The first website was created by on August 6 1991 by British Computer Scientist Thomas Bernie Lee and it contained information about the World Wide Web Project. It launched at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN. On it, people could find out how to create web pages and learn about hypertext (coded words or phrases that link to content).
Tim Berners-Lee is also credited with developing the first web browser, Many others were soon developed, with Marc Andreessen's 1993 Mosaic (later Netscape), being particularly easy to use and install, and often credited with sparking the internet boom of the 1990s.
JavaScript, the language of the web was invented by Brendan Eich in 1995.
It was developed for Netscape 2, and became the ECMA-262 standard in 1997.
The invention of javascript provided great opportunities for developers to build impressive functionalities that run right in the browser but had created new problems, one of which entailed organizing javascript source files for a single web page.
The open nature of the web also provided for multiple solutions to be built for the same problems allowing developers a decent selection of solutions for whatever problems they faced while building for the web. The best way to organize and assemble multiple JavaScript code files into one file is to use module bundlers.
*JAVASCRIPT MODULE BUNDLERS *
A bundler is a development tool that combines multiple JavaScript code files into a single one that can be loaded in the browser and used in production. Generating a dependency graph when a bundler traverses your first code files is an outstanding feature. This implies that the module bundler keeps track of your source files’ and third-party’s dependencies starting at your provided entry point.
Dependency graph generation and eventual bundling are the two stages of a bundler’s operation.
The common JavaScript bundlers are Webpack and Rollup
*COMPARISON BETWEEN ROLLUP AND WEBPACK *
Rollup is a JavaScript module bundler that focuses on providing a simple and efficient way to bundle JavaScript code for modern web development. It is known for its tree-shaking capabilities, which eliminate unused code during the bundling process, resulting in smaller bundle sizes.
Webpack is a powerful module bundler for JavaScript applications. It allows developers to bundle and optimize their code, including JavaScript, CSS, and images, into a single output file.
Configuration
Webpack is highly configurable and allows for complex setups, making it suitable for large-scale projects with diverse requirements.
Rollup, on the other hand focuses on simplicity. It has a simpler configuration model, which makes it easier to set up and use for small to medium-sized projects.
Bundle Size
Rollup generally produces smaller bundle sizes compared to Webpack. It is known for its tree-shaking capabilities, allowing it to eliminate unused code and optimize the output significantly. Webpack, while it provides some optimization options, tends to have larger bundle sizes by default.
Code Splitting
Webpack has more advanced code splitting capabilities and provides various strategies for splitting code into separate bundles. Rollup also supports code splitting but has more limited options compared to Webpack.
Module Formats
Both Webpack and Rollup support multiple module formats such as ES modules, CommonJS, and AMD. However, Rollup is known for its excellent support for ES modules and is often preferred for projects targeting modern browser environments. Webpack, on the other hand supports a broader range of module formats, making it suitable for projects with legacy codebases.
Build Speed
Rollup is generally faster than Webpack when it comes to build times. It has a simpler and more streamlined build process, which leads to faster bundling. Webpack, due to its extensive feature set, can take longer to build, especially for larger projects.
Community and Ecosystem
Webpack has a larger and more established community compared to Rollup. It has a vast ecosystem of plugins, loaders, and tools developed by the community, which helps with integrating various technologies and simplifying complex setups. Rollup, while it has a smaller community, still has a decent number of plugins and tools available, but the ecosystem is not as extensive as Webpack's.
This article is a product of my hng intership journey. Learn more about hng here
Top comments (0)