Ii really can't understand some work behind browserify. When using pure JavaScript modules it seems "easy" to convert it to browser code, even if with many dependencies.
But browserify does more:
Many npm modules that don't do IO will just work after being browserified. Others take more work.
Many node built-in modules have been wrapped to work in the browser, but only when you explicitly
require()or use their functionality.When you require() any of these modules, you will get a browser-specific shim.
And again:
- process.nextTick(), __dirname, and __filename node-isms work
- get browser versions of the node core libraries events, stream, path, url, assert, buffer, util, querystring, http, vm, and crypto when you require() them
So... process.nextTick(), __dirname inside the browser... even http? This doesn't make sense to me... how __dirname is supposed to work inside a browser?
process.nextTick() simply runs a callback later.
In a browser, this is simulated using setTimeout(func, 0), setImmediate, or requestAnimationFrame().
__dirnamne and __filename are simply variables that browserify injects at compile-time based on the original path to the file.
This question is very similar to this one.
I provided an answer there which should be helpful here as well.