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Why isn't tree shaking removing unused code from my ES6 module bundle in Webpack?

Asked on Nov 17, 2025

Answer

Tree shaking is a technique used to eliminate dead code in JavaScript modules. If it's not working in your Webpack setup, it might be due to improper configuration or usage of non-ES6 module syntax. Here's a basic example of how to ensure tree shaking works in Webpack.
// src/math.js
        export const add = (a, b) => a + b;
        export const subtract = (a, b) => a - b;

        // src/index.js
        import { add } from './math';

        console.log(add(2, 3));

        // webpack.config.js
        module.exports = {
            mode: 'production',
            entry: './src/index.js',
            output: {
                filename: 'bundle.js',
                path: __dirname + '/dist',
            },
            optimization: {
                usedExports: true,
            },
        };
Additional Comment:
  • Ensure that you are using ES6 module syntax (import/export) as tree shaking relies on static analysis of these.
  • The "mode" in Webpack should be set to "production" to enable optimizations like tree shaking.
  • The "optimization.usedExports" option should be enabled to mark unused exports, which is necessary for tree shaking.
  • Verify that the modules you are importing are also written in ES6 syntax and are not using CommonJS (require/module.exports).
✅ Answered with JavaScript best practices.
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