Webpack Bundle Analyzer vs webpack-dashboard
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Webpack plugin and CLI that shows your bundle's contents as an interactive zoomable treemap.
Open source · MIT
A terminal dashboard that replaces webpack dev server's scrolling log with a summary view.
The short answer
Choose Webpack Bundle Analyzer if you need…
- Frontend developers trying to shrink a slow-loading webpack bundle
- Teams checking whether an unexpected library ended up in their bundle
- Anyone who wants to compare module sizes in a visual, clickable report
Choose webpack-dashboard if you need…
- Frontend developers who run webpack-dev-server or webpack in watch mode daily
- Teams that want a cleaner terminal while developing
- People who want to limit the displayed output to certain asset names using the includeAssets option
Side-by-side
| Webpack Bundle Analyzer | webpack-dashboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.7k | 14k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 10 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
When a web app is built with webpack, the output files (bundles) can get large and it is hard to see why. This tool reads the build output and draws an interactive treemap, where each box's size reflects how much space a module takes up, so you can zoom in and spot what is taking the most room. It can also report gzip, Brotli, or Zstandard sizes.
webpack-dashboard
webpack-dashboard is a command-line dashboard for webpack's dev server. It wraps your existing start command and shows build status, progress, and asset information in a organized terminal view instead of the usual stream of log lines. It works through a small plugin added to your webpack config that sends data to the CLI over a local socket.
Best for
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
- Frontend developers trying to shrink a slow-loading webpack bundle
- Teams checking whether an unexpected library ended up in their bundle
- Anyone who wants to compare module sizes in a visual, clickable report
webpack-dashboard
- Frontend developers who run webpack-dev-server or webpack in watch mode daily
- Teams that want a cleaner terminal while developing
- People who want to limit the displayed output to certain asset names using the includeAssets option
Strengths
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
- Shows interactive, zoomable treemap of bundle contents
- Parses minified bundles to estimate real module sizes
- Supports gzip, Brotli, and Zstandard size measurements
webpack-dashboard
- Replaces noisy webpack output with a structured terminal view, according to the README
- Works with npm, yarn, or a global install, and needs only a plugin line and a script change
- Active maintenance status stated in the README and a long track record with over 13,000 GitHub stars
Not ideal for
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
- Projects that do not use webpack, since the tool is built around webpack output
- People who only need a quick number rather than a visual breakdown
- Non-developers, because it requires editing a webpack config or running a build command
webpack-dashboard
- Projects that do not use webpack, since the plugin and CLI are built around it
- Windows users who need mouse support, which the README says is not supported
- Setups where the chosen port is already used by another process, since the README warns it must be free
Trade-offs
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
- Requires webpack, so it does not help with other bundlers based on the README
- Needs to be added to a build configuration, which takes some setup knowledge
- README was truncated, so some options and details could not be fully verified
webpack-dashboard
- Mouse events and scrolling are limited on Windows, and the README says mouse support is not available there
- Requires a free local port that you must configure consistently in the plugin and CLI
- The README states version 3.x requires Node 8 or above, so older Node setups need older versions
Getting started
Webpack Bundle Analyzer
Install with NPM
npm install --save-dev webpack-bundle-analyzerInstall with Yarn
yarn add -D webpack-bundle-analyzerwebpack-dashboard
Install as a dev dependency with npm
npm install --save-dev webpack-dashboardInstall as a dev dependency with yarn
yarn add --dev webpack-dashboardFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Webpack Bundle Analyzer and webpack-dashboard?
Webpack Bundle Analyzer: Webpack plugin and CLI that shows your bundle's contents as an interactive zoomable treemap. webpack-dashboard: A terminal dashboard that replaces webpack dev server's scrolling log with a summary view. Webpack Bundle Analyzer suits frontend developers trying to shrink a slow-loading webpack bundle, while webpack-dashboard suits frontend developers who run webpack-dev-server or webpack in watch mode daily.
Are Webpack Bundle Analyzer and webpack-dashboard free?
Webpack Bundle Analyzer: Free and open source. webpack-dashboard: Free and open source.
Is Webpack Bundle Analyzer or webpack-dashboard more popular?
webpack-dashboard has more GitHub stars (14k) than Webpack Bundle Analyzer (12.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.