A full version history of the style-loader package with size, number of distributed files and dependency evolution.
The style-loader npm package, crucial for injecting CSS into a webpage via JavaScript within webpack-based projects, has undergone significant evolution since its initial release. Early versions, starting from 0.1.0 in 2012, primarily focused on basic style loading functionalities, with dependencies like raw-loader appearing and disappearing as the module's architecture was refined. Tobias Koppers (@sokra) remained a constant author throughout, ensuring a consistent vision.
The 0.x.x series saw incremental improvements, leading to the 0.6.x range where the repository URL was solidified, marking increased project maturity. The 0.8.x versions introduced css-loader as a devDependency, reflecting the growing interplay between CSS processing and style injection. As the package progressed into the 0.12.x and 0.13.x ranges, dependencies like loader-utils were updated, mirroring the advancements in webpack's ecosystem.
The 0.14.0 release brought more comprehensive dev dependencies like jsdom and introduced testing with mocha, signifying an emphasis on stability and feature richness. Versions 0.20.0 through 0.23.1 represent a shift toward Webpack Contrib with repository url.
The 1.x.x series, arrived in 2019, signifying a major milestone with updated dependencies and the introduction of peer dependencies on webpack 4 and 5 demonstrating modern tooling and forward compatibility. This commitment continued with the 3.x.x versions, which emphasized support for webpack 5. Finally, the latest version line 4.0.0, released in 2024, solidifies the project's adherence to modern web development practices, demonstrating continuous maintenance and adaptation to the ever-changing JavaScript build tool landscape.