plugins and loaders

If you create a loader or plugin, we would <3 for you to open source it, and put it on npm. We follow the x-loader, x-webpack-plugin naming convention.

Support

We consider webpack to be a low-level tool used not only individually but also layered beneath other awesome tools. Because of its flexibility, webpack isn't always the easiest entry-level solution, however we do believe it is the most powerful. That said, we're always looking for ways to improve and simplify the tool without compromising functionality. If you have any ideas on ways to accomplish this, we're all ears!

If you're just getting started, take a look at our new docs and concepts page. This has a high level overview that is great for beginners!!

Looking for webpack 1 docs? Please check out the old wiki, but note that this deprecated version is no longer supported.

If you want to discuss something or just need help, here is our Gitter room where there are always individuals looking to help out!

If you are still having difficulty, we would love for you to post a question to StackOverflow with the webpack tag. It is much easier to answer questions that include your webpack.config.js and relevant files! So if you can provide them, we'd be extremely grateful (and more likely to help you find the answer!)

If you are twitter savvy you can tweet #webpack with your question and someone should be able to reach out and help also.

If you have discovered a 🐜 or have a feature suggestion, feel free to create an issue on GitHub.

License

FOSSA Status

Core Team


Tobias Koppers

Core


Founder of webpack


Johannes Ewald

Loaders & Plugins


Early adopter of webpack


Sean T. Larkin

Public Relations


Founder of the core team


Kees Kluskens

Development


Sponsor


Sponsoring

Most of the core team members, webpack contributors and contributors in the ecosystem do this open source work in their free time. If you use webpack for a serious task, and you'd like us to invest more time on it, please donate. This project increases your income/productivity too. It makes development and applications faster and it reduces the required bandwidth.

This is how we use the donations:

  • Allow the core team to work on webpack
  • Thank contributors if they invested a large amount of time in contributing
  • Support projects in the ecosystem that are of great value for users
  • Support projects that are voted most (work in progress)
  • Infrastructure cost
  • Fees for money handling

Premium Partners

Other Backers and Sponsors

Before we started using OpenCollective, donations were made anonymously. Now that we have made the switch, we would like to acknowledge these sponsors (and the ones who continue to donate using OpenCollective). If we've missed someone, please send us a PR, and we'll add you to this list.

Angular MoonMail MONEI

Gold Sponsors

Become a gold sponsor and get your logo on our README on GitHub with a link to your site.

Silver Sponsors

Become a silver sponsor and get your logo on our README on GitHub with a link to your site.

Bronze Sponsors

Become a bronze sponsor and get your logo on our README on GitHub with a link to your site.

Backers

Become a backer and get your image on our README on GitHub with a link to your site.

Special Thanks to

(In chronological order)