stackstash

Babel vs Vite

Babel and Vite are free.

Babel logo: A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.
Babel logo: A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.

Babel

Free

A compiler that turns modern JavaScript and JSX into syntax browsers already run.

Try it

Pros of Babel

  • Still the compatibility layer a lot of libraries expect

  • You can compile JSX without adopting TypeScript

  • Plugins can rewrite specific syntax

Cons of Babel

  • The config file grows as you add plugins

  • New apps often let Vite compile instead

Vite logo: A dev server and bundler that starts fast and rebuilds as you save.
Vite logo: A dev server and bundler that starts fast and rebuilds as you save.

Vite

Free

A dev server and bundler that starts fast and rebuilds as you save.

Try it

Pros of Vite

  • The dev server starts in about a second

  • Works with React, TypeScript, and Tailwind

  • Less config than an older Webpack setup

Cons of Vite

  • It does not include routing or server rendering

  • Some older libraries still expect Babel or Webpack