Registry / devops / hard-source-webpack-plugin

hard-source-webpack-plugin

library0.13.1jsnpmunverified

HardSourceWebpackPlugin is a webpack plugin that provides intermediate caching of module compilation results to disk, drastically speeding up subsequent builds (second build is significantly faster). Version 0.13.1 is the latest stable release, last updated in 2020. It works by caching the output of webpack's module resolution and transformation steps, using a configurable cache directory and hash-based invalidation. Key differentiators: it caches at the module level (not just the entire bundle), supports parallel builds via ParallelModulePlugin, and allows excluding specific modules. However, it is no longer maintained and may have compatibility issues with modern webpack versions (5+), making it less suitable for new projects compared to persistent caching built into webpack 5.

devops

npm install hard-source-webpack-plugin

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · HARD-SOURCE-WEBPAC

hard-source-webpack-plugin

devopsjavascriptv0.13.1

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.

HardSourceWebpackPlugin

✓ const HardSourceWebpackPlugin = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin');

✗ import HardSourceWebpackPlugin from 'hard-source-webpack-plugin'; // ESM not supported

The package only supports CommonJS (require). Using ES6 import will fail.

HardSourceWebpackPlugin.ExcludeModulePlugin

✓ const { ExcludeModulePlugin } = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin');

✗ import { ExcludeModulePlugin } from 'hard-source-webpack-plugin'; // ESM not supported

ExcludeModulePlugin is a static property on HardSourceWebpackPlugin; destructure require or access via HardSourceWebpackPlugin.ExcludeModulePlugin.

HardSourceWebpackPlugin.ParallelModulePlugin

✓ const { ParallelModulePlugin } = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin');

✗ const ParallelModulePlugin = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin/parallel'); // wrong path

ParallelModulePlugin is available as a static property of the main export, not as a separate module.

Shows basic webpack configuration with HardSourceWebpackPlugin for caching modules to disk.

// webpack.config.js const HardSourceWebpackPlugin = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin'); module.exports = { entry: './src/index.js', output: { filename: 'bundle.js', path: __dirname + '/dist' }, plugins: [ new HardSourceWebpackPlugin({ cacheDirectory: 'node_modules/.cache/hard-source/[confighash]', info: { mode: 'none', level: 'warn' }, }), ], };

Debug

Known issues

deprecatedPackage is no longer maintained (last release 2020) and may not work with webpack 5+.

fix

Use webpack 5's built-in persistent caching (cache: { type: 'filesystem' }) instead. For webpack 4, consider using babel-loader's cacheDirectory or other caching strategies.

affects: >=0.13.0

breakingHardSourceWebpackPlugin may cause memory leaks or build failures with certain loaders, especially mini-css-extract-plugin.

fix

Use ExcludeModulePlugin to exclude problematic loaders, or switch to webpack 5 persistent cache.

affects: >=0.13.0

gotchaFirst build is not cached; only subsequent builds benefit. Cache must be manually cleared if build configuration changes unexpectedly.

fix

Delete the cache directory or use the configHash and environmentHash options to ensure cache invalidation.

affects: *

gotchaThe package does not support ES module imports (import). Only CommonJS require() works.

fix

Use const HardSourceWebpackPlugin = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin');

affects: *

gotchaParallelModulePlugin is experimental and may cause issues with webpack-dev-server or hot module replacement.

fix

Avoid using ParallelModulePlugin with dev server; consider using webpack's built-in parallelism (webpack 5) or thread-loader.

affects: >=0.13.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Module not found: Error: Can't resolve 'hard-source-webpack-plugin'

Package not installed or mistaken import path.

fix

Run npm install --save-dev hard-source-webpack-plugin and ensure the require path is correct.

Error: HardSourceWebpackPlugin is not a constructor

Using ES6 import instead of CommonJS require.

fix

Change import HardSourceWebpackPlugin from ... to const HardSourceWebpackPlugin = require('hard-source-webpack-plugin');

TypeError: Cannot read property 'tap' of undefined

Incompatible version of webpack; HardSourceWebpackPlugin may call hooks not present in webpack 5.

fix

Downgrade webpack to version 4, or migrate to webpack 5 persistent cache.

Build fails silently with no errors after first build (assets not emitted)

Known issue with mini-css-extract-plugin where assets are not emitted on repeated builds.

fix

Add ExcludeModulePlugin to exclude mini-css-extract-loader paths. Example: new HardSourceWebpackPlugin.ExcludeModulePlugin([{ test: /mini-css-extract-plugin[\\/]dist[\\/]loader/ }])

Upgrade

Version history

0.13.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

webpackrequiredRequired as a peer dependency; plugin works with webpack 4 and earlier, but not fully compatible with webpack 5.

Agent activity

6 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/mzgoddard/hard-source-webpack-plugin ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/hard-source-webpack-plugin ↗