Webpack ProvidePlugin vs externals?

Question

I\'m exploring the idea of using Webpack with Backbone.js.

I\'ve followed the quick start guide and has a general idea of how Webpack works, but I\'m unclear on how

Answer 1

It's both possible: You can include libraries with a // the artifial module "jquery" exports the global var "jQuery" externals: { jquery: "jQuery" } // inside any module var $ = require("jquery");

Example with library included in bundle:

copy `jquery-git2.min.js` to your local filesystem

// make "jquery" resolve to your local copy of the library
// i. e. through the resolve.alias option
resolve: { alias: { jquery: "/path/to/jquery-git2.min.js" } }

// inside any module
var $ = require("jquery");

---

The ProvidePlugin can map modules to (free) variables. So you could define: "Every time I use the (free) variable xyz inside a module you (webpack) should set xyz to require("abc")."

Example without ProvidePlugin:

// You need to require underscore before you can use it
var _ = require("underscore");
_.size(...);

Example with ProvidePlugin:

plugins: [
  new webpack.ProvidePlugin({
    "_": "underscore"
  }) 
]

// If you use "_", underscore is automatically required
_.size(...)

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Summary:

• Library from CDN: Use