diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 7677f3b00a..d1a52908dd 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ deploy:
     file:
       - dist/built/geo.js
       - dist/built/geo.min.js
-      - dist/built/geo.ext.js
-      - dist/built/geo.ext.min.js
+      - dist/built/geo.lean.js
+      - dist/built/geo.lean.min.js
     skip-cleanup: true
     on:
       tags: true
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b6f3388337..0d93027c60 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Change Log
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Changes
+
+- Changed build process: optional dependencies are now included in the bundle by default (#890)
+
+
 ## Version 0.17.0
 
 ### Features
diff --git a/docs/quickstart.rst b/docs/quickstart.rst
index 403a64ba05..0a8d515f18 100644
--- a/docs/quickstart.rst
+++ b/docs/quickstart.rst
@@ -61,9 +61,11 @@ is needed. ::
     npm install
     npm run build
 
-Compiled javascript libraries will be named ``geo.min.js`` and ``geo.ext.min.js`` in ``dist/built``.
-The first file contains geojs and vgl bundled together with a number of dependent libraries.
-The second file contains d3.  The bundled libraries are minified, but source maps are provided
+The compiled javascript libraries will be named ``geo.min.js`` and ``geo.lean.min.js`` in ``dist/built``.
+The first file contains geojs including all optional dependencies. The second file is a version of
+geojs without any of the third party dependencies such as d3 and Hammer; if you want to use the lean
+bundle but need any of these dependencies, you must include them first in your page and expose them in
+global scope under their standard names. The bundled libraries are minified, but source maps are provided.
 
 .. _quick-start-guide:
 
@@ -76,7 +78,6 @@ and creating a basic full map using the `osmLayer` class.
 .. code-block:: html
 
     <head>
-        <script charset="UTF-8" src="/built/geo.ext.min.js"></script>
         <script src="/built/geo.min.js"></script>
 
         <style>
diff --git a/docs/users.rst b/docs/users.rst
index 2d5ef6d67d..b2ca12242b 100644
--- a/docs/users.rst
+++ b/docs/users.rst
@@ -5,19 +5,12 @@ User's guide
 Dependencies
 ------------
 
-GeoJS depends on several Javascript libraries that must be loaded
-prior to use as well as a few recommended libraries for optional
-features.  As a convenience, we provide a bundle containing all
-required and optional dependencies in a single minified file.
-This bundle is built as ``dist/built/geo.ext.min.js``.  If you
-are just building a simple page out of GeoJS like in the
-:ref:`quick start guide <quick-start-guide>`, this will probably
-work well; however, when using GeoJS as part of an application,
-you may need to customize the loading order or versions of the
-bundled applications.  In this case, you may need to include the
-sources manually or bundle them yourself.
-
 See the package.json file for a list of required and optional dependencies used by GeoJS.
+All libraries listed as optional dependencies are built into the main ``geo.min.js`` bundle,
+but are not present in the ``geo.lean.min.js`` bundle. If you want to use a subset of the
+optional dependencies, you can use the lean bundle and import any required dependency
+libraries into your page before the lean bundle, making sure that the library is exposed
+under its standard name in global scope.
 
 .. note::
 
diff --git a/external.config.js b/external.config.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 828b0de2c8..0000000000
--- a/external.config.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,63 +0,0 @@
-var path = require('path');
-var UglifyJsPlugin = require('uglifyjs-webpack-plugin');
-
-module.exports = {
-  /* webpack 4
-  mode: 'production',
-   */
-  performance: {hints: false},
-  cache: true,
-  context: path.join(__dirname, 'src'),
-  entry: {
-    'geo.ext': './vendor.js',
-    'geo.ext.min': './vendor.js'
-  },
-  output: {
-    path: path.join(__dirname, 'dist', 'built'),
-    publicPath: 'dist/built',
-    filename: '[name].js'
-  },
-  resolve: {
-    alias: {
-      d3: 'd3/d3.js',
-      hammerjs: 'hammerjs/hammer.js'
-    }
-  },
-  /* webpack 3 */
-  plugins: [
-    new UglifyJsPlugin({
-      include: /\.min\.js$/,
-      parallel: true,
-      uglifyOptions: {
-        compress: true,
-        comments: /@(license|copyright)/
-      },
-      sourceMap: true
-    })
-  ],
-  /* end webpack 3 */
-  /* webpack 4
-  optimization: {
-    minimizer: [
-      new UglifyJsPlugin({
-        include: /\.min\.js$/,
-        parallel: true,
-        uglifyOptions: {
-          compress: true,
-          comments: /@(license|copyright)/
-        },
-        sourceMap: true
-      })
-    ]
-  },
-  */
-  module: {
-    rules: [{
-      test: require.resolve('d3'),
-      use: ['expose-loader?d3']
-    }, {
-      test: require.resolve('hammerjs'),
-      use: ['expose-loader?hammerjs']
-    }]
-  }
-};
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 94b5ad5c3f..8fee02f4b7 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "geojs",
-  "version": "0.16.0",
+  "version": "0.17.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 1,
   "requires": true,
   "dependencies": {
@@ -4229,7 +4229,7 @@
     },
     "event-stream": {
       "version": "0.5.3",
-      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/event-stream/-/event-stream-0.5.3.tgz",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/event-stream/-/event-stream-0.5.3.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-t3uTCfcQet3+q2PwwOr9jbC9jBw=",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
@@ -10268,7 +10268,7 @@
     },
     "onetime": {
       "version": "1.1.0",
-      "resolved": "http://registry.npmjs.org/onetime/-/onetime-1.1.0.tgz",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/onetime/-/onetime-1.1.0.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha1-ofeDj4MUxRbwXs78vEzP4EtO14k=",
       "dev": true
     },
@@ -15633,6 +15633,15 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "webpack-merge": {
+      "version": "4.1.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/webpack-merge/-/webpack-merge-4.1.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-TmSe1HZKeOPey3oy1Ov2iS3guIZjWvMT2BBJDzzT5jScHTjVC3mpjJofgueEzaEd6ibhxRDD6MIblDr8tzh8iQ==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "requires": {
+        "lodash": "4.17.10"
+      }
+    },
     "webpack-serve": {
       "version": "1.0.4",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/webpack-serve/-/webpack-serve-1.0.4.tgz",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 43771fb3cf..36ddb50589 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -90,11 +90,12 @@
     "url-loader": "^1.0.1",
     "webpack": "^3.12.0",
     "webpack-cli": "^2.1.3",
+    "webpack-merge": "^4.1.4",
     "webpack-serve": "^1.0.2",
     "xmlbuilder": "^10.0.0"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "webpack --config webpack.config.js && webpack --config external.config.js",
+    "build": "webpack --config webpack.config.js && webpack --config webpack-lean.config.js",
     "build-examples": "node examples/build.js && webpack --config webpack-examples.config.js",
     "build-website-examples": "node examples/build-website.js && webpack --config webpack-website-examples.config.js",
     "build-tutorials": "node tutorials/build.js && webpack --config webpack-tutorials.config.js",
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@
     "website": "cd website && npx hexo server",
     "setup-website": "cd website && npm install",
     "build-website": "npm run build && cp -a dist/built/. website/source/built && npm run build-website-examples && npm run build-website-tutorials && npm run docs && cd dist && find data \\( -name tiles -o -name base-images -o -name '*-hash-stamp' -o -name '*.tgz' \\) -prune -o \\( -print0 \\) | cpio -pmdL0 ../website/source && cp -ar apidocs/. ../website/source/apidocs && cd ../website && npm install && rm -f db.json && npx hexo generate",
-    "prepublishOnly": "webpack --config webpack.config.js && webpack --config external.config.js && cp dist/built/*.js ."
+    "prepublishOnly": "webpack --config webpack.config.js && webpack --config webpack-lean.config.js && cp dist/built/*.js ."
   },
   "keywords": [
     "map",
diff --git a/tutorials/basic/index.pug b/tutorials/basic/index.pug
index 0c03716266..0d34d78a2c 100644
--- a/tutorials/basic/index.pug
+++ b/tutorials/basic/index.pug
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ block mainTutorial
     <!DOCTYPE html>
     <html>
     <head>
-      <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.ext.min.js"></script>
       <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.min.js"></script>
     </head>
     <body>
@@ -18,10 +17,6 @@ block mainTutorial
     </html>
 
   :markdown-it
-    The second script, ``geo.ext.min.js``, is optional.  It adds support
-    for svg elements and touch interaction.  It needs to be added before
-    ``geo.min.js``.
-
     Some CSS will make our map fill the page:
 
   +codeblock('css', 2).
diff --git a/tutorials/common/tutorials.js b/tutorials/common/tutorials.js
index 00b3aa355f..04b676d891 100644
--- a/tutorials/common/tutorials.js
+++ b/tutorials/common/tutorials.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ var processBlockInfo = {
     /* We could also load from the CDN:
      *   https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.12.2/geo.min.js
      * or the non-minified versions to make debug easier. */
-    '  <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.ext.min.js"></script>\n' +
     '  <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.min.js"></script>\n' +
     '</head>\n' +
     '<body>\n' +
diff --git a/tutorials/editor3/index.pug b/tutorials/editor3/index.pug
index c8ea2d2702..d2199f985c 100644
--- a/tutorials/editor3/index.pug
+++ b/tutorials/editor3/index.pug
@@ -13,13 +13,11 @@ block mainTutorial
     <!DOCTYPE html>
     <html>
     <head>
-      <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.ext.min.js"></script>
       <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.min.js"></script>
       <!-- Use a specific version of GeoJS by requesting it from a CDN.
            For instance, remove the local references, above, and
            uncomment the following:
-      <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.15.1/geo.ext.min.js"></script>
-      <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.15.1/geo.min.js"></script>
+      <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.18.0/geo.min.js"></script>
        -->
     </head>
     <body>
diff --git a/tutorials/video_transport/index.pug b/tutorials/video_transport/index.pug
index 3b4e51c7ad..d06e9d3159 100644
--- a/tutorials/video_transport/index.pug
+++ b/tutorials/video_transport/index.pug
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ block mainTutorial
     <!DOCTYPE html>
     <html>
     <head>
-      <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.ext.min.js"></script>
       <script type="text/javascript" src="../../built/geo.min.js"></script>
     </head>
     <body>
diff --git a/webpack-examples.config.js b/webpack-examples.config.js
index a037bceaca..36f34c1abf 100644
--- a/webpack-examples.config.js
+++ b/webpack-examples.config.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ const StringReplacePlugin = require('string-replace-webpack-plugin');
 var path = require('path');
 
 var base = require('./webpack.config');
-var external = require('./external.config');
 
 var rules = base.module.rules.concat([{
   test: /\.pug$/,
@@ -39,8 +38,6 @@ var rules = base.module.rules.concat([{
   })]
 }]);
 
-rules = rules.concat(external.module.rules);
-
 var plugins = base.plugins;
 plugins.push(new StringReplacePlugin());
 
diff --git a/webpack-lean.config.js b/webpack-lean.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eb8ea96eef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webpack-lean.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// The lean build does not include any of the third-party runtime dependencies, rather
+// it assumes they are in the global namespace at runtime.
+var config = require('./webpack.base.config');
+var merge = require('webpack-merge');
+
+module.exports = merge(config, {
+  entry: {
+    'geo.lean': './index.js',
+    'geo.lean.min': './index.js'
+  },
+  externals: {
+    d3: 'd3',
+    hammerjs: {
+      root: 'Hammer',
+      commonjs: 'hammerjs',
+      commonjs2: 'hammerjs',
+      amd: 'hammerjs',
+      // Since GeoJS's libraryTarget is "umd", defining this (undocumented) external library type
+      // will allow Webpack to create a better error message if a "hammerjs" import fails
+      umd: 'hammerjs'
+    }
+  }
+});
diff --git a/webpack-tutorials.config.js b/webpack-tutorials.config.js
index 383cc1ace1..6394abcc02 100644
--- a/webpack-tutorials.config.js
+++ b/webpack-tutorials.config.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ const StringReplacePlugin = require('string-replace-webpack-plugin');
 var path = require('path');
 
 var base = require('./webpack.config');
-var external = require('./external.config');
 
 var rules = base.module.rules.concat([{
   test: /\.pug$/,
@@ -33,8 +32,6 @@ var rules = base.module.rules.concat([{
   })
 }]);
 
-rules = rules.concat(external.module.rules);
-
 var plugins = base.plugins;
 plugins.push(new StringReplacePlugin());
 
diff --git a/webpack.base.config.js b/webpack.base.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e7a3e464b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webpack.base.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+var path = require('path');
+var webpack = require('webpack');
+var exec = require('child_process').execSync;
+var UglifyJsPlugin = require('uglifyjs-webpack-plugin');
+var sha = '';
+
+if (!exec) {
+  console.warn('Node 0.12 or greater is required for detecting the git hash.');
+}
+
+try {
+  sha = exec('git rev-parse HEAD', {cwd: __dirname}).toString().trim();
+} catch (e) {
+  console.warn('Could not determine git hash.');
+}
+
+var define_plugin = new webpack.DefinePlugin({
+  GEO_SHA: JSON.stringify(sha),
+  GEO_VERSION: JSON.stringify(require('./package.json').version)
+});
+
+module.exports = {
+  /* webpack 4
+  mode: 'production',
+   */
+  performance: {hints: false},
+  cache: true,
+  devtool: 'source-map',
+  context: path.join(__dirname, 'src'),
+  output: {
+    path: path.join(__dirname, 'dist', 'built'),
+    publicPath: 'dist/built',
+    filename: '[name].js',
+    library: 'geo',
+    libraryTarget: 'umd'
+  },
+  resolve: {
+    alias: {
+      jquery: 'jquery/dist/jquery',
+      proj4: 'proj4/lib',
+      vgl: 'vgl/vgl.js',
+      d3: 'd3/d3.js',
+      hammerjs: 'hammerjs/hammer.js',
+      mousetrap: 'mousetrap/mousetrap.js'
+    }
+  },
+  plugins: [
+    /* webpack 3 */
+    new UglifyJsPlugin({
+      include: /\.min\.js$/,
+      parallel: true,
+      uglifyOptions: {
+        compress: true,
+        comments: /@(license|copyright)/
+      },
+      sourceMap: true
+    }),
+    /* end webpack 3 */
+    define_plugin
+  ],
+  /* webpack 4
+  optimization: {
+    minimizer: [
+      new UglifyJsPlugin({
+        include: /\.min\.js$/,
+        parallel: true,
+        uglifyOptions: {
+          compress: true,
+          comments: /@(license|copyright)/
+        },
+        sourceMap: true
+      })
+    ]
+  },
+  */
+  module: {
+    rules: [{
+      test: /\.styl$/,
+      use: [
+        'style-loader',
+        'css-loader',
+        'stylus-loader'
+      ]
+    }, {
+      test: /\.css$/,
+      use: [
+        'style-loader',
+        'css-loader'
+      ]
+    }, {
+      test: /vgl\.js$/,
+      use: [
+        'expose-loader?vgl',
+        'imports-loader?mat4=gl-mat4,vec4=gl-vec4,vec3=gl-vec3,$=jquery'
+      ]
+    }]
+  }
+};
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 7e3f519c61..74b13349c6 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -1,114 +1,9 @@
-var path = require('path');
-var webpack = require('webpack');
-var exec = require('child_process').execSync;
-var UglifyJsPlugin = require('uglifyjs-webpack-plugin');
-var sha = '';
+var config = require('./webpack.base.config');
+var merge = require('webpack-merge');
 
-if (!exec) {
-  console.warn('Node 0.12 or greater is required for detecting the git hash.');
-}
-
-try {
-  sha = exec('git rev-parse HEAD', {cwd: __dirname}).toString().trim();
-} catch (e) {
-  console.warn('Could not determine git hash.');
-}
-
-var define_plugin = new webpack.DefinePlugin({
-  GEO_SHA: JSON.stringify(sha),
-  GEO_VERSION: JSON.stringify(require('./package.json').version)
-});
-
-module.exports = {
-  /* webpack 4
-  mode: 'production',
-   */
-  performance: {hints: false},
-  cache: true,
-  devtool: 'source-map',
-  context: path.join(__dirname, 'src'),
+module.exports = merge(config, {
   entry: {
-    geo: './index.js',
+    'geo': './index.js',
     'geo.min': './index.js'
-  },
-  output: {
-    path: path.join(__dirname, 'dist', 'built'),
-    publicPath: 'dist/built',
-    filename: '[name].js',
-    library: 'geo',
-    libraryTarget: 'umd'
-  },
-  resolve: {
-    alias: {
-      jquery: 'jquery/dist/jquery',
-      proj4: 'proj4/lib',
-      vgl: 'vgl/vgl.js',
-      d3: 'd3/d3.js',
-      hammerjs: 'hammerjs/hammer.js',
-      mousetrap: 'mousetrap/mousetrap.js'
-    }
-  },
-  externals: {
-    d3: 'd3',
-    hammerjs: {
-      root: 'Hammer',
-      commonjs: 'hammerjs',
-      commonjs2: 'hammerjs',
-      amd: 'hammerjs',
-      // Since GeoJS's libraryTarget is "umd", defining this (undocumented) external library type
-      // will allow Webpack to create a better error message if a "hammerjs" import fails
-      umd: 'hammerjs'
-    }
-  },
-  plugins: [
-    /* webpack 3 */
-    new UglifyJsPlugin({
-      include: /\.min\.js$/,
-      parallel: true,
-      uglifyOptions: {
-        compress: true,
-        comments: /@(license|copyright)/
-      },
-      sourceMap: true
-    }),
-    /* end webpack 3 */
-    define_plugin
-  ],
-  /* webpack 4
-  optimization: {
-    minimizer: [
-      new UglifyJsPlugin({
-        include: /\.min\.js$/,
-        parallel: true,
-        uglifyOptions: {
-          compress: true,
-          comments: /@(license|copyright)/
-        },
-        sourceMap: true
-      })
-    ]
-  },
-  */
-  module: {
-    rules: [{
-      test: /\.styl$/,
-      use: [
-        'style-loader',
-        'css-loader',
-        'stylus-loader'
-      ]
-    }, {
-      test: /\.css$/,
-      use: [
-        'style-loader',
-        'css-loader'
-      ]
-    }, {
-      test: /vgl\.js$/,
-      use: [
-        'expose-loader?vgl',
-        'imports-loader?mat4=gl-mat4,vec4=gl-vec4,vec3=gl-vec3,$=jquery'
-      ]
-    }]
   }
-};
+});
diff --git a/website/source/download/index.html b/website/source/download/index.html
index 78efbacc6b..94eaf4ed5b 100644
--- a/website/source/download/index.html
+++ b/website/source/download/index.html
@@ -1,37 +1,36 @@
----
-title: Download
----
-<link href="../css/download.css" rel="stylesheet">
-<div class="page download">
-    <div class="container">
-        <div class="row">
-            <div class="col-md-10 col-md-offset-1">
-                <h3>Download</h3>
-                <h4>Released builds</h4>
-                <p>Each released versions of GeoJS can be found on <a href="https://github.com/OpenGeoscience/geojs/releases">Github</a>.</p>
-                <h4>Use GeoJS from CDN</h4>
-                <p>GeoJS is hosted on <a href="https://cdnjs.com/libraries/geojs">cdnjs</a>. To use GeoJS, include the following in your HTML head:</p>
-{% codeblock lang:html line_number:false %}
-<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.12.2/geo.min.js" integrity="sha256-t9oLE+BFJc7iWaTIqMFk+8dYJn5kmfg/FIdKNuAxMII=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
-{% endcodeblock %}
-                <p>This will include minified version of GeoJS and its dependencies on your page. The integrity hash will make sure the integrity of the file.</p>
-                <p>The <b>geo.ext.min.js</b> contains d3 and Hammer which are peer dependencies of geojs, include this script if you don't have the libraries available at global scope.</p>
-                <h4>Install from NPM</h4>
-                <div class="row">
-                    <div class="col-sm-3">
-{% codeblock lang:shell line_number:false %}
-npm install geojs
-{% endcodeblock %}
-                    </div>
-                </div>
-                <p>This will install source code and built version GeoJS and it's optional dependencies to node_modules.</p>
-                <h4>Use GeoJS with ES6 import</h4>
-                <p>Once GeoJS is installed with npm, you could include GeoJS using as an ES6 module.</p>
-{% codeblock lang:javascript line_number:false %}
-import geo from 'geojs';
-{% endcodeblock %}
-            <p>Then you could use GeoJS with the variable <code>geo</code> in your script.</p>
-            </div>
-        </div>
-    </div>
-</div>
\ No newline at end of file
+---
+title: Download
+---
+<link href="../css/download.css" rel="stylesheet">
+<div class="page download">
+    <div class="container">
+        <div class="row">
+            <div class="col-md-10 col-md-offset-1">
+                <h3>Download</h3>
+                <h4>Released builds</h4>
+                <p>Each released versions of GeoJS can be found on <a href="https://github.com/OpenGeoscience/geojs/releases">Github</a>.</p>
+                <h4>Use GeoJS from CDN</h4>
+                <p>GeoJS is hosted on <a href="https://cdnjs.com/libraries/geojs">cdnjs</a>. To use GeoJS, include the following in your HTML head:</p>
+{% codeblock lang:html line_number:false %}
+<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/geojs/0.12.2/geo.min.js" integrity="sha256-t9oLE+BFJc7iWaTIqMFk+8dYJn5kmfg/FIdKNuAxMII=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
+{% endcodeblock %}
+                <p>This will include minified version of GeoJS and its dependencies on your page. The integrity hash will make sure the integrity of the file.</p>
+                <h4>Install from NPM</h4>
+                <div class="row">
+                    <div class="col-sm-3">
+{% codeblock lang:shell line_number:false %}
+npm install geojs
+{% endcodeblock %}
+                    </div>
+                </div>
+                <p>This will install source code and built version GeoJS and it's optional dependencies to node_modules.</p>
+                <h4>Use GeoJS with ES6 import</h4>
+                <p>Once GeoJS is installed with npm, you could include GeoJS using as an ES6 module.</p>
+{% codeblock lang:javascript line_number:false %}
+import geo from 'geojs';
+{% endcodeblock %}
+            <p>Then you could use GeoJS with the variable <code>geo</code> in your script.</p>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+    </div>
+</div>
