loader-runner

Runs (webpack) loaders as an independent module without webpack itself. Current stable version is 4.3.2, released in 2021 with performance improvements. Minimal release cadence: roughly one version per year. Key differentiator: it allows running loaders in isolation for testing or custom build pipelines. Supports Node.js >=6.11.5 and is ESM/CJS compatible. Lightweight, focuses solely on loader execution logic with hooks for resource processing.