Browserify, Webpack, Gulp, Grunt: everything nice and shiny, but the one JS lib that stands out for me is Rollup.js[1]
Why? Because Rollup.js makes it possible to structure code into modules in a way that is backwards compatible and future proof. Yeah it takes some getting used to and it is not yet as simple as it could be, because integrating libs which are not yet available in the module format, takes some manual configuration, but once you know how to use it you won't want to got back.
I can highly recommend it, not because it is the hottest tool out there, but because I think it has a much higher long-term value than most JS libs.
Parcel seems to have a similar functionality but due to the wide range of other functions it comes with, I think there is a much higher chance that it will be rendered obsolete in the near future. Rollup.js on the other hand _focuses_ on the combination of modules to a single bundle which will continue to be required for the foreseeable future.
Webpack actually does the same (it's module bundler), browserify too (but in a more limited way). Gulp ant Grunt are not the module bundlers at all, but simply a task runners - absolutely different things. Btw there is also FuseBox module bundler, seems also with a focus on performance and configuration simplicity.
You are right, they are not exactly the same type of programms. Nevertheless, most of the time they are used for the very same thing: to transform your development source to format which is best to be delivered to the browser (bundling).
Actually, I still use Gulp to call Rollup.js as it is more flexible and allows me to use features which are not the scope of Rollup.js (e.g. automatic browser reload). My point is, that the exact thing Rollup.js focuses on is very important for the long-term development of JS: Modularization. Yeah, I know thats an upcoming part of the JS standard. But with Rollup.js you can use it today, as it has various adapters for legacy formats and therefore you have a tool which allows you a smooth transition into the future ;-)
Sure, but just don't limit yourself by the Rollup.js only. Again Webpack is a module bundler (modularization is there), and it was a module bundler before Rollup.js went public. So you can use all the ES6/7/TypeScript stuff (including modularization) using Webpack, Rollup, Fuse-box, and other bundlers, the difference is in the configurability, performance, configuration syntax, etc. Though yes Rollup provides some specifics, which might be more suited for the standalone libraries releasing, while Webpack would be better choice for the complex app development (that is it not supposed to be released as a library, but deployed somewhere as a complete app).
Webpack is anything but future proof when you start importing css or any non js resource. If you do that you are effectively stuck with webpack and it becomes a framework rather than a tool.
Why? Because Rollup.js makes it possible to structure code into modules in a way that is backwards compatible and future proof. Yeah it takes some getting used to and it is not yet as simple as it could be, because integrating libs which are not yet available in the module format, takes some manual configuration, but once you know how to use it you won't want to got back.
I can highly recommend it, not because it is the hottest tool out there, but because I think it has a much higher long-term value than most JS libs.
Parcel seems to have a similar functionality but due to the wide range of other functions it comes with, I think there is a much higher chance that it will be rendered obsolete in the near future. Rollup.js on the other hand _focuses_ on the combination of modules to a single bundle which will continue to be required for the foreseeable future.
[1] https://rollupjs.org