Setting up Webpack for any Typescript project from Scratch

Welcome to step by step hands-on guide to setup webpack in your upcoming typescript project. Please follow the steps and you should be able to create your own webpack project. Please download the source code from github.

You will learn below things:

1. ✅Create a Typescript node.js project.
2. ✅Install Dependencies with webpack & typescripts.
3. ✅Use Webpack CLI to crate webpack.config.js file and modify webpack.config.js based on our need.
4. ✅Add Build script in package.json At this point you should see the dist folder created with bundle file.
5. ✅Create TypeDefinition Bundle.
6. ✅Clean up dist folder before create bundle.
7. ✅Copy your library package.json to your dist folder.
8. ✅Creating Typescript documentation of your project

Table of Contents

🌄Creating a Typescript Node.js Project

Run below script to create default node.js project.

npm init --y

Step 1- Install Dependencies

Run below script to get all of the dependencies

npm i -D wepack-cli webpack typescript ts-loader declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin copy-webpack-plugin clean-webpack-plugin @types/node @types/webpack

package.json looks like this:

{
    "name": "@scci-questions/itemslibrary-contracts-app",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "",
    "main": "index.js",
    "scripts": {},
    "keywords": [],
    "author": "",
    "license": "ISC",
    "devDependencies": {
        "@types/node": "^12.0.4",
        "@types/webpack": "^4.4.32",
        "clean-webpack-plugin": "^3.0.0",
        "copy-webpack-plugin": "^5.0.3",
        "declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin": "^1.0.3",
        "ts-loader": "^6.0.1",
        "typescript": "^3.5.1",
        "webpack": "^4.32.2",
        "webpack-cli": "^3.3.2",
        "wepack-cli": "0.0.1-security"
    }
}

Step 2- Add TSConfig File ( required for typescript project)

Add tsconfig file at the root of the project tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "module": "commonjs",
    "noImplicitAny": true,
    "removeComments": true,
    "preserveConstEnums": true,
    "sourceMap": true,
    "declaration": true,
    "moduleResolution": "node",
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "rootDir": "."
  },
  "include": ["src"]
}

Step 3- Create Calculator.ts file

src\calculator.ts

export class Calculator {
    static version = '1'
    constructor() {}
    add(a: number, b: number) {
        console.log(`version ${Calculator.version}`)
        return a + b
    }
}

Step 4- Create Index.ts File

create index file to export all of the public apis/modules.

src\index.ts

export * from './calculator'

🚿Creating Webpack.config.js file

Run below script to go with interactive webpack cli

npx webpack-cli init

Webpack cli will ask you below questions and then it will create the webpack.config.js file automatically See my answers to below questions.

? Will your application have multiple bundles? No
? Which module will be the first to enter the application? [default: ./src/index]
? Which folder will your generated bundles be in? [default: dist]:
? Will you be using ES2015? No
? Will you use one of the below CSS solutions? No

Will you be using ES2015?

Answer: No, since I will use Typescript therefore I answer No to below question.

Will you use one of the below CSS solutions?

Answer: No, since My project is purely typescript library project I don't have web project also I don't have html css. Therefore, I selected no for CSS question.

Adding Entry Point in Webpack

    entry: {
        "mylib": path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/index.ts')
    },

Adding Typescript Loader

Add below rule in your webpack.config.js file.

  module: {
        rules: [
            {
                test: /\.ts$/,
                exclude: [/node_modules/],
                loader: 'ts-loader'
            }
        ]
    },

Remove Chunk Hashing

Normally webpack will create a bundle file with hashed file name. I personally don't like it therefore I am removing the hash from output. Feel free to skip this step.

webpack.config.js

    output: {
        chunkFilename: '[name].js',
        filename: '[name].js'
    },

Add devtools

In webpack.config.js add devtool

devtool:'source-map',

Add Resolve for Typescript extensions

In webpack.config.js add resolve

resolve: { extensions: ['.ts'] },

🔧Add Build Script in package.json

"scripts": {
    "build": "webpack"
},

Now if you run npm run build you should see the dist folder to be created with your output file.

Build Output in Dist Folder:

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🏆Commit Link https://github.com/rupeshtiwari/setup-webpack-from-scratch-for-typescript/commit/adc2c62508ba534026bed81fb9ff7d2a6d8c7f9b

🍺Create TypeDefinition Bundle

It is always a good idea to also create type definition bundle so that your library can be used by other projects and they can get the type intellisense.

Step 1- add fix for type definition bundler webpack plugin

Add below file declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin.fix.js

const DeclarationBundlerPlugin = require('declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin')

let buggyFunc = DeclarationBundlerPlugin.prototype.generateCombinedDeclaration
DeclarationBundlerPlugin.prototype.generateCombinedDeclaration = function(
    declarationFiles
) {
    for (var fileName in declarationFiles) {
        let declarationFile = declarationFiles[fileName]
        declarationFile._value =
            declarationFile._value || declarationFile.source()
    }
    return buggyFunc.call(this, declarationFiles)
}

module.exports = DeclarationBundlerPlugin

Step 2- add DeclarationBundlerPlugin to webpack.config.js

const DeclarationBundlerPlugin = require('./declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin.fix')

...
 plugins: [
        new UglifyJSPlugin(),
        new DeclarationBundlerPlugin({
            moduleName: '"mylib"',
            out: '@types/index.d.ts'
        })
    ],
...

Complete webpack.config.js file looks like below:

const webpack = require('webpack')
const path = require('path')
const DeclarationBundlerPlugin = require('./declaration-bundler-webpack-plugin.fix')
const UglifyJSPlugin = require('uglifyjs-webpack-plugin')

module.exports = {
    entry: {
        mylib: path.resolve(__dirname, 'src/index.ts')
    },
    module: {
        rules: [
            {
                test: /\.ts$/,
                exclude: [/node_modules/],
                loader: 'ts-loader'
            }
        ]
    },
    resolve: { extensions: ['.ts'] },
    output: {
        chunkFilename: '[name].js',
        filename: '[name].js'
    },

    mode: 'development',
    plugins: [
        new UglifyJSPlugin(),
        new DeclarationBundlerPlugin({
            moduleName: '"mylib"',
            out: '@types/index.d.ts'
        })
    ],
    devtool: 'source-map',
    optimization: {
        splitChunks: {
            cacheGroups: {
                vendors: {
                    priority: -10,
                    test: /[\\/]node_modules[\\/]/
                }
            },

            chunks: 'async',
            minChunks: 1,
            minSize: 30000,
            name: true
        }
    }
}

Step 3- Create Build

Now run npm run build It will crate dist folder with library bundle and type definition bundle as well.

Dist folder with mylib.js and @types

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🏆Commit Link https://github.com/rupeshtiwari/setup-webpack-from-scratch-for-typescript/commit/adc2c62508ba534026bed81fb9ff7d2a6d8c7f9b

🌱Clean up dist folder before create bundle.

Add below code in webpack.config.js

const { CleanWebpackPlugin }  = require('clean-webpack-plugin')

     plugins: [
      new CleanWebpackPlugin(),
      ...
    ],

Now add some garbage files in dist folder and run npm run build you should see your garbage files are deleted and only types and lib files are there.

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🏆Commit Link https://github.com/rupeshtiwari/setup-webpack-from-scratch-for-typescript/commit/5f77ec0af2cf89b1e7508d14697d562a8202becb

📠Copy your library package.json to your dist folder

You should copy package.json to dist folder so that you can publish your dist folder to npm.org

Step 1- Create src\package.json file with below code.

{
    "name": "my-sample-typescript",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "My Library",
    "author": "",
    "license": "ISC"
}

Step 3- Copy package.json after build

Add below webpack plugin to copy package.json file to dist.

const CopyWebpackPlugin = require('copy-webpack-plugin')


plugins: [
...
        new CopyWebpackPlugin([
            {
                from: './src/package.json',
                to: '../dist/package.json'
            }
        ])
    ],

Now if you run the npm run build you should see package.json file in your dist folder

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🏆Commit Link : https://github.com/rupeshtiwari/setup-webpack-from-scratch-for-typescript/commit/fc1a1cd7c240f63877957083cbe84fce72db975e

📝Creating Typescript documentation of your project

Read my article for detail insight https://rupeshtiwari.com/how-to-create-documentation-of-any-typescript-project/

Step 1- Install typedoc

Run below script to install typedoc and webpack plugin for typedoc

npm i -D typedoc-webpack-plugin typedoc

Step 2- Update webpack.config.js

Add below code in your webpack.config.js file.

const TypedocWebpackPlugin = require('typedoc-webpack-plugin')

   plugins: [
       ...
        new TypedocWebpackPlugin({
            out: 'docs'
        })
    ],

Now if you run the npm run build you should see docs folder created you can browse via any browser and see them. 👌

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🏆Commit Link : https://github.com/rupeshtiwari/setup-webpack-from-scratch-for-typescript/commit/33ca92547efbead58cb783a78fa51d847db7d2b4