null-loader

library4.0.1jsnpmunverified

A webpack loader that returns an empty module, useful for silencing unwanted imports (e.g., polyfills) in your bundle. Current stable version is 4.0.1 (released 2020-10-09), supporting webpack 4 and 5. Maintained under the webpack-contrib organization. Unlike other loaders, it provides a minimal no-op module instead of stripping imports entirely.

devops

npm install null-loader

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · NULL-LOADER

null-loader

devopsjavascriptv4.0.1

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.

default

✓ module.exports = { module: { rules: [{ test: /polyfill\.js$/, use: 'null-loader' }] } }

✗ import 'null-loader'

null-loader is a webpack loader, not a library; it is used in webpack config as a string reference.

NullLoader

✓ const NullLoader = require('null-loader');

✗ import NullLoader from 'null-loader';

While both require and import work in Node.js, webpack loader config traditionally uses require(). ESM import also works but is less common.

null-loader (as path)

✓ use: require.resolve('null-loader')

✗ use: require('null-loader')()

Do not invoke the loader function; pass the path or string name to 'use'. Using require.resolve() ensures correct path resolution.

Basic webpack configuration to replace a polyfill module with an empty module using null-loader.

// webpack.config.js const path = require('path'); module.exports = { module: { rules: [ { test: path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/some-polyfill/index.js'), use: 'null-loader', }, ], }, };

Debug

Known issues

breakingv4.0.0 removed support for webpack <4 and dropped the deprecated `emitFile` option.

fix

Upgrade webpack to 4+ and remove any use of `emitFile` option.

affects: <4.0.0

deprecatedThe 'emitFile' option was removed in v4.0.0. Use webpack module.exportPreservedModules instead.

fix

Remove the 'emitFile' option from the loader configuration.

affects: >=4.0.0

gotchaUsing null-loader on every JS file will break your build because it replaces modules with empty objects.

fix

Always scope null-loader to specific files using `test` or `include` in the rule.

affects: >=0.0.0

gotchanull-loader does not preserve side effects; the replaced module is completely empty.

fix

Ensure the module being nullified has no side effects required by your application.

affects: >=0.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Module not found: Error: Can't resolve 'null-loader' in '...'

null-loader is not installed or webpack cannot resolve it.

fix

Run `npm install null-loader --save-dev` and ensure node_modules path is correct.

Invalid configuration object. Webpack has been initialised using a configuration object that does not match the API schema.

Using null-loader with an unsupported option (e.g., `emitFile`).

fix

Remove the unknown option or upgrade null-loader to latest version.

TypeError: this.getOptions is not a function

Using null-loader with webpack 3 or earlier.

fix

Upgrade to webpack 4+ or use null-loader@3 for webpack 3.

Upgrade

Version history

4.0.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

webpackrequiredpeer dependency; works with webpack 4 or 5

Agent activity

2 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/webpack-contrib/null-loader ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/null-loader ↗