esbuild vs Oxc
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A very fast tool that bundles and minifies JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS for the web.
Open source · MIT
Fast JavaScript and TypeScript tools (parser, linter, formatter, minifier) written in Rust.
The short answer
Choose esbuild if you need…
- Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects
- Teams using React or other JSX-based frontends
- Projects that mix ESM and CommonJS modules
- People who want a simple API through a CLI, JavaScript, or Go
Choose Oxc if you need…
- Developers who want to lint a JavaScript or TypeScript project quickly
- Teams building their own JavaScript build tooling who need a parser or resolver
- Projects already using or considering Vite or Rolldown
Side-by-side
| esbuild | Oxc | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dev tool | Dev tool |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 40.1k | 23.3k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Go | Rust |
| Last code update | 3 months ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
esbuild
esbuild takes your web source code (JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, and CSS) and combines it into files that browsers can load, a process called bundling. It also minifies code to make it smaller and can produce source maps for debugging. The project emphasizes speed, claiming build tools are often 10-100x slower than they could be, and it does this without needing a cache.
Oxc
Oxc is a collection of tools for working with JavaScript and TypeScript code, written in Rust. It includes a linter (Oxlint), a formatter (Oxfmt), and building blocks such as a parser, transformer, minifier, and module resolver. The README says it is designed for speed and is used by build tools such as Rolldown, the bundler behind Vite.
Best for
esbuild
- Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects
- Teams using React or other JSX-based frontends
- Projects that mix ESM and CommonJS modules
- People who want a simple API through a CLI, JavaScript, or Go
Oxc
- Developers who want to lint a JavaScript or TypeScript project quickly
- Teams building their own JavaScript build tooling who need a parser or resolver
- Projects already using or considering Vite or Rolldown
Strengths
esbuild
- The README describes very high speed as its main goal, and it works without a cache
- Built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, and CSS without extra setup listed in the README
- Offers CLI, JavaScript, and Go APIs with plugin support
Oxc
- Written in Rust, and the README positions it around high performance
- Covers several steps of the JavaScript toolchain (lint, format, parse, transform, minify, resolve) under one project
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Not ideal for
esbuild
- Beginners who want a fully guided setup with a lot of hand-holding, since the README points to separate getting-started and API docs
- Projects that depend on plugins or features the README does not describe, since plugin details live on the external documentation site
Oxc
- People who need a fully documented, stable plugin ecosystem, since the README does not describe one
- Non-developers, since the tools run on code and require a command line
- Teams that need features the README does not mention, because the README is short on feature details
Trade-offs
esbuild
- The speed claims come from the README's own benchmark chart; results will vary by project
- The README is truncated here, so specific install steps and version requirements are not confirmed
- Latest release is listed without binaries, so installation likely goes through a package manager or building from source
Oxc
- The README is truncated and gives few details on features, configuration, or compatibility
- Built on top of a fast-moving toolchain, so APIs and behavior may change between releases
- Benchmarks and performance claims are linked to external docs rather than shown in the README
Getting started
esbuild
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/evanw/esbuildOxc
Lint a codebase with Oxlint
npx oxlint@latestFormat a codebase with Oxfmt
npx oxfmt@latestFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between esbuild and Oxc?
esbuild: A very fast tool that bundles and minifies JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS for the web. Oxc: Fast JavaScript and TypeScript tools (parser, linter, formatter, minifier) written in Rust. esbuild suits developers who want fast builds for javascript, typescript, or css projects, while Oxc suits developers who want to lint a javascript or typescript project quickly.
Are esbuild and Oxc free?
esbuild: Free and open source. Oxc: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, esbuild or Oxc?
Oxc is easier to get started with (rated beginner); esbuild is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is esbuild or Oxc more popular?
esbuild has more GitHub stars (40.1k) than Oxc (23.3k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to esbuild and Oxc?
Other options people compare them with include Vite, webpack, Parcel, Rspack, Browserify.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.