What are the drawbacks of manipulating JavaScript files with PHP code before delivery to the client?

Manipulating JavaScript files with PHP code before delivery to the client can lead to increased server load and slower page load times. This approach can also make debugging and maintaining the code more challenging. To solve this issue, it is recommended to use build tools like Webpack or Gulp to handle JavaScript file manipulation before deployment.

// Example of using Webpack to handle JavaScript file manipulation
// webpack.config.js

const path = require('path');

module.exports = {
  entry: './src/index.js',
  output: {
    filename: 'bundle.js',
    path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist')
  },
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /\.js$/,
        exclude: /node_modules/,
        use: {
          loader: 'babel-loader'
        }
      }
    ]
  }
};