[javascript] How to bundle vendor scripts separately and require them as needed with Webpack?

in my webpack.config.js (Version 1,2,3) file, I have

function isExternal(module) {
  var context = module.context;

  if (typeof context !== 'string') {
    return false;
  }

  return context.indexOf('node_modules') !== -1;
}

in my plugins array

plugins: [
  new CommonsChunkPlugin({
    name: 'vendors',
    minChunks: function(module) {
      return isExternal(module);
    }
  }),
  // Other plugins
]

Now I have a file that only adds 3rd party libs to one file as required.

If you want get more granular where you separate your vendors and entry point files:

plugins: [
  new CommonsChunkPlugin({
    name: 'common',
    minChunks: function(module, count) {
      return !isExternal(module) && count >= 2; // adjustable
    }
  }),
  new CommonsChunkPlugin({
    name: 'vendors',
    chunks: ['common'],
    // or if you have an key value object for your entries
    // chunks: Object.keys(entry).concat('common')
    minChunks: function(module) {
      return isExternal(module);
    }
  })
]

Note that the order of the plugins matters a lot.

Also, this is going to change in version 4. When that's official, I update this answer.

Update: indexOf search change for windows users