Handling Markdown Imports in Webpack and Vite

a detailed guide

Sam

2023-12-07

react, css, tailwindcss, tailwind, frontend, ui, ui/ux, js, javascript, markdown, webpack, vite

Handling Markdown Imports in Webpack and Vite

Markdown is a popular format for writing content, especially in the world of web development. However, importing Markdown files into JavaScript projects can be tricky.

In this post, we’ll explore how to configure Markdown imports in two popular build tools:

Webpack and Vite.

Importing Markdown in Webpack

Webpack is a static module bundler for modern JavaScript applications. To import Markdown files in a Webpack project, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install `raw-loader`

First, install raw-loader:


npm install raw-loader --save-dev 
# or pnpm add raw-loader --save-dev
# or bun add raw-loader --save-dev
# or yarn add raw-loader --dev

Step 2: Configure Webpack

Add a rule in your webpack.config.js to handle .md files:

// webpack.config.js 
module.exports = {   
    //...   
    module: {     
        rules: [
                    { test: /\.md$/, use: 'raw-loader',},       
                    // other rules...     
                ],   
            },   
            //... 
};

Step 3: Import Markdown Files

Now, you can import Markdown files as strings:

// example.js 
import markdownContent from './example.md'; 
console.log(markdownContent);

Step 4: Use Markdown Files

Import Markdown files in your project:

Importing Markdown in Vite

Vite is a newer build tool that aims for faster development builds. Here’s how to handle Markdown in Vite:

Step 1: Install `vite-plugin-md`

Install the plugin:

npm install vite-plugin-md --save-dev 
# or yarn add vite-plugin-md --dev
# pnpm add vite-plugin-md --save-dev
# bun add vite-plugin-md --save-dev

Step 2: Configure Vite

Use the plugin in your vite.config.js:

// vite.config.js 
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'; 
import Markdown from 'vite-plugin-md';  
export default defineConfig({
    plugins:[ 
                 Markdown() 
                // other plugins...   
            ],   
            // Optional: Handle .md files as Vue components   
            vue: {include: [/\.vue$/, /\.md$/],}, }
    );

Step 3: Import and Use Markdown Files