Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Webpacker VS GitHub

Compare Webpacker VS GitHub and see what are their differences

Webpacker logo Webpacker

Use Webpack to manage app-like JavaScript modules in Rails - rails/webpacker

GitHub logo GitHub

Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.
  • Webpacker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27
  • GitHub Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

GitHub

Website
github.com
$ Details
Release Date
2008 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Chris Wanstrath
Employees
500 - 999

Webpacker features and specs

  • Modern JavaScript Features
    Webpacker allows Rails applications to utilize modern JavaScript features and tools, such as ES6 syntax, JSX, and TypeScript, thereby enhancing the developer experience and code quality.
  • Asset Bundling
    It efficiently bundles multiple JavaScript files into a single package, reducing load times and improving performance by minimizing the number of HTTP requests.
  • Integration with Rails
    As an official Rails library, Webpacker integrates seamlessly with the Rails framework, ensuring that front-end builds are consistent and easier to manage alongside Ruby on Rails projects.
  • Configurable
    Provides a highly configurable environment, allowing developers to customize their JavaScript and asset builds extensively to meet specific project needs.
  • Community Support
    Being part of the Rails ecosystem, Webpacker benefits from an extensive community support, with a wealth of third-party resources, documentation, and plugins available.

Possible disadvantages of Webpacker

  • Complexity
    Webpacker can introduce additional complexity, especially for developers not familiar with JavaScript tooling or the webpack configuration, which can lead to a steeper learning curve.
  • Performance Overhead
    The abstraction and tooling required by Webpacker can add performance overhead during development with slower compilation and building times compared to simpler asset management solutions.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies can become burdensome as Webpacker requires handling both the Ruby Gems and the JavaScript packages through yarn or npm, increasing maintenance efforts.
  • Migration Path
    As newer tools and techniques emerge, moving away from Webpacker could require significant refactoring efforts, especially for applications with extensive custom configurations.
  • Deprecated Status
    Webpacker is no longer the recommended default for new Rails applications starting from Rails 7, which now prefers using esbuild or importmaps, potentially affecting its long-term viability.

GitHub features and specs

  • collaboration
    GitHub provides a platform for multiple developers to work on the same project concurrently, facilitating collaboration through features like pull requests, code reviews, and issues tracking.
  • integration
    GitHub integrates seamlessly with various third-party tools and services, such as CI/CD pipelines, project management tools, and many development environments, enhancing productivity and workflow efficiency.
  • version_control
    Utilizes Git for version control, allowing users to track changes, revert to previous versions if necessary, and manage different branches of development, ensuring code stability and history tracking.
  • community
    With millions of developers and a vast repository of open-source projects, GitHub fosters a robust community where users can contribute to projects, seek help, share knowledge, and collaborate broadly.
  • availability
    GitHub is a cloud-based platform, which means that projects are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, providing flexibility and convenience to developers globally.
  • documentation
    GitHub allows for comprehensive project documentation through README files, wikis, and GitHub Pages, making it easier for users to understand project context and contribute effectively.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub

  • cost
    While GitHub offers free plans, more advanced features and private repositories come at a cost, which might be a barrier for some individuals or small teams.
  • steep_learning_curve
    For newcomers, especially those unfamiliar with Git, the learning curve can be quite steep, making it challenging to utilize all of GitHub's features effectively.
  • privacy_concerns
    Given its expansive, open nature, users must be cautious with sensitive or proprietary information. Even with private repositories, there is a latent concern over data privacy and security.
  • interface_complexity
    The user interface, while powerful, can be overwhelming and complex for beginners or those not deeply familiar with version control concepts.
  • performance_issues
    Occasionally, GitHub may experience downtime or performance issues, which can disrupt workflow and prevent access to repositories temporarily.
  • limited_storage
    GitHub imposes limitations on storage space and file size within repositories, which can be restrictive for projects requiring large datasets or binaries.

Analysis of GitHub

Overall verdict

  • GitHub is considered an excellent choice for developers and teams looking for a reliable and efficient platform for version control and collaboration. Its community support, extensive documentation, and innovative features make it a preferred choice in the software development community.

Why this product is good

  • GitHub is a widely used platform for version control and collaboration, popular among developers and teams for its robust features, ease of use, and integration capabilities. It allows for streamlined project management, code review, and continuous integration, enhancing productivity and collaborative workflows.

Recommended for

  • Individual developers working on personal projects
  • Software development teams in need of collaborative tools
  • Open-source project maintainers and contributors
  • Organizations looking for scalable version control solutions

Webpacker videos

RailsConf 2020 CE - Webpacker, It-Just-Works, But How? by Justin Gordon

More videos:

  • Review - Should you use React with Webpacker in your Rails project? Rails MVC vs Single Page App (SPA)!

GitHub videos

How to do coding peer reviews with Github

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Webpacker and GitHub)
Web Application Bundler
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
1 1%
99% 99
JS Build Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Code Collaboration
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Webpacker and GitHub

Webpacker Reviews

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GitHub Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    ยท Boss at CLOUD Meister ยท
    perfect 4 open Source

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
GitHub Discussions is a communication forum for the community around an open source or internal project. Discussions enable fluid, open conversation in a public forum. Discussions are transparent and accessible, but they are not related to code.
Source: www.notchup.com
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
However, like any (human) product, the platform has its limits, downsides, and critics. GitHub has been barred by certain governments, and even if that isnโ€™t exactly the companyโ€™s fault, the users are the ones limited from pushing their code. Another criticism concerns the price tag: some users have pointed out that GitHubโ€™s pricing model is too inflexible. Moreover, some...
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
GitHub also has an extensive API that allows it to integrate workflows seamlessly. Continuous integration, code review tools, and project management features make GitHub an essential tool for any developer, and the community aspect adds a layer of connectivity that enriches the overall experience.
Source: www.qodo.ai
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
FAQs: Are there any cloud source repositories similar to GitHub?Is there a free alternative to GitHub?
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
We may earn from vendors via affiliate links or sponsorships. This might affect product placement on our site, but not the content of our reviews. See our Terms of Use for details. Looking for an alternative to GitHub? Check out our in-depth list of the best GitHub competitors, covering their features, pricing, pros, cons, and more.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub seems to be a lot more popular than Webpacker. While we know about 2320 links to GitHub, we've tracked only 17 mentions of Webpacker. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Webpacker mentions (17)

  • React + Ruby on Rails without any gems
    We will use Webpacker or JavaScript compiler and assets management. By following the webpacker installation guide, letโ€™s add Webpacker and React to our application. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Collecting JavaScript code coverage with Capybara in Ruby on Rails application
    For example, there is a Ruby on Rails application that uses Webpacker and has JavaScript files that are covered by the system tests. Capybara is used as the system testing tool. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Asset Pipeline JS Migration
    Using Webpacker in Rails provides several advantages over the traditional asset pipeline. First, Webpacker uses JavaScript modules, which allows for better code organization and improved code reusability. Second, it offers modern frontend build tools, such as Babel and PostCSS, for transforming and compiling assets. Third, it provides faster build times and faster runtime performance through code splitting and... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Thank you Webpacker, Goodbye Webpacker
    This article is replace Webpacker with Simpacker and webpack. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • How to setup ruby on rails + Angular
    In ruby โ€‹โ€‹on rails 7 what is the best way to properly install Angular because I can't find any documentation about it. The only tutorial that exists uses webpacker (https://github.com/rails/webpacker) but unfortunately it is no longer supported and no longer up to date in terms of security. Source: about 3 years ago
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GitHub mentions (2320)

  • A Guide on how to run a Complete CI/CD Pipeline with Node.js, Docker, and Kubernetes.
    Sign up at: https://github.com You'll need this for hosting your code and CI/CD pipeline. - Source: dev.to / about 9 hours ago
  • Why TigerBeetle is the most interesting database in the world
    > AFAIK - the only reason FDB isn't massively popular is because no one has bothered to write good layers on top. I do know of a few folks writing a SQS, DynamoDB and SQLite layers. I started writing this comment: > It seems interesting, but considering what it's for, why aren't the hyperscalers using it? And while writing it I started searching for FoundationDB and found this: >... - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
  • Maximizing Your Development Skills: Proven Strategies for Continuous Learning
    Engaging with open-source projects on platforms like GitHub allows you to work on real-world problems alongside experienced developers. Itโ€™s a great way to learn while contributing to the community. Plus, you can showcase these contributions in your portfolio! - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • 5 Python Automation Scripts to Supercharge Your Productivity
    Import requests Import time From datetime import datetime Def check_website(url, timeout=5): """Check if a website is accessible""" try: start_time = time.time() response = requests.get(url, timeout=timeout, headers={ 'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36' }) response_time = round((time.time() - start_time) * 1000, 2) ... - Source: dev.to / 11 days ago
  • An NPM dependency check list
    7 If hosted in GitHub, check how many issues there are and how frequently issues are being resolved. - Source: dev.to / 15 days ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Webpacker and GitHub, you can also consider the following products

Webpack - Webpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.

GitLab - Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab

Turbolinks - Turbolinks makes navigating your web application faster

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

Yarn - Yarn is a package manager for your code.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft