THE THREE PILLARS OF JAVASCRIPT BLOAT

Summary from the TLDR Dev newsletter

There are three pillars contributing to bloat in JavaScript dependency trees: legacy runtime support, overly atomic package architecture, and outdated "ponyfills." The first pillar includes dependencies for old engines, global namespace safety, or cross-realm values, which are rarely needed by modern projects. The second, atomic architecture, creates numerous tiny, often duplicated or single-use packages, increasing acquisition costs and supply chain risk. Finally, "ponyfills" for features now natively supported by all relevant engines often remain in dependency trees long after they are necessary.