Copies individual files or entire directories, which already exist, to the build directory.
To begin, you'll need to install copy-webpack-plugin:
npm install copy-webpack-plugin --save-devor
yarn add -D copy-webpack-pluginor
pnpm add -D copy-webpack-pluginThen add the plugin to your webpack config. For example:
webpack.config.js
const CopyPlugin = require("copy-webpack-plugin");
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{ from: "source", to: "dest" },
{ from: "other", to: "public" },
],
}),
],
};Note
copy-webpack-pluginis not designed to copy files generated from the build process; rather, it is to copy files that already exist in the source tree, as part of the build process.
Note
If you want
webpack-dev-serverto write files to the output directory during development, you can force it with thewriteToDiskoption or thewrite-file-webpack-plugin.
Note
You can get the original source filename from Asset Objects.
The plugin's signature:
webpack.config.js
const CopyPlugin = require("copy-webpack-plugin");
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{ from: "source", to: "dest" },
"path/to/source", // absolute or relative, files/directories/globs - see below for examples
],
options: {
concurrency: 100,
},
}),
],
};fromtocontextglobOptionsfiltertoTypeforceprioritytransformtransformAllnoErrorOnMissinginfo
Type:
type from = string;Default: undefined
Glob or path from where we copy files.
Globs accept fast-glob pattern-syntax.
Glob can only be a string.
Warning
Don't use directly
\\infromoption if it is aglob(i.epath\to\file.ext) option because on UNIX the backslash is a valid character inside a path component, i.e., it's not a separator. On Windows, the forward slash and the backward slash are both separators. Instead please use/.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
"relative/path/to/file.ext",
"relative/path/to/dir",
path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "file.ext"),
path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "dir"),
"**/*",
{
from: "**/*",
},
// If absolute path is a `glob` we replace backslashes with forward slashes, because only forward slashes can be used in the `glob`
path.posix.join(
path.resolve(__dirname, "src").replace(/\\/g, "/"),
"*.txt",
),
],
}),
],
};If you define from as absolute file path or absolute folder path on Windows, you can use windows path segment (\\)
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: path.resolve(__dirname, "file.txt"),
},
],
}),
],
};But you should always use forward-slashes in glob expressions
See fast-glob manual.
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
// If absolute path is a `glob` we replace backslashes with forward slashes, because only forward slashes can be used in the `glob`
from: path.posix.join(
path.resolve(__dirname, "fixtures").replace(/\\/g, "/"),
"*.txt",
),
},
],
}),
],
};The context behaves differently depending on what the from is (glob, file or dir).
More examples
Type:
type to =
| string
| ((pathData: { context: string; absoluteFilename?: string }) => string);Default: compiler.options.output
Output path.
Warning
Don't use directly
\\into(i.epath\to\dest) option because on UNIX the backslash is a valid character inside a path component, i.e., it's not a separator. On Windows, the forward slash and the backward slash are both separators. Instead please use/orpathmethods.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "**/*",
to: "relative/path/to/dest/",
},
{
from: "**/*",
to: "/absolute/path/to/dest/",
},
{
from: "**/*",
to: "[path][name].[contenthash][ext]",
},
],
}),
],
};Allows to modify the writing path.
Warning
Don't return directly
\\into(i.epath\to\newFile) option because on UNIX the backslash is a valid character inside a path component, i.e., it's not a separator. On Windows, the forward slash and the backward slash are both separators. Instead please use/orpathmethods.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to({ context, absoluteFilename }) {
return "dest/newPath/[name][ext]";
},
},
],
}),
],
};webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to({ context, absoluteFilename }) {
return Promise.resolve("dest/newPath/[name][ext]");
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type context = string;Default: options.context|compiler.options.context
A path to be (1) prepended to from and (2) removed from the start of the result path(s).
Warning
Don't use directly
\\incontext(i.epath\to\context) option because on UNIX the backslash is a valid character inside a path component, i.e., it's not a separator. On Windows, the forward slash and the backward slash are both separators. Instead please use/orpathmethods.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.txt",
to: "dest/",
context: "app/",
},
],
}),
],
};context can be an absolute path or a relative path. If it is a relative path, then it will be converted to an absolute path based on compiler.options.context.
context should be explicitly set only when from contains a glob. Otherwise, context is automatically set, based on whether from is a file or a directory:
If from is a file, then context is its directory. The result path will be the filename alone.
If from is a directory, then context equals from. The result paths will be the paths of the directory's contents (including nested contents), relative to the directory.
The use of context is illustrated by these examples.
Type:
type globOptions = import("globby").Options;Default: undefined
Allows to configure the glob pattern matching library used by the plugin. See the list of supported options To exclude files from the selection, you should use globOptions.ignore option
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "public/**/*",
globOptions: {
dot: true,
gitignore: true,
ignore: ["**/file.*", "**/ignored-directory/**"],
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type filter = (filepath: string) => boolean;Default: undefined
Note
To ignore files by path please use the
globOptions.ignoreoption.
webpack.config.js
const fs = require("fs").promise;
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "public/**/*",
filter: async (resourcePath) => {
const data = await fs.promises.readFile(resourcePath);
const content = data.toString();
if (content === "my-custom-content") {
return false;
}
return true;
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type toType = "dir" | "file" | "template";Default: undefined
Determinate what is to option - directory, file or template.
Sometimes it is hard to say what is to, example path/to/dir-with.ext.
If you want to copy files in directory you need use dir option.
We try to automatically determine the type so you most likely do not need this option.
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
'dir' |
string |
undefined |
If to has no extension or ends on '/' |
'file' |
string |
undefined |
If to is not a directory and is not a template |
'template' |
string |
undefined |
If to contains a template pattern |
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "path/to/file.txt",
to: "directory/with/extension.ext",
toType: "dir",
},
],
}),
],
};webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "path/to/file.txt",
to: "file/without/extension",
toType: "file",
},
],
}),
],
};webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/",
to: "dest/[name].[contenthash][ext]",
toType: "template",
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type force = boolean;Default: false
Overwrites files already in compilation.assets (usually added by other plugins/loaders).
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/**/*",
to: "dest/",
force: true,
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type priority = number;Default: 0
Allows to specify the priority of copying files with the same destination name.
Files for patterns with higher priority will be copied later.
To overwrite files, the force option must be enabled.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
// Copied second and will overwrite "dir_2/file.txt"
{
from: "dir_1/file.txt",
to: "newfile.txt",
force: true,
priority: 10,
},
// Copied first
{
from: "dir_2/file.txt",
to: "newfile.txt",
priority: 5,
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type transform =
| {
transformer: (input: string, absoluteFilename: string) => string | Buffer;
cache?: boolean | TransformerCacheObject | undefined;
}
| ((input: string, absoluteFilename: string) => string | Buffer);Default: undefined
Allows to modify the file contents.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
// The `content` argument is a [`Buffer`](https://nodejs.org/api/buffer.html) object, it could be converted to a `String` to be processed using `content.toString()`
// The `absoluteFrom` argument is a `String`, it is absolute path from where the file is being copied
transform(content, absoluteFrom) {
return optimize(content);
},
},
],
}),
],
};| Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
transformer |
undefined |
Allows to modify the file contents. |
cache |
false |
Enable transform caching. You can use transform: { cache: { key: 'my-cache-key' } } to invalidate the cache. |
Type:
type transformer = (input: string, absoluteFilename: string) => string;Default: undefined
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
// The `content` argument is a [`Buffer`](https://nodejs.org/api/buffer.html) object, it could be converted to a `String` to be processed using `content.toString()`
// The `absoluteFrom` argument is a `String`, it is absolute path from where the file is being copied
transform: {
transformer(content, absoluteFrom) {
return optimize(content);
},
},
},
],
}),
],
};webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
transform: {
transformer(content, path) {
return Promise.resolve(optimize(content));
},
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type cache =
| boolean
| {
keys: {
[key: string]: any;
};
}
| {
keys: (
defaultCacheKeys: {
[key: string]: any;
},
absoluteFilename: string,
) => Promise<{
[key: string]: any;
}>;
}
| undefined;Default: false
webpack.config.js
Enable/disable and configure caching.
Default path to cache directory: node_modules/.cache/copy-webpack-plugin.
Enables/Disable transform caching.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
transform: {
transformer(content, path) {
return optimize(content);
},
cache: true,
},
},
],
}),
],
};Enables transform caching and setup invalidation keys.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
transform: {
transformer(content, path) {
return optimize(content);
},
cache: {
keys: {
// May be useful for invalidating cache based on external values
// For example, you can invalid cache based on `process.version` - { node: process.version }
key: "value",
},
},
},
},
],
}),
],
};You can setup invalidation keys using a function.
Simple function:
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
transform: {
transformer(content, path) {
return optimize(content);
},
cache: {
keys: (defaultCacheKeys, absoluteFrom) => {
const keys = getCustomCacheInvalidationKeysSync();
return {
...defaultCacheKeys,
keys,
};
},
},
},
},
],
}),
],
};Async function:
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/*.png",
to: "dest/",
transform: {
transformer(content, path) {
return optimize(content);
},
cache: {
keys: async (defaultCacheKeys, absoluteFrom) => {
const keys = await getCustomCacheInvalidationKeysAsync();
return {
...defaultCacheKeys,
keys,
};
},
},
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type transformAll = (
data: {
data: Buffer;
sourceFilename: string;
absoluteFilename: string;
}[],
) => any;Default: undefined
Allows you to modify the contents of multiple files and save the result to one file.
Note
The
tooption must be specified and point to a file. It is allowed to use only[contenthash]and[fullhash]template strings.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/**/*.txt",
to: "dest/file.txt",
// The `assets` argument is an assets array for the pattern.from ("src/**/*.txt")
transformAll(assets) {
const result = assets.reduce((accumulator, asset) => {
// The asset content can be obtained from `asset.source` using `source` method.
// The asset content is a [`Buffer`](https://nodejs.org/api/buffer.html) object, it could be converted to a `String` to be processed using `content.toString()`
const content = asset.data;
accumulator = `${accumulator}${content}\n`;
return accumulator;
}, "");
return result;
},
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type noErrorOnMissing = boolean;Default: false
Doesn't generate an error on missing file(s).
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: path.resolve(__dirname, "missing-file.txt"),
noErrorOnMissing: true,
},
],
}),
],
};Type:
type info =
| Record<string, any>
| ((item: {
absoluteFilename: string;
sourceFilename: string;
filename: string;
toType: ToType;
}) => Record<string, any>);Default: undefined
Allows to add assets info.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
"relative/path/to/file.ext",
{
from: "**/*",
// Terser skip this file for minimization
info: { minimized: true },
},
],
}),
],
};webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
"relative/path/to/file.ext",
{
from: "**/*",
// Terser skip this file for minimization
info: (file) => ({ minimized: true }),
},
],
}),
],
};type:
type concurrency = number;default: 100
limits the number of simultaneous requests to fs
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [...patterns],
options: { concurrency: 50 },
}),
],
};Take for example the following file structure:
src/directory-nested/deep-nested/deepnested-file.txt
src/directory-nested/nested-file.txt
Everything that you specify in from will be included in the result:
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/directory-nested/**/*",
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
src/directory-nested/deep-nested/deepnested-file.txt,
src/directory-nested/nested-file.txtIf you don't want the result paths to start with src/directory-nested/, then you should move src/directory-nested/ to context, such that only the glob pattern **/* remains in from:
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "**/*",
context: path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "directory-nested"),
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
deep-nested/deepnested-file.txt,
nested-file.txtwebpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "directory-nested"),
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
deep-nested/deepnested-file.txt,
nested-file.txtTechnically, this is **/* with a predefined context equal to the specified directory.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "**/*",
context: path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "directory-nested"),
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
deep-nested/deepnested-file.txt,
nested-file.txtmodule.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: path.resolve(
__dirname,
"src",
"directory-nested",
"nested-file.txt",
),
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
nested-file.txtTechnically, this is a filename with a predefined context equal to path.dirname(pathToFile).
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "nested-file.txt",
context: path.resolve(__dirname, "src", "directory-nested"),
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
nested-file.txtwebpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: path.posix.join(
path.resolve(__dirname, "src").replace(/\\/g, "/"),
"**/*",
),
globOptions: {
ignore: [
// Ignore all `txt` files
"**/*.txt",
// Ignore all files in all subdirectories
"**/subdir/**",
],
},
},
],
}),
],
};Removes all directory references and only copies file names.
Warning
If files have the same name, the result is non-deterministic.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: "src/**/*",
to: "[name][ext]",
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
file-1.txt
file-2.txt
nested-file.txtwebpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
// When copying files starting with a dot, must specify the toType option
// toType: "file",
to({ context, absoluteFilename }) {
return `newdirectory/${path.relative(context, absoluteFilename)}`;
},
from: "directory",
},
],
}),
],
};Result:
"newdirectory/file-1.txt",
"newdirectory/nestedfile.txt",
"newdirectory/nested/deep-nested/deepnested.txt",
"newdirectory/nested/nestedfile.txt",Useful if you need to simply copy *.js files to destination "as is" without evaluating and minimizing them using Terser.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
"relative/path/to/file.ext",
{
from: "**/*",
// Terser skip this file for minimization
info: { minimized: true },
},
],
}),
],
};When using yarn workspaces or monorepos, relative copy paths from node_modules can be broken due to the way packages are hoisting.
To avoid this, should explicitly specify where to copy the files from using require.resolve.
webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
plugins: [
new CopyPlugin({
patterns: [
{
from: `${path.dirname(
require.resolve(`${moduleName}/package.json`),
)}/target`,
to: "target",
},
],
}),
],
};Please take a moment to read our contributing guidelines if you haven't yet done so.