Liferay NPM Bundler

liferay-npm-bundler is a specialized Command Line Interface (CLI) utility designed to process Liferay widget projects and produce OSGi bundles, encapsulating the necessary npm dependencies for deployment to the Liferay Portal. Functioning similarly to bundlers like Webpack, it uniquely targets Liferay Portal as its platform, handling the intricacies of OSGi module packaging for frontend assets. This includes linking packages in the browser and facilitating the sharing of common module versions across widgets rather than each loading its own copy. It converts application resources and npm dependencies into a Liferay OSGi bundle, preparing them for deployment via a standard widget build (e.g., Gradle). As of its latest version, 2.32.2, it was part of the actively developed `liferay-frontend-projects` monorepo. However, it has been officially deprecated as of Liferay 2024.Q4/Portal GA129 and is scheduled for future removal, with Liferay shifting towards alternative frontend development and optimization strategies.