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ADR‐001: Choosing a Build Tool for Our Static Website Using React

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Vlas edited this page Jul 1, 2024 · 1 revision

ADR: Choosing a Build Tool for Our Static Website Using React

Technical Story: This decision is driven by the need to choose an efficient and reliable build tool for our front-end development process, which will significantly impact the build speed and development experience.

Context and Problem Statement

In the development of our static website using React, we need to decide on a build tool. The build tool we choose will impact our development speed, build times, and overall developer experience. The primary contenders are Vite, esbuild, and Webpack.

Decision Drivers

  • Performance: The tool should provide fast build times and efficient handling of large codebases.
  • Developer Experience: Ease of setup, intuitive configuration, and hot module replacement (HMR) capabilities.
  • Ecosystem: Support for plugins, integrations, and community resources.

Considered Options

  • Vite
  • esbuild
  • Webpack

Pros and Cons of the Options

Vite

Vite is a modern build tool that leverages native ES modules in the browser and utilizes esbuild for extremely fast builds. It is designed with a focus on performance and developer experience.

  • Good, because it provides extremely fast build times by leveraging esbuild for pre-bundling dependencies.
  • Good, because it offers an excellent developer experience with minimal configuration and powerful HMR.
  • Good, because it has a rapidly growing ecosystem with a focus on modern front-end development practices.
  • Bad, because it is a newer tool with potentially fewer mature plugins and resources compared to Webpack.
  • Bad, because transitioning from Webpack to Vite may require an adjustment period for developers.

esbuild

esbuild is a JavaScript bundler written in Go, known for its speed and performance. It is designed to be simple and efficient, making it a popular choice for custom build setups.

  • Good, because it is extremely fast, with build speeds significantly faster than traditional bundlers.
  • Good, because it provides a simple API for integrating into custom build setups.
  • Bad, because it has a smaller ecosystem and fewer built-in features compared to Vite and Webpack.
  • Bad, because it lacks advanced features and plugin support, which may require additional configuration and development effort.

Webpack

Webpack is a mature and widely-used build tool with a large ecosystem. It is highly configurable and capable of handling complex build setups.

  • Good, because it has a large and mature ecosystem with extensive plugin support.
  • Good, because of its flexibility and ability to handle complex build configurations.
  • Bad, because it can be slow, especially for large codebases and during incremental builds.
  • Bad, because its configuration can be complex and challenging for new developers to understand.

Decision Outcome

To be determined based on further evaluation of the project requirements and constraints

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