null-loader

4.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

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.

Common errors

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

cause 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.

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

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

fix

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

error TypeError: this.getOptions is not a function ↓

cause Using null-loader with webpack 3 or earlier.

fix

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

Warnings

breaking v4.0.0 removed support for webpack <4 and dropped the deprecated `emitFile` option. ↓

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

deprecated The 'emitFile' option was removed in v4.0.0. Use webpack module.exportPreservedModules instead. ↓

fix Remove the 'emitFile' option from the loader configuration.

gotcha Using 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.

gotcha null-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.

Install

npm install null-loader

yarn add null-loader

pnpm add null-loader

Imports

default
wrong
```
import 'null-loader'
```
correct
```
module.exports = { module: { rules: [{ test: /polyfill\.js$/, use: 'null-loader' }] } }
```
null-loader is a webpack loader, not a library; it is used in webpack config as a string reference.
NullLoader
wrong
```
import NullLoader from 'null-loader';
```
correct
```
const NullLoader = require('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)
wrong
```
use: require('null-loader')()
```
correct
```
use: require.resolve('null-loader')
```
Do not invoke the loader function; pass the path or string name to 'use'. Using require.resolve() ensures correct path resolution.

Quickstart

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',
      },
    ],
  },
};