Native support for importing remote modules via URL

[kevinkenfack]

Hi Parcel team,

First off, thanks a lot for this amazing tool! Parcel has made working on frontend projects a lot more enjoyable.

I’d like to suggest a feature: support for importing remote modules directly via URL, similar to how Deno or import maps work.

Use Case

In modern frontend workflows (especially with CDNs like Skypack, JSPM, esm.sh, etc.), it's increasingly common to import modules like this:

import { serve } from "https://deno.land/std/http/server.ts";

Currently, Parcel does not support remote imports out of the box. You need workarounds or extra tooling to make it work, which breaks the "zero config" philosophy.

Why it matters

• Useful for quick prototyping without installing packages.
• Encourages exploration and learning via CDN-based modules.
• Aligns Parcel with newer, browser-native module patterns.
• Could simplify simple scripts, playgrounds, or examples.

Possible Implementation (Optional)

A lightweight resolver that fetches and caches remote modules during development (with optional caching in .parcel-cache) could be a good starting point. Integration with import maps might also be useful down the line.

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Thanks for considering this, and congrats again on the great work!

Best regards,

[devongovett]

Would you want these URLs to be resolved and loaded at runtime, or downloaded and bundled at build time?