Version Details and Security Vulnerabilities

Node Polyfill Webpack Plugin version 4.1.0 introduces significant changes compared to the prior 4.0.0 release, streamlining the polyfilling process for Node.js core modules within Webpack environments. Most notably, version 4.1.0 dramatically reduces the number of direct dependencies. The older version 4.0.0 had a large set of dependencies, including packages like url, util, assert, buffer, events, process, and many others providing individual polyfills. In contrast, version 4.1.0 consolidates these into a single dependency, node-stdlib-browser, simplifying dependency management and potentially improving build performance by reducing the overhead of numerous smaller packages. The dependency on type-fest is also bumped to a newer version.

This shift signifies a move towards a more holistic and efficient approach to providing Node.js standard library polyfills. For developers, this means easier installation, fewer potential conflicts with other dependencies, and a potentially smaller bundle size depending on the specific polyfills needed. While the core functionality of polyfilling Node.js modules remains consistent, the underlying implementation has been refactored to rely on a more comprehensive library. The developer dependencies have also been updated to the latest versions. Webpack remains a peer dependency with a minimum version of 5. For developers upgrading, be aware that version 4.1.0 replaces many former direct dependencies with node-stdlib-browser, so you may need to adjust your configuration, if you were relying on specific versions of the previously used polyfills. This change makes node-polyfill-webpack-plugin even easier to use!