Vue CLI vs Vite: Choosing Your Build Tool

Whether to choose Vite or Vue CLI depends on project requirements and development priorities. 1. Startup speed: Vite uses the browser's native ES module loading mechanism, which is extremely fast and cold-start, usually completed within 300ms, while Vue CLI uses Webpack to rely on packages and is slow to start; 2. Configuration complexity: Vite starts with zero configuration, has a rich plug-in ecosystem, which is suitable for modern front-end technology stacks, Vue CLI provides comprehensive configuration options, suitable for enterprise-level customization but has high learning costs; 3. Applicable project types: Vite is suitable for small projects, rapid prototype development, and projects using Vue 3. Vue CLI is more suitable for medium and large enterprise projects or projects that need to be compatible with Vue 2; 4. Plug-in ecosystem: Vue CLI has a complete ecosystem but is slow to update, Vite develops rapidly, and integrates new technologies actively.

Choose Vue CLI or Vite? It depends on the actual needs of your project and the priority of your development experience. If you are pursuing fast start, modern module support and lightweight configuration, Vite is a better choice; and if you need a mature, highly integrated scaffolding tool for mid-to-large projects, Vue CLI is still worth considering.

1. Startup speed comparison: Vite is obviously faster

The biggest advantage of Vite is its "extremely fast cold start". It utilizes the browser's native ES module loading mechanism. It does not require packaging in development mode, and directly loads modules on demand, so the project is started almost instantly.

• Vue CLI uses Webpack, and you must first package all dependencies when starting, and the larger the project, the slower it will be.
• Vite is hardly built during the development stage and is only packaged with Rollup in production environments.

For example: A Vue project that has just been initialized, the Vite startup time is usually within 300ms, while the Vue CLI may take 2~5 seconds or even longer.

2. Configuration complexity: Vite is simpler, Vue CLI is more comprehensive

The concept of Vite is to start with "zero configuration" and is suitable for modern front-end projects, especially projects that use technology stacks such as TypeScript, JSX, CSS preprocessors. Its configuration files are very simple and the plug-in ecosystem is becoming more and more abundant.

Vue CLI provides a complete set of configurable UI and plug-in systems suitable for enterprise-level projects or scenarios where a large number of customized build processes are required. But it also brings higher learning costs and maintenance burdens.

Common configuration differences include:

• Babel and TypeScript support: Vite basically supports by default, just install plug-ins
• CSS preprocessing: Both support it, but the Vite approach is closer to the native import approach
• Environment variable management: Vite is more flexible and Vue CLI is more structured

3. Applicable project types: Depend on scale and target environment

If you are working on the following types of projects, Vite is the first choice:

• Rapid prototyping
• Small component library, demo page
• Projects using Vue 3 Composition API
• New projects that require SSR or server rendering (Vite supports SSR better and better)

And Vue CLI is more suitable for these situations:

• Medium- and large enterprise-level projects
• Need to be a Vue 2-compatible old project migration
• The team is already familiar with the Webpack construction system
• Deep optimization of packaging volume and loading performance is required

4. Plugin Ecology and Community Support

As an old tool, Vue CLI has a very complete plug-in ecosystem, rich community documents, and it is easy to find solutions when encountering problems. But it is updated less frequently, and some plugins may not keep up with the latest technology trends.

Although Vite is young, it is developing rapidly, and the official support for mainstream frameworks (React/Vue/Svelte), and the number of plug-ins is also growing rapidly. The integration of new technologies such as SWC and ESBuild is more active.

Basically these differences. You can decide based on your project type and team habits. If you start a new project from scratch, it is recommended to give priority to Vite, which is really much faster.

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