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javascriptnode.jsbrowserify

Avoid bundling specific modules with Browserify

I have a dependency tree like this:

index.js
      \__ A
      \__ B
          \__ C
          |   \__ D
           \__ E

I want to bundle index.js and that works fine: browserify --node index.js -o bundle.js

The problem is when one of the dependencies has a dependency. Let's suppose it's D that has a native dependency (C++ code).

I want to install it manually using npm install D and make the bundle.js to really require it from the disk, not from the bundle.js code.

How can I exclude the D module from the bundle and make the bundle to require it from the node_modules?

I tried using --ignore D, but it returns an empty object when required.

How can I require a real module from the node_modules directory (the way like Node's require does?

Solution

  • Use the --exclude option together with --node:

    browserify --node -s GlobalVariable your-script.js -o bundle.js --exclude some-dependency

    This will create the bundle.js file which will define the GlobalVariable variable if there is no CommonJS environment.

    --node is a handy option if you want to run the bundle in Node, not in the browser.

    The --exclude option will exclude the some-dependency module from the output bundle.

    Check out the Browserify Usage section.