Registry / web-framework / webpack-dev-server

webpack-dev-server

library5.2.3jsnpmunverified

A development server that provides live reloading for webpack projects, using webpack-dev-middleware for fast in-memory asset access. Current stable version is 5.2.3 (released January 2026). Active maintenance with frequent patch releases. Major differentiating features include: live reloading, HMR, overlay for runtime errors, proxy for API forwarding, HTTPS support, and TypeScript type definitions. Requires Node >= 18.12.0 and webpack ^5.0.0 as peer dependency. Breaking changes in v5 include stricter CORS and WebSocket security, removal of certain options like `inline` and `lazy`, and migration from webpack-cli v4 to v5.

web-framework http-networking devops

npm install webpack-dev-server

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · WEBPACK-DEV-SERVER

webpack-dev-server

web-frameworkjavascriptv5.2.3

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.

webpack-dev-server

✓ npx webpack serve

✗ npx webpack-dev-server

Use 'webpack serve' CLI command; 'webpack-dev-server' bin is deprecated in v5.

WebpackDevServer

✓ import WebpackDevServer from 'webpack-dev-server';

✗ const WebpackDevServer = require('webpack-dev-server');

ESM-only since v5; default export for API usage.

Configuration

✓ import type { Configuration } from 'webpack-dev-server';

✗ import { Configuration } from 'webpack';

TypeScript users should import the server-specific Configuration type from 'webpack-dev-server'.

Shows programmatic usage of WebpackDevServer with ESM imports, async start, and hot module replacement enabled.

// webpack.config.js (ESM) import WebpackDevServer from 'webpack-dev-server'; import webpack from 'webpack'; const compiler = webpack({ /* webpack config */ }); const devServerOptions = { port: 3000, hot: true }; const server = new WebpackDevServer(devServerOptions, compiler); async function start() { await server.start(); console.log('Dev server running on http://localhost:3000'); } start();

webpack-dev-server --version

Debug

Known issues

breakingCross-origin requests are not allowed unless allowed by Access-Control-Allow-Origin header; requests with IP addresses in Origin header are not allowed to connect to WebSocket server unless configured by allowedHosts.

fix

Configure allowedHosts or ensure Origin header matches Host for WebSocket connections.

affects: >=5.2.1

breakingSecurity: bump webpack-dev-middleware to address directory traversal vulnerability.

fix

Upgrade to webpack-dev-server >=5.0.4 (or >=4.15.2 for v4).

affects: <5.0.4

deprecatedOptions 'inline', 'lazy', 'noInfo', 'reporter', 'quiet', 'colors' are removed in v5.

fix

Use webpack-dev-server v4 or adjust config (e.g., use 'client.webSocketURL' instead of 'inline').

affects: >=5.0.0

gotchaUsing 'webpack-dev-server' bin directly (e.g., npx webpack-dev-server) is deprecated in favor of 'webpack serve'.

fix

Run 'npx webpack serve' instead, which integrates with webpack-cli.

affects: >=5.0.0

gotchaTypeScript types for Configuration require explicit import from 'webpack-dev-server'.

fix

Use 'import type { Configuration } from 'webpack-dev-server';' not from 'webpack'.

affects: >=5.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Cannot find module 'webpack-dev-server'

Missing local installation or using deprecated CLI command without local webpack-dev-server.

fix

Run 'npm install --save-dev webpack-dev-server' in project directory.

Error: listen EADDRINUSE :::8080

Port 8080 already in use by another process.

fix

Change port in config (e.g., --port 3000) or kill process using the port.

Invalid configuration object. webpack-dev-server has been initialized using a configuration object that does not match the API schema.

Using a deprecated option (e.g., 'inline', 'lazy') in v5 config.

fix

Remove deprecated options. See migration guide: https://github.com/webpack/webpack-dev-server/releases/tag/v5.0.0

Upgrade

Version history

5.2.3latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

webpackrequiredpeer dependency - core bundler required

Agent activity

38 hits · last 30 days

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Amazon

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/webpack/webpack-dev-server ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/webpack-dev-server ↗