url-loader

url-loader is a webpack loader that transforms files into base64 data URLs when their size is below a configurable limit (default no limit, recommended 8KB or less). Current stable version is 4.1.1 (October 2020), with no new releases since then; it supports webpack 4 and 5. It works like file-loader but inlines small files as base64, reducing HTTP requests. Key differentiators: built-in fallback to file-loader for larger files, customizable MIME type detection via mime-types, encoding options (e.g., base64, hex), and support for ES module output. It is part of the webpack-contrib ecosystem and commonly used with webpack's asset pipeline.