nodeRuntimePlugin is not usable outside webpack bundles

[MadaraUchiha-314]

Describe the bug

I am using Module Federation Runtime + nodeRuntimePlugin from @module-federation/node/runtimePlugin as provided in the example here: https://module-federation.io/plugin/plugins/index.html#configuration

I am getting the following error:

ReferenceError: [ Federation Runtime ]: __webpack_require__ is not defined
    at <anonymous> (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/node/src/runtimePlugin.ts:234:9)
    at beforeInit (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/node/src/runtimePlugin.ts:337:9)
    at SyncWaterfallHook.emit (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/runtime/dist/index.cjs.js:448:34)
    at FederationHost.formatOptions (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/runtime/dist/index.cjs.js:1925:108)
    at new FederationHost (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/runtime/dist/index.cjs.js:2016:29)
    at init (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/node_modules/@module-federation/runtime/dist/index.cjs.js:2027:30)
    at run (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/src/index.ts:9:3)
    at nodeRuntimePlugin (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/src/index.ts:32:1)
    at Object.<anonymous> (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/src/index.ts:32:5)
    at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1233:14)
node:internal/process/promises:289
            triggerUncaughtException(err, true /* fromPromise */);

This is because nodeRuntimePlugin references __webpack_require__ and my bundle is not generated using webpack.

This needs to be fixed as it make the nodeRuntimePlugin unusable outside of webpack.

Reproduction

https://github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith

Used Package Manager

npm

System Info

NA

Validations

• Read the docs.
• Read the common issues list.
• Check that there isn't already an issue that reports the same bug to avoid creating a duplicate.
• Make sure this is a Module federation issue and not a framework-specific issue.
• The provided reproduction is a minimal reproducible example of the bug.

[MadaraUchiha-314]

I found this: https://github.com/module-federation/module-federation-examples/blob/master/dynamic-remotes-node/pure-server.js

How do I use this ?

[ScriptedAlchemy]

This relies on the chunks having been built by webpack in the first place. We patch the chunk loader so it still needs to be a runtime encoded to loading webpack chunk formats

[ScriptedAlchemy]

how node federation plugin works is:

const chunkMap = {
chunkID: 'chunkPath'
}

webpack_require.f.readFile = (chunkID)=>{
installChunkModules(fs.readFile(chunkMap[chunkId]))
}

We depend on webpacks runtime to augment the filesystem

[MadaraUchiha-314]

We depend on webpacks runtime to augment the filesystem

I am curious whether we can use this or not: https://nodejs.org/api/module.html#hooks

I will write a quick POC and get back.

[MadaraUchiha-314]

@ScriptedAlchemy I updated my minimal example to use webpack but it still fails

https://github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith

Error:

shell-remote-entry.js:6130
/******/ 		execOptions.factory.call(module.exports, module, module.exports, execOptions.require);
         		                    ^

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'call')
    at __webpack_require__ (shell-remote-entry.js:6130:32)
    at fn (shell-remote-entry.js:6314:21)
    at shell-remote-entry.js:5782:186
    at /Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/dist/index.js:379:29
    at Module.get (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/dist/index.js:358:37)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:95:5)
    at async RemoteHandler.loadRemote (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/dist/index.js:1603:37)
    at async run (/Users/rohithr31/code/github.com/MadaraUchiha-314/nailsmith/packages/bff/dist/index.js:28929:20)

[MadaraUchiha-314]

I was able to move past the above bug. I'll talk about the bug and the fix later. It's an interesting one.

But where we are stuck at is when we are calling revalidate() API to flush out the cache for remotes.

The problem is that that code taps into webpack + federation internals:

 __webpack_require__.federation.instance.moduleCache.clear();

https://github.com/module-federation/core/blob/main/packages/node/src/utils/hot-reload.ts#L56

@ScriptedAlchemy Is there a way to implement this module cache clear without tapping into webpack internals and rather use the globalThis.__FEDERATION__. __INSTANCES__ or something like that ?

[ScriptedAlchemy]

Send pr. Sure we can adjust to use global.