Minification service

Cheat sheet

LESS file:

curl --form "source=@./styles/global.less" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less > styles/g.min.css

JavaScript file:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js > js/g.min.js

JavaScript file, whitespace only:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js?level=WHITESPACE_ONLY > js/g.min.js

JavaScript externs:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" --form "externs=@./js/jquery-2.1.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js > js/g.min.js

JavaScript special externs:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" --form "special-externs=jquery-1.9" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js > js/g.min.js

ES6 file:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/es6 > js/g.min.js

JavaScript minification

JavaScript minification is based on Google Closure Compiler set with advanced optimization used by default. The compilation level can be changed using level URI parameter. Those are the valid values: WHITESPACE_ONLY, SIMPLE_OPTIMIZATIONS, ADVANCED_OPTIMIZATIONS.

The API accepts both direct source code through POST and files containing the source code. In both cases, the API accepts one or several source parameters.

Example of a POST request where JavaScript code is contained in the files passed to the API:

curl --form "source=@./file1.js" --form "source=@./file2.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

Example of a POST request where JavaScript code is passed directly:

curl --data "source=contents1&source=contents2" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

Source map

In order to generate a source map, source-map option can be used like this:

curl --form "source=@./js/global.js" --form "source-map=1" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js > js/g.min.js

When this option is specified, the result is not a JavaScript source, but a ZIP archive using DEFLATE compression algorithm and containing two files:global.js and global.js.map.

Externs

Externs, as used in Closure Compiler, are supported through externs parameter. In the same way as the source files, externs can be sent both as files or as in-form data.

Example of a POST request where externs are contained in a file passed to the API:

curl --form "source=@./file1.js" --form "source=@./file2.js" --form "externs=@./externs.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

Example of a POST request where externs code is passed directly:

curl --data "source=contents1&source=contents2&externs=contents3" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

The following externs can be used without having to upload them:

angular-1.0
angular-1.2
angular-1.2-http-promise
angular-1.2-http-promise_templated
angular-1.2-q
angular-1.2-q_templated
angular-1.3
angular-1.3-http-promise
angular-1.3-http-promise_templated
angular-1.3-q
angular-1.3-q_templated
angular-material
angular_ui_router
chrome_extensions
es6
facebook_javascript_sdk
fileapi_synchronous
google_analytics_api
google_feed_api
google_loader_api
google_maps_api_v2
google_tag_manager_api
google_visualization_api
google_youtube_iframe
jasmine
jquery-1.3.2.externs
jquery-1.4.3
jquery-1.4.4
jquery-1.5
jquery-1.6
jquery-1.7
jquery-1.8
jquery-1.9
processing-1.4.8
silverlight
underscore-1.3.1
underscore-1.5.2
universal_analytics_api
w3c_audio
w3c_css
w3c_eventsource
w3c_gamepad
w3c_midi
w3c_pointer_events
w3c_speech
youtubeplayer

The files are taken from Closure Compiler externs directory. In order to use those externs, one should use special-externs parameter.

Example of a POST request where externs are contained in a file passed to the API:

curl --form "source=@./file1.js" --form "source=@./file2.js" --form "special-externs=jquery-1.9" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

Debugging

A debug option makes it possible to get transformed code while keeping new lines. This can be useful, for example, when debugging the JavaScript code itself. In order to enable debug option, pass debug=1 in the POST request.

Example of a POST request with debugging:

curl --form "source=@./file1.js" --form "source=@./file2.js" --form "debug=1" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/js

ES6 minification

ES6 is minified using Douglas Crockford's jsmin.

It is used exactly the same as JavaScript minification documented below, the only difference being the URI:

curl --form "source=@./file1.js" --form "source=@./file2.js" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/es6

The levels parameter is not supported yet.

The externs are not needed, since the input code is not compiled per se, but only minified.

LESS processing

LESS processing is based on the official lessc command line tool.

The API accepts both direct source code through POST and files containing the source code. In both cases, the API accepts one or several source parameters.

Example of a POST request where LESS code is contained in the files passed to the API:

curl --form "source=@./file1.less" --form "source=@./file2.less" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less

The same request can be done in Python:

import requests

with open("file1.less") as f:
    file1 = f.read()

with open("file2.less") as f:
    file2 = f.read()

files = [
    ("source", ("file1.less", file1)),
    ("source", ("file2.less", file2)),
]

r = requests.post("https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less", files=files)

Example of a POST request where LESS code is passed directly:

curl --data "source=contents1&source=contents2" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less

The same request can be done in Python:

import requests

data = [
    ("source", "contents1"),
    ("source", "contents2"),
]
                
r = requests.post("https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less", data=data)

Debugging

A debug option makes it possible to get transformed code while keeping new lines and white space. This can be useful, for example, when debugging the LESS code itself. In order to enable debug option, pass debug=1 in the POST request.

Example of a POST request with debugging:

curl --form "source=@./file1.less" --form "source=@./file2.less" --form "debug=1" https://minify.pelicandd.com/api/v1/less