# webpack-contrib/url-loader

A loader for webpack which transforms files into base64 URIs

Repository: https://github.com/webpack-contrib/url-loader
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/url-loader
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: webpack-loader
Archived: true
Last push: 2021-03-15T14:54:21+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5225, "days_push": 1997, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1395, forks 142 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:36.523183+00:00)

## What it is
A webpack loader that transforms files into base64 data URIs, inlining small assets directly into JavaScript bundles. It falls back to file-loader for files exceeding a configurable byte limit, and is now deprecated in favor of webpack 5's built-in asset modules.

## Use cases
- inline small images as base64 in webpack bundles
- reduce HTTP requests by embedding assets as data URIs
- conditionally inline assets below a size limit
- migrate legacy webpack 4 builds that use url-loader
- customize MIME type and encoding for inlined files

## When to avoid
- starting a new webpack 5 project - use built-in asset modules instead
- you need active maintenance or new features - the project is deprecated

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: maintenance
- function: build-tool, serialization
- domain: web-development, frontend, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: webpack-loader, base64, data-uri, asset-inlining, deprecated, nodejs, javascript

## Member repositories
- webpack-contrib/url-loader (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:36.523183+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:39:24.806384+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/webpack-contrib/url-loader (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:36.523183+00:00, sha 51da24eb8a5d)
  - registry_npm: https://registry.npmjs.org/url-loader (fetched 2026-08-29T11:54:24.033156+00:00, sha f3f0f0a3bea2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.