Vite
A fast frontend build tool with a quick dev server and optimized production builds.
- Stars
- 83.7k
- Forks
- 9.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
Vite is a build tool for modern web projects. Its dev server serves your code quickly while you work, using native ES modules and fast hot module replacement so changes appear almost immediately in the browser. For production, its build command bundles your code into optimized static files.
- Start a new frontend project with the create-vite scaffolding tool
- Run a local dev server with fast hot module replacement while editing code
- Produce optimized static assets for deploying a web app to production
- Extend the build with plugins through the documented Plugin API
Great for
- Frontend developers starting a new modern web project
- Teams who want faster local dev server startup and hot reloading
- Developers who want a plugin system and typed JavaScript APIs
Not ideal for
- People who only need a finished app and not a development toolchain, since Vite is a tool for building apps
- Non-developers, because setup and use require JavaScript project knowledge
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js (version range given by the node compatibility badge; exact version not stated in the README)
Scaffold a new project (per the create-vite package)
npm create vite@latest - 2
Run it
- Run the scaffolding command to create a project folder
- Change into the new project folder
- Install dependencies with your package manager
- Start the dev server and open the local URL it prints
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the Features guide on vite.dev to learn about HMR and native ES module support
- Use the Plugin API to add functionality to the build
- Use the JavaScript API to drive Vite from your own scripts
- Check the packages list (vite, @vitejs/plugin-legacy, create-vite) to pick what you need
Downloads
Strengths
- Dev server starts quickly and updates quickly during editing, per the README
- Production build outputs optimized static assets with little manual configuration
- Extensible through a plugin API and JavaScript API with full typing support
Trade-offs
- The README is brief and defers most detail to the external documentation site
- Its production bundling depends on Rolldown, a separate project, so the README gives limited detail on how that works for users
- Plugin ecosystem and compatibility details are not covered in the README
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vite (this) | 83.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Frontend developers starting a new modern web project |
| webpack | 66k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Frontend developers building single-page or multi-page web apps |
| parcel | 44k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Web developers who want a bundler that works without a config file |
| esbuild | 40.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects |
| rspack | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams with a large webpack project who want faster builds without rewriting their config |
| wxt | 10.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers building a browser extension who want a structured project setup |
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.