gitwtfhub

wtf is bundle-vs-unbundle?

yyx990803/bundle-vs-unbundle — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2024-12-25

24JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5StaleSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A head-to-head performance test comparing bundled versus unbundled JavaScript delivery over HTTP/2, using 5,000 small modules to show developers real loading-speed numbers instead of guesses.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((bundle-vs-unbundle))
    Inputs
      5000 JS modules
      HTTP/2 server
      Dependency layers
    Outputs
      Bundled page load time
      Unbundled page load time
    Use Cases
      Compare load strategies
      Inform bundler decisions
      Benchmark HTTP2 delivery
    Tech Stack
      JavaScript
      HTTP/2

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Run this project locally to see whether bundled or unbundled JavaScript loads faster on your own machine.

REASON 2

Decide whether a build tool should bundle or serve unbundled ES modules based on real measured numbers.

REASON 3

Study how HTTP/2 handles many small simultaneous requests versus fewer large ones.

REASON 4

Use the 5,000-module test setup as a template to benchmark your own bundling strategy.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptHTTP/2

How it stacks up

yyx990803/bundle-vs-unbundleaaaddress1/vibe-readingamirhosseinjpl/jpl-sub-processor
Stars242424
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Last pushed2024-12-25
MaintenanceStale
Setup difficultymoderatemoderatemoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencedeveloperresearcherops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires generating the test modules and running an HTTP/2-capable server to get comparable measurements.

License is not stated in the available content.

Wtf does this do

This project measures whether it's faster to load JavaScript code as many separate small files or as one big combined file. It's a head-to-head performance comparison that helps developers decide how to organize their code delivery. When you run the project, it creates a test scenario with thousands of tiny JavaScript modules, think of them like individual cards in a deck. One version keeps all the cards separate and loads them individually (the "unbundled" approach). The other version stacks all the cards together into a single file first (the "bundled" approach). The project then serves both versions on a web server and lets you measure which one loads faster in your browser. You visit two different pages side-by-side and see the results for yourself. The test setup is designed to be realistic. It creates 5,000 small modules stacked in 5 layers, where each layer depends on the ones below it, mimicking how real applications have nested dependencies. The server that delivers these files is configured with HTTP/2, a modern protocol that's specifically designed to handle many simultaneous requests efficiently. This matters because unbundled code relies on making lots of separate requests, while bundling combines everything into fewer requests. Web developers and framework maintainers would find this useful. If you're building a tool that decides whether to send code bundled or unbundled to users, this project shows you real numbers instead of guesses. It's particularly relevant for modern JavaScript development where bundlers (tools that combine code) have become standard, yet some newer approaches like "unbundling" or "ESM-first" strategies claim to be faster. By running this locally, you can see which approach wins under conditions similar to your own setup.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Help me run bundle-vs-unbundle locally and compare the two side-by-side pages for load time.
Prompt 2
Explain how this project's 5,000-module, 5-layer dependency setup mimics a real application's structure.
Prompt 3
Show me why HTTP/2 matters for the unbundled test case in this project.
Prompt 4
Help me adapt this benchmark to test my own bundler's output against an unbundled ESM version.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is bundle-vs-unbundle?

A head-to-head performance test comparing bundled versus unbundled JavaScript delivery over HTTP/2, using 5,000 small modules to show developers real loading-speed numbers instead of guesses.

What language is bundle-vs-unbundle written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, HTTP/2.

Is bundle-vs-unbundle actively maintained?

Stale — no commits in 1-2 years (last push 2024-12-25).

What license does bundle-vs-unbundle use?

License is not stated in the available content.

How hard is bundle-vs-unbundle to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is bundle-vs-unbundle for?

Mainly developer.

View the repo → Decode another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Don't trust strangers blindly. Verify against the repo.