Summary & Key Takeaways ​

• esbuild v0.28.0 introduces support for the import ... with { type: 'text' } proposal, which has reached Stage 3 in TC39.
• This feature allows importing text files directly, behaving similarly to esbuild's existing text loader.
• The release also adds integrity checks to the fallback download path for esbuild's platform-specific packages, enhancing security and reliability during installation.
• The Go compiler has been updated from 1.25.7 to 1.26.1, bringing internal changes like a new garbage collector and more aggressive stack allocation.
• The WebAssembly build now consistently uses sign extension and non-trapping floating-point to integer conversion instructions.

Our Commentary ​

This is a solid release from esbuild. The import with { type: 'text' } proposal reaching Stage 3 and being implemented in major tools like esbuild, Deno, and Bun is a clear signal of its importance for the web platform. It streamlines how we handle non-JS assets. We're particularly pleased to see the integrity checks added to the fallback download path. Supply chain security is paramount, and even small improvements like this contribute to a more robust ecosystem. It's a breaking change, but a necessary one for peace of mind. The Go compiler update is mostly under the hood, but it's a reminder of the complex dependencies in modern build tools. It's good to see esbuild keeping up with its underlying tech stack.