esbuild is a fast and efficient JavaScript bundler and minifier that focuses on speed and simplicity. It is known for its blazing-fast build times, thanks to its written-in-Go architecture that compiles JavaScript and TypeScript code swiftly. esbuild supports various features like tree shaking, JSX transformation, and code splitting, making it a powerful tool for optimizing and bundling web applications.
Rollup is a JavaScript module bundler that focuses on providing a highly efficient and performant bundling process for modern web applications. It is known for its tree-shaking capabilities, which eliminate unused code during the bundling process, resulting in smaller bundle sizes and improved performance. Rollup also supports various module formats like ES modules and CommonJS, making it versatile for different project setups.
Rollup has been a popular choice for bundling JavaScript modules for a while, especially in the context of building libraries. esbuild, on the other hand, has gained significant popularity due to its blazing fast build times and performance.
Performance
esbuild is known for its exceptional speed and performance, often outperforming other bundlers like Rollup. It leverages Go for its core functionality, making it one of the fastest bundlers available. Rollup is also performant but may not match the speed of esbuild in certain scenarios.
Features
Rollup is feature-rich and offers a wide range of plugins for various tasks like code splitting, tree-shaking, and more. esbuild, while being fast, is more focused on the core bundling functionality and may not have as many plugins available as Rollup.
Configuration
Rollup is highly configurable and allows fine-tuning of the bundling process through its configuration options. esbuild follows a simpler configuration approach with sensible defaults, making it easier to set up and use out of the box.
Community Support
Rollup has been around longer and has a larger community with extensive documentation and support. esbuild, being relatively newer, is rapidly growing its community and gaining more support over time.
Use Cases
Rollup is well-suited for building libraries and applications with complex requirements, thanks to its extensive feature set and flexibility. esbuild shines in scenarios where speed and performance are critical, making it an excellent choice for large-scale projects that require fast build times.
