title: Webpack & React - Change data of json file without the need to rebuild
body: <p>I am trying to create an app with some universal variables stored in a JSON that I can change without the need to rebuild.</p>
  
  <p>So I created this very basic structure</p>
  
  <p><code>src/index.js</code></p>
  
  <pre><code>import data from '../assets/variables.json'
  console.log('test');
  console.log(data);
  </code></pre>
  
  <p><code>assets/variables.json</code></p>
  
  <pre><code>{"price":20}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I go ahead and build a <code>dist/main.js</code> file which I include in a WordPress plugin. So far so good.</p>
  
  <p>If I want to change the price to {"price":30}, for example, I need to rebuild the webpack bundle. I want an alternative that doesn't require a local rebuild.</p>
  
  <p>I failed to understand WebPack's Externals. Can I include the data from there?
  Can I somehow fetch them on ComponentDidMount? Do I need an API for that or just the file's URL?</p>
  
  <p>Is there a better option? Long story short I want a non-technical user to be able to update the basic data.</p>
  
  <p>Thank you for any ideas.</p>