FAQ

How is Wakaru different from a formatter or beautifier?

A formatter only changes whitespace and layout. Wakaru rewrites the JavaScript AST to reverse minifier artifacts, restore transpiled syntax, remove bundler runtime patterns, and split bundles back into modules.

How do I unminify JavaScript?

Run npx wakaru input.js -o output.js, or paste the code into the playground. Wakaru reverses minifier artifacts (sequence expressions, !0/void 0 literal tricks, flipped comparisons) and transpiler helpers (Babel, TypeScript, SWC) to recover readable modern JavaScript.

How do I decompile a webpack bundle?

Run npx wakaru bundle.js --unpack -o out/. Wakaru detects webpack 4/5 and the other formats listed in Unpack a bundle, then splits the bundle into individual modules and decompiles each one.

Can Wakaru extract JavaScript from a Bun single-file executable?

Yes. Run npx wakaru ./compiled-app --unpack -o out/ on a bun build --compile binary. Wakaru validates Bun's embedded module graph and decompiles the JavaScript entries without ever executing the binary. npx wakaru bun extract ./compiled-app -o extracted/ dumps every embedded file, assets included.

Can Wakaru deobfuscate JavaScript?

No. Heavy obfuscation such as string arrays, control-flow flattening, and VM-based protectors is a different problem. Strip it first with a dedicated tool like webcrack, then use Wakaru to recover readable modules. See What is Wakaru for the pipeline.

Can it recover original variable names?

Yes, when the source map includes original names: Wakaru recovers them and deduplicates imports. Without one, it applies conservative renaming heuristics where the code gives evidence, but most mangled names stay short. Pair it with an LLM renamer like humanify if you want guessed names.

Is the output guaranteed to behave the same?

Wakaru is designed to preserve behavior while recovering readable structure. Rewrite levels let you choose between behavioral fidelity and stronger readability-oriented recovery. Use minimal when fidelity matters most. A Test262 round-trip harness continuously measures semantic preservation.

Does it run in the browser?

Yes. The playground is the WebAssembly build of the same Rust engine, running entirely in your browser. No code leaves your machine.