New Drupal Community Initiative: Standardizing JavaScript Dependency Management

A Drupal.org blog post titled "New community initiative: Frontend bundler," authored by Max Pogonowski, introduced a new community Frontend Bundler Initiative to address the lack of a standard method for installing JavaScript dependencies in Drupal. The initiative aims to create a unified approach to managing these dependencies, drawing on discussions and collaborations with key contributors like Lee Rowlands and Théodore Biadala.

The blog outlines the challenges faced with current methods such as asset-packagist and explores the potential of using import-maps. However, the consensus was that cascading downloads would negatively impact performance. The proposed solution involves leveraging npm or an npm-like repository to publish Drupal modules. Max Pogonowski developed a prototype using Foxy, composer, and Vite to compile multiple Drupal modules, including custom ones, and route the library system to new entry points.

The prototype requires modules to include php-forge/foxy in composer.json and a module-name.foxy.yml file to represent the library state. Site builders must enable the drupal/foxy module and set up a way to run the vite build. The initiative calls for community participation to refine and adopt this approach, encouraging feedback, contributions, and discussions in the #frontend-bundler-initiative channel on Slack.