docs: recommend webpack's built-in CSS, mark css-loader & co. as deprecated by alexander-akait · Pull Request #624 · webpack/less-loader

alexander-akait · 2026-11-06T10:21:11Z

Summary

Built-in CSS is stable and on by default since webpack 5.109.0 (experiments.css: "auto"), and css-loader, style-loader and mini-css-extract-plugin are deprecated. The README already led with built-in CSS; this fixes two things around it.

The note said built-in CSS "requires experiments.css to be enabled". It's on by default since 5.109.0 and only needs experiments.css: true on older webpack 5 releases. The examples keep css: true, which is harmless.
The loader alternatives (css-loader, style-loader, MiniCssExtractPlugin) are labelled deprecated, link the Native CSS migration guide, and are no longer called "recommended".

Checked: Prettier and cspell pass on README.md.

Generated by Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

Documentation
- Clarified the version requirements and default activation behavior for built-in CSS support.
- Explained how .css rules affect automatic handling, and how to link or inject emitted CSS.
- Retained the loader-chain alternative and marked css-loader, style-loader, and MiniCssExtractPlugin examples as deprecated.

…ecated - The built-in CSS support is on by default since webpack 5.109.0 (`experiments.css: "auto"`); say when `experiments.css: true` is still needed instead of implying it always is. - css-loader, style-loader and mini-css-extract-plugin are deprecated: label them so, and link the Native CSS migration guide. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_013FhutTnKEPLYcuGNGNijRS

linux-foundation-easycla · 2026-11-06T10:21:21Z

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changeset-bot · 2026-11-06T10:21:23Z

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coderabbitai · 2026-11-06T10:23:18Z

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review.

Walkthrough

The README documents the webpack versions that support built-in CSS and the default behavior from webpack 5.109.0. It describes how to route CSS to css-loader or use exportType: "style". It labels the legacy css-loader and style-loader chain and MiniCssExtractPlugin as deprecated, and directs new projects to the built-in CSS migration guide.

Merge Risk: Minimal · up to 3e713

This PR only updates README guidance on built-in CSS support. It carries no runtime risk. The missing CLA authorization is a process item for the maintainers, not a code defect.

Pre-merge checks: 5

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check		Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check		The title clearly describes the README changes for built-in CSS support and deprecated loader alternatives.
Docstring Coverage		No eligible functions found in the changed files. Skipping docstring coverage check. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff with cyclomatic complexity of at least 2. Documentat…
Linked Issues check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check		Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

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Explanation

No eligible functions found in the changed files. Skipping docstring coverage check. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff with cyclomatic complexity of at least 2. Documentation-only edits and deletions within surviving functions are included; unchanged diff context and fully deleted functions are excluded. Analyzed 0 functions across 0 files. (1 skipped: 1 unsupported.)

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codecov · 2026-11-06T10:23:20Z

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 96.93%. Comparing base (7a40320) to head (3e71300).

Additional details and impacted files

@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##             main     #624   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   96.93%   96.93%           
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  Files           2        2           
  Lines         652      652           
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  Hits          632      632           
  Misses         20       20

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Actionable comments posted: 2

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…nking the CSS - `css/auto` needs webpack 5.87.0 or later (verified: 5.86.0 fails with `No parser registered for css/auto`, 5.87.0 builds). - `experiments.css: "auto"` turns built-in CSS off when another rule handles `.css` files, so the examples keep `experiments.css: true`; a remaining `css-loader` rule then needs `type: "javascript/auto"`. - Built-in CSS emits a `.css` file the page must link (verified in a browser: a JS-only page stays unstyled). Point to native HTML (an HTML entry or `output.html: true`), which adds the `<link>`, or `exportType: "style"`. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_013FhutTnKEPLYcuGNGNijRS

…tions - `exportType: "style"` needs webpack 5.106.0+, an HTML entry or `output.html` 5.108.0+ (with `experiments.html: true` before 5.109.0); linking the emitted file yourself stays the fallback. Versions taken from webpack's CHANGELOG. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_013FhutTnKEPLYcuGNGNijRS

coderabbitai Bot reviewed Nov 6, 2026

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Comment thread README.md Resolved

claude added 2 commits November 6, 2026 10:35

alexander-akait merged commit 9a00942 into main Nov 6, 2026
15 of 16 checks passed

alexander-akait deleted the docs/native-css-first branch November 6, 2026 16:23

alexander-akait mentioned this pull request Nov 6, 2026

fix(html): keep remote URLs instead of data:,; examples and README use built-in CSS/HTML webpack/webpack#23168

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docs: recommend webpack's built-in CSS, mark css-loader & co. as deprecated - #624

docs: recommend webpack's built-in CSS, mark css-loader & co. as deprecated#624
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