Vite.js | create-react-app Killer
Published: 2023-10-13 05:49:33

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title: Vite.js | create-react-app Killer
published: true
date: 2023-08-13 03:01:47 UTC
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---

ViteJS, commonly referred to as just "Vite," is a modern and fast build tool and development server designed for building web applications using JavaScript or TypeScript. It's known for its speed and efficient development experience. Vite was created by Evan You, the same developer who created the popular JavaScript framework Vue.js.

Here are some key features of Vite:

1. **Development Server** : Vite comes with a development server that leverages native ES modules in modern browsers to provide extremely fast hot module reloading (HMR). This means that changes you make to your code are reflected almost instantly in the browser without the need for full page reloads.

2. **Fast Builds** : Vite's build process is optimized for speed by leveraging ES module imports to generate efficient and lightweight bundles. This results in significantly faster build times compared to traditional bundlers like Webpack or Rollup.

3. **ES Module Support** : Vite natively supports ES modules, which is the standardized way of organizing and importing JavaScript code. This allows developers to write code in a more modular and maintainable manner.

4. **Plugin-Based Architecture** : Vite is designed to be highly extensible through its plugin system. Developers can easily extend Vite's functionality by adding plugins for features like CSS preprocessing, SVG imports, and more.

5. **Vue.js Integration** : While Vite can be used with any JavaScript framework or library, it has particularly strong integration with Vue.js. The Vue team officially recommends Vite as the development tool of choice for Vue.js applications due to its performance benefits.

6. **No Bundling for Development** : Unlike traditional bundlers that create a single large JavaScript bundle for development, Vite serves individual modules directly, which helps in reducing the latency during development.

7. **Build Optimizations** : In the production build, Vite optimizes the output by performing minification, tree-shaking, and other optimizations to create efficient and optimized bundles for deployment.

8. **Flexible Configuration** : Vite aims to provide sensible defaults while also allowing developers to customize its behavior through a configuration file.

Vite has gained popularity in the web development community due to its focus on speed and developer experience. It's particularly well-suited for modern web projects that leverage ES modules and aim to provide a fast and fluid development environment.

### why to use vite over create-react-app?

Both Vite and Create React App (CRA) are popular tools for setting up and managing the development environment for building web applications, but they have different design philosophies and strengths. Here are some reasons why you might choose Vite over Create React App:

1. **Faster Development Server** : Vite is specifically designed for speed, and its development server leverages native ES modules to achieve incredibly fast hot module reloading (HMR). This means that changes you make to your code are reflected almost instantly in the browser without full page reloads. CRA also offers HMR, but Vite's implementation tends to be even faster.

2. **Faster Builds** : Vite's build process is optimized for speed by leveraging ES module imports and dynamic imports. This results in significantly faster build times compared to CRA. If you're working on large projects or aiming for quick iteration cycles, Vite's fast build times can be a big advantage.

3. **ES Module Support** : Vite natively supports ES modules, which is the standardized way of organizing and importing JavaScript code. This encourages a more modular code structure and can improve maintainability.

4. **Efficient Production Bundles** : In addition to fast development, Vite also generates production bundles efficiently by utilizing ES module syntax and optimizing the output. This can lead to smaller bundle sizes and improved application performance.

5. **Plugin-Based Architecture** : Vite's plugin system allows for easy extensibility and customization. You can add plugins to handle different file types, preprocessors, and more. This flexibility can be beneficial for tailoring the build process to your specific project needs.

6. **Vue.js Integration** : While both Vite and CRA can be used with any JavaScript framework, Vite has strong integration with Vue.js. The Vue team officially recommends Vite as the preferred development tool for Vue.js applications due to its performance benefits.

7. **No Bundling for Development** : Vite serves individual modules directly during development, eliminating the need for bundling in the development environment. This can lead to faster development startup times.

8. **Customizable Configuration** : Vite's configuration is designed to be flexible and easy to customize, allowing you to tailor the development environment to your needs.

However, it's important to note that while Vite has numerous advantages, Create React App also has its own strengths:

- **Ease of Setup** : Create React App is known for its simple setup process. It provides a pre-configured environment with sensible defaults, making it suitable for beginners or those who want to get started quickly without much configuration.

- **Broad Ecosystem** : Create React App is widely adopted and has a large community. This means you can find a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party libraries that are compatible with it.

- **Toolchain Abstraction** : Create React App abstracts away many build tool complexities, making it easier to manage for those who prefer a more opinionated setup.

Ultimately, the choice between Vite and Create React App will depend on your project's specific requirements, your familiarity with the tools, and your preferences for development speed, build efficiency, and customization.