What does this minifier do?
It removes // and /* */ comments and collapses unnecessary whitespace, while correctly recognizing string, template-literal, and regular-expression boundaries — so a / inside a regex or the contents of a template string are never mistaken for code and altered.
Why not just rename variables too?
Renaming variables and dead-code elimination require actually parsing JavaScript into an AST — well beyond what a browser-side text tool should attempt safely. For production bundles, use a real minifier like Terser or esbuild as part of your build; this tool is for quick, safe whitespace/comment stripping on a snippet.
Frequently asked questions
Will this break a regex literal like /ab+c/g?
No — the minifier tracks what character precedes a / to tell a regex literal apart from division, and copies regex literals through untouched.
Is this as thorough as Terser or esbuild?
No. Those tools parse a full AST and can rename variables, remove dead code, and safely restructure statements. This tool only strips comments and collapses whitespace — safer for a quick browser check, but it won't shrink a file nearly as much as a real build-time minifier.
Is my code uploaded when I use this tool?
No. Minification happens instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.