Configure webpack on your Nx workspace

You can configure Webpack using a webpack.config.js file in your project. You can set the path to this file in your project.json file, in the build target options:

//...
"my-app": {
    "targets": {
        //...
        "build": {
            "executor": "@nrwl/webpack:webpack",
            //...
            "options": {
                //...
                "webpackConfig": "apps/my-app/webpack.config.js"
            },
            "configurations": {
                ...
            }
        },
    }
}

In that file, you can add the necessary configuration for Webpack. You can read more on how to configure webpack in the Webpack documentation.

Using webpack with `isolatedConfig`

Setting isolatedConfig to true in your project.json file means that Nx will not apply the Nx webpack plugins automatically. In that case, the Nx plugins need to be applied in the project's webpack.config.js file (e.g. withNx, withReact, etc.). So don't forget to also specify the path to your webpack config file (using the webpackConfig option).

Note that this is the new default setup for webpack in the latest version of Nx.

Set isolatedConfig to true in your project.json file in the build target options like this:

//...
"my-app": {
    "targets": {
        //...
        "build": {
            "executor": "@nrwl/webpack:webpack",
            //...
            "options": {
                //...
                "webpackConfig": "apps/my-app/webpack.config.js",
                "isolatedConfig": true
            },
            "configurations": {
                ...
            }
        },
    }
}

Now, you need to manually add the Nx webpack plugins in your webpack.config.js file for Nx to work properly. Let's see how to do that.

Basic configuration for Nx

You should start with a basic webpack configuration for Nx in your project, that looks like this:

apps/my-app/webpack.config.js
const { composePlugins, withNx } = require('@nrwl/webpack');

module.exports = composePlugins(withNx(), (config, { options, context }) => {
  // customize webpack config here
  return config;
});

The withNx() plugin adds the necessary configuration for Nx to work with Webpack. The composePlugins function allows you to add other plugins to the configuration.

The `composePlugins` function

The composePlugins function takes a list of plugins and a function, and returns a webpack Configuration object. The composePlugins function is an enhanced version of the webpack configuration function, which allows you to add plugins to the configuration, and provides you with a function which accepts two arguments:

config: The webpack configuration object.
An object with the following properties:
- options: The options passed to the @nrwl/webpack:webpack executor.
- context: The context passed of the @nrwl/webpack:webpack executor.

This gives you the ability to customize the webpack configuration as needed, and make use of the options and context passed to the executor, as well.

Add configurations for other functionalities

In addition to the basic configuration, you can add configurations for other frameworks or features. The @nrwl/webpack package provides plugins such as withWeb and withReact. This plugins provide features such as TS support, CSS support, JSX support, etc. You can read more about how these plugins work and how to use them in our Webpack Plugins guide.

You may still reconfigure everything manually, without using the Nx plugins. However, these plugins ensure that you have the necessary configuration for Nx to work with your project.

Customize your Webpack config

For most apps, the default configuration of webpack is sufficient, but sometimes you need to tweak a setting in your webpack config. This guide explains how to make a small change without taking on the maintenance burden of the entire webpack config.

Configure webpack for React projects

React projects use the @nrwl/react package to build their apps. This package provides a withReact plugin that adds the necessary configuration for React to work with webpack. You can use this plugin to add the necessary configuration to your webpack config.

apps/my-app/webpack.config.js
const { composePlugins, withNx } = require('@nrwl/webpack');
const { withReact } = require('@nrwl/react');

// Nx plugins for webpack.
module.exports = composePlugins(
  withNx(),
  withReact(),
  (config, { options, context }) => {
    // Update the webpack config as needed here.
    // e.g. config.plugins.push(new MyPlugin())
    return config;
  }
);

Add a CSS loader to your webpack config

To add the css-loader to your config, install it and add the rule.

yarn add -D css-loader

apps/my-app/webpack.config.js
const { composePlugins, withNx } = require('@nrwl/webpack');
const { merge } = require('webpack-merge');

module.exports = composePlugins(withNx(), (config, { options, context }) => {
  return merge(config, {
    module: {
      rules: [
        {
          test: /\.css$/i,
          use: ['style-loader', 'css-loader'],
        },
      ],
    },
  });
});

Configure webpack for Module Federation

If you use the Module Federation support from @nrwl/angular or @nrwl/react then you can customize your webpack configuration as follows.

apps/my-app/webpack.config.js
const { composePlugins, withNx } = require('@nrwl/webpack');
const { merge } = require('webpack-merge');
const withModuleFederation = require('@nrwl/react/module-federation');
// or `const withModuleFederation = require('@nrwl/angular/module-federation');`

module.exports = composePlugins(
  withNx(),
  async (config, { options, context }) => {
    const federatedModules = await withModuleFederation({
      // your options here
    });

    return merge(federatedModules(config, context), {
      // overwrite values here
    });
  }
);

Reference the webpack documentation for details on the structure of the webpack config object.

Configure webpack for Next.js Applications

Next.js supports webpack customization in the next.config.js file.

next.config.js
const { withNx } = require('@nrwl/next/plugins/with-nx');

const nextConfig = {
  webpack: (
    config,
    { buildId, dev, isServer, defaultLoaders, nextRuntime, webpack }
  ) => {
    // Important: return the modified config
    return config;
  },
};

return withNx(nextConfig);

Read the official documentation for more details.