Webpack Manifest Plugin

6.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

A Webpack plugin that generates a JSON manifest file mapping source filenames to their corresponding built output filenames, useful for server-side rendering or cache busting. Current stable version is 6.0.1, which is ESM-only and requires Node.js 20.19.0+ and Webpack 5.75.0+. Maintained by shellscape. Releases follow semantic versioning with major breaking changes in v6 (ESM switch, Node 20+), v5 (drop webpack v4), v4 (TypeScript types added). Primarily differentiates from similar plugins by its simplicity and configurability (filter, map, generate options). Peer dependency on webpack ^5.75.0.

Common errors

error Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: require() of ES Module /path/to/webpack-manifest-plugin/dist/index.js from /path/to/project/webpack.config.js not supported. ↓

cause Using require() with an ESM-only package (v6+).

fix

Change config to ESM: rename file to .mjs and use import, or use dynamic import().

error TypeError: file.isInitial is not a function ↓

cause Using the 'filter' option and referencing 'isInitial' incorrectly (it's a boolean property, not a method).

fix

Use file.isInitial directly: filter: (file) => file.isInitial

error Module parse failed: Unexpected token with webpack 4 ↓

cause Using webpack-manifest-plugin v5+ with webpack v4.

fix

Upgrade to webpack v5 or use webpack-manifest-plugin v4.x.

Warnings

breaking v6.0.0 dropped CommonJS support; only ESM is supported. ↓

fix Convert project to ESM or continue using v5.x if CJS is required.

breaking v6.0.0 requires Node.js >=20.19.0. ↓

fix Upgrade Node.js to 20.19.0 or later, or pin to v5.x.

breaking v5.0.0 dropped support for webpack v4. ↓

fix Upgrade to webpack v5 or use v4.x of this plugin.

deprecated Option 'useLegacyEmit' was removed in v5 without replacement. ↓

fix Remove 'useLegacyEmit' from options; use 'assetHookStage' instead.

gotcha If using the 'filter' option, ensure it returns Boolean. Incorrect return values (e.g. undefined) cause unexpected behavior. ↓

fix Always explicitly return true/false from the filter function.

gotcha The 'generate' option replaces the entire manifest object. If 'generate' is provided, 'filter', 'map', and other options are ignored for that function's logic. ↓

fix Use 'generate' only when you need full control; otherwise use 'filter'/'map'.

Install

npm install webpack-manifest-plugin

yarn add webpack-manifest-plugin

pnpm add webpack-manifest-plugin

Imports

WebpackManifestPlugin

wrong

const WebpackManifestPlugin = require('webpack-manifest-plugin')

correct

import { WebpackManifestPlugin } from 'webpack-manifest-plugin'

ESM-only since v6.0.0; require() will throw ERR_REQUIRE_ESM.

type FileDescriptor

wrong

import { FileDescriptor } from 'webpack-manifest-plugin'

correct

import type { FileDescriptor } from 'webpack-manifest-plugin'

FileDescriptor is a TypeScript type (exported as type), not a runtime value.

default import

wrong

import WebpackManifestPlugin from 'webpack-manifest-plugin'

correct

import { WebpackManifestPlugin } from 'webpack-manifest-plugin'

This package exports only a named member, not a default export.

Quickstart

Minimal webpack config ESM showing plugin setup with common options: fileName, basePath, publicPath, filter, and map.

// webpack.config.mjs
import { WebpackManifestPlugin } from 'webpack-manifest-plugin';

export default {
  entry: './src/index.js',
  output: {
    filename: '[name].[contenthash:8].js',
    path: new URL('./dist', import.meta.url).pathname,
  },
  plugins: [
    new WebpackManifestPlugin({
      fileName: 'asset-manifest.json',
      basePath: '/app/',
      publicPath: '/app/',
      filter: (file) => file.isInitial,
      map: (file) => ({ ...file, path: file.path.replace(/^\.\//, '') }),
    }),
  ],
  mode: 'production',
};