When trying to set up Plaiceholder in a Next.js/Webpack 5 environment, you may encounter the following issue: "Error: Module not found - Can't resolve 'child_process

Question

When trying to set up Plaiceholder in a Next.js/Webpack 5 environment, you may encounter the following issue: "Error: Module not found - Can't resolve 'child_process

While working on my Next.js application, I encountered an issue after installing/importing Plaiceholder for generating placeholder images. The error message I received is:

Module not found: Can't resolve 'child_process'

Node version: 14.18.0
Next.js version: 11.1.2
Plaiceholder version: 2.2.0
Sharp version: 0.29.2

Based on my understanding, this error indicates that webpack5 is attempting to bundle node packages that are not accessible to the client side. However, I have not made any customizations to the webpack configs and couldn't find any reference to this issue in the Plaiceholder documentation. How can I troubleshoot and fix this problem?

It's important to note that I aim to create the base64 data URL during the build process so it can be available as soon as the page loads, rather than fetched asynchronously at runtime.

Below is an excerpt from my next.config.js:

module.exports = {
  reactStrictMode: true,
};

The package.json file only includes scripts, dependencies, and devDependencies, with no modifications related to module resolution.

As a reference point, here is a simplified example using Plaiceholder:

import Image from "next/image";
import { getPlaiceholder } from "plaiceholder";
import React, { useState } from "react";

...

const { base64 } = await getPlaiceholder(imgUrl);

...

return (<Image
            src={imgUrl}
            placeholder="blur"
            blurDataURL={base64}
          />);

javascript webpack next.js server-side-rendering

Answer 1

Answer №1

It appears that plaiceholder is more suitable for server-side rendering rather than client-side rendering. The package is designed for the Node.js environment, which is why you encounter an error when trying to render your component on the client side.

To resolve this issue, it is recommended to relocate

import { getPlaiceholder } from 'plaiceholder'

to the NextJS API section. From there, you can call the API with your URL data in the body and obtain the base64 value.

/api/getBase64.js

import { getPlaiceholder } from "plaiceholder";

export default async (req, res) => {
  const { body } = req;
  const { url } = body;

  const { base64 } = getPlaiceholder(url);

  res.status(200).send(base64);
};

/component.js

import Image from "next/image";
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";

const [base64, setBase64] = useState()

useEffect(() => {
  (async () => {
   const _base64 = await fetch.post('/api/getBase64', {url: imgUrl}); // included for demonstration purposes
   setBase64(_base64);
  })()
})

return (<Image
            src={imgUrl}
            placeholder="blur"
            blurDataURL={base64}
          />);

The blurDataURL will remain undefined until the data is fetched, but this method demonstrates how to utilize the plaiceholder library effectively for managing images. Remember, this library should be imported specifically for the Node.js environment. If this approach does not suit your needs, explore alternative libraries suited for client-side environments.

UPDATED as per feedback:

If you prefer to generate the base64 at build time, consider using getStaticProps within the pages utilizing the Image component. NextJS intelligently distinguishes between client-side and server-side dependencies. Here's a suggested implementation:

import { getPlaiceholder } from "plaiceholder";  // place this at the file root to avoid client-side bundling

export async function getStaticProps(context) {
  const { base64 } = await getPlaiceholder(imgUrl);

  return {
    props: { base64 }, // passed as prop to page component
  }
}

This configuration ensures the page is constructed at build time using getStaticProps. Retrieve the base64 prop within the image-utilizing page and pass it to blurDataURL. Additionally, this approach works seamlessly with getServerSideProps.

According to the NextJS documentation:

Note: Modules imported in top-level scope for use in getServerSideProps are not bundled for client-side execution.

Link to NextJS documentation

Answer 2

It appears that plaiceholder is more suitable for server-side rendering rather than client-side rendering. The package is designed for the Node.js environment, which is why you encounter an error when trying to render your component on the client side.

To resolve this issue, it is recommended to relocate

import { getPlaiceholder } from 'plaiceholder'

to the NextJS API section. From there, you can call the API with your URL data in the body and obtain the base64 value.

/api/getBase64.js

import { getPlaiceholder } from "plaiceholder";

export default async (req, res) => {
  const { body } = req;
  const { url } = body;

  const { base64 } = getPlaiceholder(url);

  res.status(200).send(base64);
};

/component.js

import Image from "next/image";
import React, { useState, useEffect } from "react";

const [base64, setBase64] = useState()

useEffect(() => {
  (async () => {
   const _base64 = await fetch.post('/api/getBase64', {url: imgUrl}); // included for demonstration purposes
   setBase64(_base64);
  })()
})

return (<Image
            src={imgUrl}
            placeholder="blur"
            blurDataURL={base64}
          />);

The blurDataURL will remain undefined until the data is fetched, but this method demonstrates how to utilize the plaiceholder library effectively for managing images. Remember, this library should be imported specifically for the Node.js environment. If this approach does not suit your needs, explore alternative libraries suited for client-side environments.

UPDATED as per feedback:

If you prefer to generate the base64 at build time, consider using getStaticProps within the pages utilizing the Image component. NextJS intelligently distinguishes between client-side and server-side dependencies. Here's a suggested implementation:

import { getPlaiceholder } from "plaiceholder";  // place this at the file root to avoid client-side bundling

export async function getStaticProps(context) {
  const { base64 } = await getPlaiceholder(imgUrl);

  return {
    props: { base64 }, // passed as prop to page component
  }
}

This configuration ensures the page is constructed at build time using getStaticProps. Retrieve the base64 prop within the image-utilizing page and pass it to blurDataURL. Additionally, this approach works seamlessly with getServerSideProps.

According to the NextJS documentation:

Note: Modules imported in top-level scope for use in getServerSideProps are not bundled for client-side execution.

Link to NextJS documentation

Answer 3

Answer №2

To make use of the getPlaiceholder() function in getStaticProps for Next Js, it is essential to install the required plugin and set up the next config according to guidelines from Plaiceholder Docs, as demonstrated by @oakar.

npm i @plaiceholder/next

const { withPlaiceholder } = require("@plaiceholder/next");

module.exports = withPlaiceholder({
    // your Next.js config
});

Answer 4

To make use of the getPlaiceholder() function in getStaticProps for Next Js, it is essential to install the required plugin and set up the next config according to guidelines from Plaiceholder Docs, as demonstrated by @oakar.

npm i @plaiceholder/next

const { withPlaiceholder } = require("@plaiceholder/next");

module.exports = withPlaiceholder({
    // your Next.js config
});

When trying to set up Plaiceholder in a Next.js/Webpack 5 environment, you may encounter the following issue: "Error: Module not found - Can't resolve 'child_process

Answer №1

Answer №2

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