I really like this article series, but this entry seems quite light on the usual rigorous approach.

Instead of detailed analysis of the barrel files in a specific project+dependencies, there are vague exaggerated comparisons like "What's quicker? Having to load 30k files or just 10? Probably only loading 10 files is faster." Of course 10 modules is faster. But are there 29,990 barrel modules in Webpack?

Also, why is running esbuild+node faster than just node? Does that suggest the problem is not just lots of dusk reads, but something inefficient in the way node processes the module graph? Could that be improved?

Anyway this is an interesting direction of inquiry, and definitely worth considering!