Protopack

0.0.1-alpha.8 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript deprecated

Protopack is a bundler for rapid prototyping built on Rollup, Babel, and PostCSS. Currently in alpha (v0.0.1-alpha.8), it offers a simple config file and an Express middleware for development. As a work-in-progress, it supports inline styles/scripts and basic HTML output, but lacks hot-reloading, image support, and custom plugin configuration. It differentiates by focusing on prototypes rather than production builds, with a minimal setup.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'protopack' ↓

cause Missing local installation or incorrect import path.

fix

Run 'npm install protopack --save-dev' in your project directory.

error TypeError: build is not a function ↓

cause Using default import instead of named import.

fix

Use 'import { build } from 'protopack'' instead of 'import build from 'protopack''.

error Error: No configuration file found ↓

cause Missing or misnamed config file in project root.

fix

Create a file named '.protopack.config.js' in your project root.

Warnings

gotcha Prototype bundler only; not suitable for production builds or complex applications. ↓

fix Use a production-grade bundler like webpack or Rollup for production apps.

breaking Configuration file must be in project root; no support for custom paths. ↓

fix Place .protopack.config.js in the root directory of your project.

deprecated Package is labeled as work-in-progress and has not seen updates; consider it deprecated. ↓

fix Switch to Rollup directly or use Vite for prototyping.

gotcha NODE_ENV must be set to 'production' for build to work correctly. ↓

fix Prefix the build command with NODE_ENV=production.

Install

npm install protopack

yarn add protopack

pnpm add protopack

Imports

build
wrong
```
const build = require('protopack').build
```
correct
```
import { build } from 'protopack'
```
ESM import only; CJS require works but is non-standard for this package.

middleware

wrong

const { middleware } = require('protopack')

correct

import { middleware } from 'protopack'

ESM import recommended; CJS require also works.

Quickstart

Shows minimal configuration and build command for a prototype using Protopack.

// .protopack.config.js
module.exports = {
  input: './src/index.html',
  output: './dist/index.html'
}

// Run: NODE_ENV=production npx protopack build