What are webpack plugins and loaders?

What are webpack plugins and loaders?

Webpack plugins and loaders are tools that help you manage and transform your code during the build process. Loaders preprocess files, while plugins can perform a wider range of tasks.

Can you give me examples of some common loaders?

Sure! Some common loaders include 'babel-loader' for transpiling JavaScript, 'css-loader' for handling CSS files, and 'file-loader' for managing file imports.

What about plugins? What are some popular ones?

Popular webpack plugins include 'HtmlWebpackPlugin' for generating HTML files, 'MiniCssExtractPlugin' for extracting CSS into separate files, and 'CleanWebpackPlugin' for cleaning the output directory before each build.

How do I configure a loader in my webpack config?

To configure a loader, you need to add a 'module' section in your webpack config file, specifying the test condition and the loader to use. For example:

module: {
  rules: [
    {
      test: /.js$/, 
      use: 'babel-loader'
    }
  ]
}