webpack-mode

1.1.0 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript

Get the current mode (production/development) of a Webpack 4 build. Version 1.1.0 is the latest stable release. This tiny utility checks the `--mode` CLI flag or `NODE_ENV` environment variable and exposes `isProduction`, `isDevelopment`, and a string-comparable object. Works only with Webpack 4 — it will silently return wrong results on Webpack 5. No dependencies, no TypeScript types.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'webpack-mode' ↓

cause Package not installed or installed as a devDependency but used in production code.

fix

Run 'npm install --save-dev webpack-mode' or 'yarn add --dev webpack-mode'.

error TypeError: webpackMode is not a string ↓

cause Using strict equality (===) on the default export.

fix

Use if (${webpackMode} === 'production') instead of if (webpackMode === 'production').

error Property 'isProduction' does not exist on type 'typeof import("webpack-mode")' ↓

cause TypeScript cannot find typings for the package.

fix

Add a custom type declaration file (.d.ts) as shown in the warnings.

Warnings

gotcha webpack-mode works only with Webpack 4. On Webpack 5, the mode detection will likely fail or return incorrect results. ↓

fix Use Webpack's built-in mode detection or upgrade to a Webpack 5-compatible library.

gotcha The default export is not a string; strict equality (===) with a string will always be false. ↓

fix Use template literals (`${mode}`) or the .toString() method, or use the named exports isProduction/isDevelopment.

gotcha No TypeScript type definitions available; using with TypeScript will require manual declare module. ↓

fix Create a .d.ts file: declare module 'webpack-mode' { export const isProduction: boolean; export const isDevelopment: boolean; const mode: { toString(): string }; export default mode; }

Install

npm install webpack-mode

yarn add webpack-mode

pnpm add webpack-mode

Imports

isProduction

wrong

const { isProduction } = require('webpack-mode').default

correct

const { isProduction } = require('webpack-mode')

Named export, not default. CJS only — package does not ship ESM.

isDevelopment

wrong

const isDevelopment = require('webpack-mode').isDevelopment

correct

const { isDevelopment } = require('webpack-mode')

Same as isProduction. The require returns an object with named properties.

default export (the mode value)
wrong
```
const mode = require('webpack-mode').default
```
correct
```
const mode = require('webpack-mode')
```
The module exports an object that is also string-comparable (via toString). Not a string, so strict equality fails.

Quickstart

Checks if Webpack is running in production or development mode using named exports, and shows object string comparison.

const { isProduction, isDevelopment } = require('webpack-mode');

if (isProduction) {
  console.log('Building for production');
} else if (isDevelopment) {
  console.log('Building for development');
} else {
  console.log('Mode not set');
}

// Or get the mode as a string-comparable object:
const mode = require('webpack-mode');
if (`${mode}` === 'production') {
  console.log('Mode is production');
}