Providing the mode configuration option tells webpack to use its built-in optimizations accordingly.

string = 'production': 'none' | 'development' | 'production'

Usage

Just provide the mode option in the config:

module.exports = {
  mode: 'development'
};

or pass it as a CLI argument:

webpack --mode=development

The following string values are supported:

If not set, webpack sets production as the default value for mode.

Please remember that setting NODE_ENV doesn't automatically set mode.

Mode: development

// webpack.development.config.js
module.exports = {
+ mode: 'development'
- devtool: 'eval',
- cache: true,
- performance: {
-   hints: false
- },
- output: {
-   pathinfo: true
- },
- optimization: {
-   namedModules: true,
-   namedChunks: true,
-   nodeEnv: 'development',
-   flagIncludedChunks: false,
-   occurrenceOrder: false,
-   sideEffects: false,
-   usedExports: false,
-   concatenateModules: false,
-   splitChunks: {
-     hidePathInfo: false,
-     minSize: 10000,
-     maxAsyncRequests: Infinity,
-     maxInitialRequests: Infinity,
-   },
-   noEmitOnErrors: false,
-   checkWasmTypes: false,
-   minimize: false,
-   removeAvailableModules: false
- },
- plugins: [
-   new webpack.NamedModulesPlugin(),
-   new webpack.NamedChunksPlugin(),
-   new webpack.DefinePlugin({ "process.env.NODE_ENV": JSON.stringify("development") }),
- ]
}

Mode: production

// webpack.production.config.js
module.exports = {
+  mode: 'production',
- performance: {
-   hints: 'warning'
- },
- output: {
-   pathinfo: false
- },
- optimization: {
-   namedModules: false,
-   namedChunks: false,
-   nodeEnv: 'production',
-   flagIncludedChunks: true,
-   occurrenceOrder: true,
-   sideEffects: true,
-   usedExports: true,
-   concatenateModules: true,
-   splitChunks: {
-     hidePathInfo: true,
-     minSize: 30000,
-     maxAsyncRequests: 5,
-     maxInitialRequests: 3,
-   },
-   noEmitOnErrors: true,
-   checkWasmTypes: true,
-   minimize: true,
- },
- plugins: [
-   new TerserPlugin(/* ... */),
-   new webpack.DefinePlugin({ "process.env.NODE_ENV": JSON.stringify("production") }),
-   new webpack.optimize.ModuleConcatenationPlugin(),
-   new webpack.NoEmitOnErrorsPlugin()
- ]
}

Mode: none

// webpack.custom.config.js
module.exports = {
+ mode: 'none',
- performance: {
-  hints: false
- },
- optimization: {
-   flagIncludedChunks: false,
-   occurrenceOrder: false,
-   sideEffects: false,
-   usedExports: false,
-   concatenateModules: false,
-   splitChunks: {
-     hidePathInfo: false,
-     minSize: 10000,
-     maxAsyncRequests: Infinity,
-     maxInitialRequests: Infinity,
-   },
-   noEmitOnErrors: false,
-   checkWasmTypes: false,
-   minimize: false,
- },
- plugins: []
}

If you want to change the behavior according to the mode variable inside the webpack.config.js, you have to export a function instead of an object:

var config = {
  entry: './app.js'
  //...
};

module.exports = (env, argv) => {

  if (argv.mode === 'development') {
    config.devtool = 'source-map';
  }

  if (argv.mode === 'production') {
    //...
  }

  return config;
};