Rolldown
A fast JavaScript/TypeScript bundler written in Rust, with a Rollup-compatible API.
- Stars
- 14k
- Forks
- 1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Rust
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
Rolldown is a tool that takes JavaScript and TypeScript source files and bundles them into optimized output files that browsers or servers can run. It is written in Rust for speed and offers an API and plugin interface compatible with Rollup. The README says it is intended to become the future bundler used in Vite, and that it will be more similar to esbuild in scope.
- Bundle a TypeScript application into browser-ready JavaScript files
- Reuse existing Rollup-compatible plugins in a faster build pipeline
- Use it as the bundling step inside a Vite-based project, per the stated plan
Great for
- Developers who already use Rollup plugins and want a faster bundler
- Vite users interested in the planned future bundler
- Teams building JavaScript or TypeScript projects who want a Rust-based build tool
- Contributors interested in Rust-based JavaScript tooling
Not ideal for
- Beginners who need a fully documented, stable production tool, since the README does not state a stability or maturity level
- People who need a bundler for non-JavaScript languages, since it targets JavaScript/TypeScript only
- Projects that depend on esbuild-specific behavior, since the README says it will be similar in scope but does not promise identical behavior
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rolldown/rolldown.git - 2
Run it
- Read the getting started guide at https://rolldown.rs/guide/getting-started
- Install the rolldown npm package as described in the documentation
- Run a bundle build on a small JavaScript or TypeScript entry file
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Check the official documentation at rolldown.rs for configuration options
- Use the StackBlitz starter linked in the README to try it without local setup
- Review the Contributing Guide at rolldown.rs/contribution-guide if you want to help develop it
Downloads
Strengths
- Written in Rust, which the project presents as the basis for its speed
- Offers Rollup-compatible APIs and plugin interface, easing migration from Rollup
- Released under the permissive MIT license with a large community (about 14,000 stars)
Trade-offs
- The README describes it as intended to become Vite's future bundler, so its role and roadmap may still be evolving
- The README is truncated here and does not show detailed setup steps, so install guidance is limited
- Its feature scope is described only in broad terms; specific capabilities should be checked in the documentation at rolldown.rs
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rolldown (this) | 14k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who already use Rollup plugins and want a faster bundler |
| esbuild | 40.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects |
| vite | 83.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Frontend developers starting a new modern web project |
| browserify | 14.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 13 days ago | Web developers who already write Node.js-style CommonJS modules |
| rspack | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams with a large webpack project who want faster builds without rewriting their config |
| plasmo | 13.2k | Framework | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox or Edge |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.