FontAwesome Bundle CLI
Internal tool to trim icon bundles down to what matters.
🛠️ What is it?
A small internal CLI utility I built to generate custom JavaScript bundles for FontAwesome. Developers can select only the icons they use, and the tool outputs a single file containing just those icons.
❓ Why it was needed
In many frontend projects, FontAwesome is imported as a full set, loading hundreds of unused icons and adding unnecessary weight to the final JS bundle. We needed a more efficient way to ship only what we use.
⚙️ How it works
- Developer provides a list of icon names (e.g.
fa-user,fa-home). - The CLI maps icon names to FontAwesome definitions.
- A custom JS file is built including only the needed icons.
- Bundle is ready to import and use in any project.
🚀 Results
- Reduced JS icon bundle from ~300 KB to < 20 KB.
- Improved initial load time for small web apps.
- Quick to run and easy to integrate into any build pipeline.
🧱 Stack
Node.js · Gulpjs · JavaScript · FontAwesome Core · Custom icon registry / mapping
🔒 Status
This project is an internal tool and not publicly available.
💭 Reflection
This project reminded me how impactful small internal utilities can be. It sharpened my CLI building skills and reinforced the value of performance-minded development in early-stage apps.