Registry / web-framework / browserify-dev-bundler

browserify-dev-bundler

library2.0.0jsnpmunverified

On-demand browserify bundler middleware for development with watchify support. Version 2.0.0 is the latest stable release, with low release cadence (last release in 2016). It dynamically bundles CommonJS modules via HTTP requests, caching bundles with watchify for fast responses during development. Unlike manual watchify tasks or file-based bundling, it integrates directly as Express middleware, intercepting *.js requests and bundling on the fly. Not suitable for production—use browserify build process instead. Works with Node.js and Express.

web-framework devops

npm install browserify-dev-bundler

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · BROWSERIFY-DEV-BUN

browserify-dev-bundler

web-frameworkjavascriptv2.0.0

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

DevBundler

✓ const DevBundler = require('browserify-dev-bundler');

✗ import DevBundler from 'browserify-dev-bundler';

CJS-only package; no ESM exports. Default export is the constructor.

middleware

✓ app.use(bundler.middleware());

✗ app.use(DevBundler.middleware);

middleware() returns a function; must be called on a DevBundler instance.

events

✓ bundler.on('pre-bundle', (bundle, modName, modPath) => {});

✗ bundler.addEventListener('pre-bundle', ...);

Uses Node.js EventEmitter pattern; .on() not addEventListener.

Sets up an Express server with on-demand browserify bundling using the middleware.

const express = require('express'); const DevBundler = require('browserify-dev-bundler'); const path = require('path'); const app = express(); const bundler = DevBundler({ root: path.join(__dirname, 'public', 'js'), watchify: true, debug: true, transforms: [] }); app.use(bundler.middleware()); app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Dev server on 3000')); // Request GET /app.js => bundles public/js/app.js

Debug

Known issues

gotchaMiddleware matches all *.js files by default; may unintentionally bundle non-module JS files or cause conflicts with static file serving.

fix

Use a regex pattern to restrict which URLs are bundled: e.g., bundler.middleware(/^\/js\/(.+)\.js$/).

affects: >=1.0.0

deprecatedwatchify is enabled by default, which may cause high memory usage in large projects or when many files change.

fix

Set watchify: false if you don't need auto-rebundling, or manually manage watchify instances.

affects: >=1.0.0

breakingVersion 2.0.0 changed the default middleware behavior to intercept all *.js; previous versions used a different default pattern.

fix

Update regex patterns if you relied on older defaults; use bundler.middleware(/^\/js\/(.+)\.js$/) to restrict paths.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaaddFile option overrides default bundle.add(); using bundle.require() without expose can cause double bundling or missing dependencies.

fix

Ensure addFile function uses bundle.require() with expose option for modules that need to be requireable by other bundles.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchabundle-error event does not prevent crashes; unhandled errors may crash the server.

fix

Always attach a listener to 'bundle-error' event: bundler.on('bundle-error', err => console.error(err)).

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Cannot find module 'browserify'

Missing peer dependency browserify; not automatically installed with npm install.

fix

Run: npm install browserify watchify --save-dev

bundler.middleware is not a function

Forgetting to instantiate DevBundler with new; calling DevBundler() without new returns a constructor, not an instance.

fix

Use: const bundler = new DevBundler(options); or simply DevBundler(options) (works without new due to internal check).

Upgrade

Version history

2.0.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

browserifyrequiredCore bundler dependency for transforming CommonJS modules into browser-compatible bundles

watchifyrequiredRequired for caching and automatic re-bundling on file changes during development

Agent activity

5 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/selfcontained/browserify-dev-bundler ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/browserify-dev-bundler ↗