rollup vs webpack vs esbuild-loader vs parcel
JavaScript Bundlers and Loaders Comparison
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What's JavaScript Bundlers and Loaders?

JavaScript bundlers and loaders are essential tools in modern web development, allowing developers to manage and optimize their codebases efficiently. These tools help in transforming, bundling, and serving JavaScript files along with other assets like CSS and images. They streamline the development process by enabling features such as module resolution, code splitting, and hot module replacement, ultimately improving the performance and maintainability of web applications. Each tool has its unique features and use cases, making it crucial for developers to choose the right one based on their project requirements.

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rollup30,405,25425,6052.69 MB5889 days agoMIT
webpack28,734,48665,0645.21 MB23113 days agoMIT
esbuild-loader1,088,5753,58232.5 kB315 days agoMIT
parcel219,57943,68343.9 kB6182 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: rollup vs webpack vs esbuild-loader vs parcel

Build Performance

  • rollup:

    Rollup focuses on producing optimized bundles with minimal overhead. Its tree-shaking feature allows for dead code elimination, resulting in smaller and faster production builds, especially for libraries.

  • webpack:

    Webpack's performance can vary based on configuration. While it can be optimized for speed, its complexity may lead to slower builds if not configured correctly. However, it offers advanced features like caching and code splitting to improve performance.

  • esbuild-loader:

    esbuild-loader is designed for speed, leveraging Go's performance to achieve incredibly fast builds. It can handle large projects with minimal overhead, making it ideal for rapid development cycles.

  • parcel:

    Parcel automatically optimizes builds with parallel processing and caching, resulting in fast build times without the need for extensive configuration. Its performance is particularly noticeable in development mode with hot module replacement.

Configuration Complexity

  • rollup:

    Rollup requires a moderate level of configuration, especially for projects that need specific output formats or plugins. While it is not as complex as Webpack, it does require some understanding of its configuration options.

  • webpack:

    Webpack has a steep learning curve due to its extensive configuration options. It provides powerful features, but the complexity can be overwhelming for newcomers. Mastery of Webpack can lead to highly optimized builds.

  • esbuild-loader:

    esbuild-loader requires minimal configuration, allowing developers to get started quickly. It integrates seamlessly with existing Webpack setups, making it easy to adopt without significant changes.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is known for its zero-configuration philosophy, which makes it extremely user-friendly. Developers can start building applications without worrying about configuration files, making it ideal for beginners.

Ecosystem and Plugins

  • rollup:

    Rollup has a rich ecosystem of plugins designed for various tasks, including code minification and format conversion. Its plugin system is well-documented, making it easy to extend functionality.

  • webpack:

    Webpack boasts a vast ecosystem with thousands of plugins and loaders available. This extensive library allows for deep customization and integration with various tools, making it a versatile choice for complex applications.

  • esbuild-loader:

    esbuild-loader has a growing ecosystem, but it is still limited compared to Webpack. It supports a range of plugins, but the community is not as large, which may limit available resources and integrations.

  • parcel:

    Parcel offers a decent selection of plugins and supports many file types out of the box. However, its ecosystem is not as extensive as Webpack's, which may restrict advanced use cases.

Use Cases

  • rollup:

    Rollup excels in library development, where output size and module format are critical. It is perfect for projects that require optimized bundles for distribution, especially in the npm ecosystem.

  • webpack:

    Webpack is the go-to choice for large-scale applications that require complex configurations and asset management. Its flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of projects, from single-page applications to enterprise-level solutions.

  • esbuild-loader:

    esbuild-loader is best suited for modern web applications that prioritize build speed and efficiency. It is particularly useful for projects using TypeScript or ESNext features that benefit from fast compilation.

  • parcel:

    Parcel is ideal for small to medium-sized projects, prototypes, or applications where quick setup and ease of use are paramount. It is great for developers who want to focus on building rather than configuring.

Hot Module Replacement (HMR)

  • rollup:

    Rollup supports HMR through plugins, but it may require additional setup compared to Parcel or Webpack. It is less commonly used for development compared to its production capabilities.

  • webpack:

    Webpack offers robust HMR support, enabling developers to update modules without a full reload. This feature is highly configurable, allowing for a tailored development experience.

  • esbuild-loader:

    esbuild-loader supports HMR, allowing developers to see changes in real-time without a full page refresh. This feature significantly enhances the development experience by speeding up feedback loops.

  • parcel:

    Parcel has built-in HMR that works out of the box, providing a seamless development experience. Developers can make changes and see updates instantly, which is ideal for rapid prototyping.

How to Choose: rollup vs webpack vs esbuild-loader vs parcel
  • rollup:

    Opt for Rollup if you are focused on creating libraries or need advanced tree-shaking capabilities to produce smaller bundle sizes. Rollup is ideal for projects where module format and output size are critical.

  • webpack:

    Use Webpack for its extensive configurability and ecosystem support, especially for large-scale applications that require complex configurations, plugins, and loaders. It is well-suited for projects with diverse asset types and complex build requirements.

  • esbuild-loader:

    Choose esbuild-loader if you need extremely fast build times and are working with modern JavaScript or TypeScript projects. It is particularly beneficial for large codebases where performance is a priority.

  • parcel:

    Select Parcel for its zero-configuration setup and ease of use, especially for smaller projects or prototypes. It automatically handles many optimizations and supports a wide range of file types out of the box.

Similar Npm Packages to rollup

rollup is a module bundler for JavaScript applications, designed to optimize the process of packaging and serving code. It is particularly well-suited for libraries and applications that utilize ES modules, as it can produce smaller and more efficient bundles by leveraging tree-shaking capabilities. Rollup allows developers to write modular code while ensuring that the final output is optimized for performance, making it a popular choice for building libraries and applications.

While Rollup is a powerful tool, there are several alternatives in the JavaScript ecosystem that serve similar purposes. Here are a few notable ones:

  • browserify is a tool that allows developers to use Node.js-style require statements in the browser. It transforms Node-style modules into a format that can be used in the browser, enabling developers to write modular code. While Browserify is effective for smaller projects, it may not be as performant as Rollup for larger applications due to its lack of tree-shaking capabilities.

  • gulp is a task runner that automates various development tasks, including file transformations, minification, and bundling. While Gulp can be used for bundling JavaScript files, it is more focused on task automation and may require additional plugins to achieve similar functionality to Rollup. Gulp is ideal for developers looking for a flexible and customizable build process.

  • parcel is a zero-configuration web application bundler that aims to simplify the development process. It automatically handles module bundling, code splitting, and asset optimization without the need for extensive configuration. Parcel is a great choice for developers who want a quick setup and an easy-to-use bundler, although it may not provide the same level of control and optimization as Rollup for library development.

  • webpack is one of the most popular module bundlers in the JavaScript ecosystem. It offers a wide range of features, including code splitting, hot module replacement, and extensive plugin support. While Webpack is highly configurable and powerful, it can also be complex to set up and manage. For larger applications that require fine-tuned control over the build process, Webpack is often the go-to choice.

To see how Rollup compares with Browserify, Gulp, Parcel, and Webpack, check out the comparison: Comparing browserify vs gulp vs parcel vs rollup vs webpack.

Similar Npm Packages to esbuild-loader

esbuild-loader is a Webpack loader that leverages the speed of esbuild, a fast JavaScript bundler and minifier, to significantly improve the build performance of JavaScript applications. By using esbuild-loader, developers can take advantage of the rapid compilation and transformation capabilities of esbuild while still utilizing the rich ecosystem and features of Webpack. This combination allows for faster build times, especially in large projects, making it a popular choice among developers looking to optimize their build processes.

While esbuild-loader offers impressive performance, there are several alternatives in the JavaScript bundling ecosystem:

  • parcel is a zero-configuration web application bundler that aims to provide a fast and easy development experience. Unlike traditional bundlers that require extensive configuration, parcel automatically handles file transformations, optimizations, and code splitting. It is particularly well-suited for smaller projects or developers who prefer a more straightforward setup without the complexity of configuring a build tool. With built-in support for various file types and features like hot module replacement, parcel is a great choice for rapid development.
  • rollup is a module bundler for JavaScript that focuses on producing optimized bundles for libraries and applications. It is particularly well-known for its tree-shaking capabilities, which help eliminate dead code and reduce bundle sizes. rollup is ideal for projects that prioritize performance and efficiency, especially when building libraries that will be consumed by other applications. Its plugin ecosystem allows for extensive customization, making it a versatile choice for developers looking to optimize their builds.
  • webpack is one of the most popular and widely used module bundlers in the JavaScript ecosystem. It offers a powerful and flexible configuration system, allowing developers to customize their build processes extensively. With features like code splitting, lazy loading, and a vast plugin ecosystem, webpack is suitable for both small and large-scale applications. However, it can be complex to set up and configure, which may be a drawback for some developers. Despite this, its popularity and extensive community support make it a go-to choice for many projects.

To see how esbuild-loader compares with parcel, rollup, and webpack, check out the comparison: Comparing esbuild-loader vs parcel vs rollup vs webpack.

Similar Npm Packages to parcel

parcel is a web application bundler that aims to provide a fast and zero-configuration experience for developers. It automatically handles various tasks such as module bundling, code splitting, and asset optimization without requiring extensive configuration files. Parcel is particularly well-suited for developers looking for a straightforward setup and quick build times, making it an attractive option for both small and large projects.

While Parcel is a powerful tool, there are several alternatives in the ecosystem that cater to different needs and preferences:

  • browserify is a tool that allows developers to use Node.js-style modules in the browser. It transforms CommonJS modules into a format that can be understood by the browser, enabling developers to write modular code without worrying about compatibility issues. Browserify is particularly useful for projects that heavily rely on Node.js modules and want to maintain a modular structure in their client-side code.

  • grunt is a JavaScript task runner that automates repetitive tasks such as minification, compilation, unit testing, and linting. While it is not a bundler per se, Grunt can be configured to work with various plugins to achieve similar results. It is ideal for developers who prefer a highly customizable and extensible build process, although it may require more setup compared to other tools.

  • gulp is another task runner that uses a code-over-configuration approach, allowing developers to define tasks using JavaScript. Gulp is known for its speed and flexibility, as it streams files through a series of transformations. It is a great choice for developers who want to create a custom build process tailored to their specific needs, although it may involve more initial setup than Parcel.

  • rollup is a module bundler that focuses on optimizing the output for libraries and applications. It supports ES modules natively and provides tree-shaking capabilities, allowing developers to reduce the size of their bundles by eliminating unused code. Rollup is particularly well-suited for building libraries and applications where performance and bundle size are critical.

  • webpack is one of the most popular module bundlers in the JavaScript ecosystem. It offers a highly configurable setup and supports a wide range of features, including code splitting, hot module replacement, and asset management. While it provides great flexibility and power, it can also be complex to configure, making it more suitable for larger projects that require a tailored build process.

To compare these tools further, you can check out the following link: Comparing browserify vs grunt vs gulp vs parcel vs rollup vs webpack.

README for rollup

npm version node compatibility install size code coverage backers sponsors license Join the chat at https://is.gd/rollup_chat

Rollup

Overview

Rollup is a module bundler for JavaScript which compiles small pieces of code into something larger and more complex, such as a library or application. It uses the standardized ES module format for code, instead of previous idiosyncratic solutions such as CommonJS and AMD. ES modules let you freely and seamlessly combine the most useful individual functions from your favorite libraries. Rollup can optimize ES modules for faster native loading in modern browsers, or output a legacy module format allowing ES module workflows today.

Quick Start Guide

Install with npm install --global rollup. Rollup can be used either through a command line interface with an optional configuration file or else through its JavaScript API. Run rollup --help to see the available options and parameters. The starter project templates, rollup-starter-lib and rollup-starter-app, demonstrate common configuration options, and more detailed instructions are available throughout the user guide.

Commands

These commands assume the entry point to your application is named main.js, and that you'd like all imports compiled into a single file named bundle.js.

For browsers:

# compile to a <script> containing a self-executing function
rollup main.js --format iife --name "myBundle" --file bundle.js

For Node.js:

# compile to a CommonJS module
rollup main.js --format cjs --file bundle.js

For both browsers and Node.js:

# UMD format requires a bundle name
rollup main.js --format umd --name "myBundle" --file bundle.js

Why

Developing software is usually easier if you break your project into smaller separate pieces, since that often removes unexpected interactions and dramatically reduces the complexity of the problems you'll need to solve, and simply writing smaller projects in the first place isn't necessarily the answer. Unfortunately, JavaScript has not historically included this capability as a core feature in the language.

This finally changed with ES modules support in JavaScript, which provides a syntax for importing and exporting functions and data so they can be shared between separate scripts. Most browsers and Node.js support ES modules. However, Node.js releases before 12.17 support ES modules only behind the --experimental-modules flag, and older browsers like Internet Explorer do not support ES modules at all. Rollup allows you to write your code using ES modules, and run your application even in environments that do not support ES modules natively. For environments that support them, Rollup can output optimized ES modules; for environments that don't, Rollup can compile your code to other formats such as CommonJS modules, AMD modules, and IIFE-style scripts. This means that you get to write future-proof code, and you also get the tremendous benefits of...

Tree Shaking

In addition to enabling the use of ES modules, Rollup also statically analyzes and optimizes the code you are importing, and will exclude anything that isn't actually used. This allows you to build on top of existing tools and modules without adding extra dependencies or bloating the size of your project.

For example, with CommonJS, the entire tool or library must be imported.

// import the entire utils object with CommonJS
var utils = require('node:utils');
var query = 'Rollup';
// use the ajax method of the utils object
utils.ajax('https://api.example.com?search=' + query).then(handleResponse);

But with ES modules, instead of importing the whole utils object, we can just import the one ajax function we need:

// import the ajax function with an ES import statement
import { ajax } from 'node:utils';

var query = 'Rollup';
// call the ajax function
ajax('https://api.example.com?search=' + query).then(handleResponse);

Because Rollup includes the bare minimum, it results in lighter, faster, and less complicated libraries and applications. Since this approach is based on explicit import and export statements, it is vastly more effective than simply running an automated minifier to detect unused variables in the compiled output code.

Compatibility

Importing CommonJS

Rollup can import existing CommonJS modules through a plugin.

Publishing ES Modules

To make sure your ES modules are immediately usable by tools that work with CommonJS such as Node.js and webpack, you can use Rollup to compile to UMD or CommonJS format, and then point to that compiled version with the main property in your package.json file. If your package.json file also has a module field, ES-module-aware tools like Rollup and webpack will import the ES module version directly.

Contributors

This project exists thanks to all the people who contribute. [Contribute]. . If you want to contribute yourself, head over to the contribution guidelines.

Backers

Thank you to all our backers! 🙏 [Become a backer]

Sponsors

Support this project by becoming a sponsor. Your logo will show up here with a link to your website. [Become a sponsor]

Special Sponsor

TNG Logo

TNG has been supporting the work of Lukas Taegert-Atkinson on Rollup since 2017.

License

MIT

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