Describe the purpose of "webpack" in Liferay projects.

Webpack serves a crucial role in modern web development by acting as a module bundler. Its primary purpose is to optimize assets, such as JavaScript files, stylesheets, and images, ensuring that they can be efficiently loaded in a web browser. In Liferay projects, webpack helps manage and bundle various modules and dependencies, allowing developers to write modular code that can be easily maintained and scaled.

When webpack processes the source code, it generates a bundle that consolidates all the necessary files, minimizing the number of requests to the server, thus improving loading times and performance. Additionally, it can optimize these assets through techniques like minification and tree shaking, further enhancing the efficiency of the application. This is essential in Liferay, where applications often rely on multiple frontend resources that need to be handled properly for optimal user experience.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect webpack’s functions. For example, automating server deployment is typically handled by other tools and processes, while connecting frontend and backend code is managed through APIs and frameworks rather than webpack. Similarly, generating documentation for APIs is a separate concern that does not pertain to webpack's functionality.