Stop using create-react-app | Use Vite instead

If you are a front-end developer working with React, you may be familiar with create-react-app. It’s a popular tool for quickly setting up a new React project with all the necessary configuration and dependencies. However, there’s a new kid on the block that is gaining a lot of attention in the React community – Vite.

Vite is a build tool that is designed to be fast and efficient. It is created by Evan You, the same person behind Vue.js, and it aims to provide a better development experience for modern web development. Although Vite was initially built for Vue.js, it also has excellent support for React, making it a great alternative to create-react-app.

Why should you consider using Vite instead of create-react-app?

• Speed: Vite is significantly faster than create-react-app, especially during the development process. It leverages the native ES module support in modern browsers to provide instant hot module replacement (HMR) without the need for a bundler.
• Zero-config: With create-react-app, you get a pre-configured setup out of the box, but it can be challenging to customize and extend. Vite, on the other hand, is designed to be a “zero-config” tool, allowing you to customize and configure your project as per your specific needs easily.
• Modern build pipeline: Vite leverages modern tools like ESBuild and Rollup to provide a highly optimized build pipeline. This results in smaller bundle sizes and faster build times, making your React application more efficient.

How to migrate from create-react-app to Vite

Migrating from create-react-app to Vite is relatively straightforward. Here are the essential steps to get started:

1. Install Vite globally via npm: npm install -g create-vite
2. Create a new Vite project: vite create my-react-app
3. Move your existing React components, styles, and other assets to the new Vite project.
4. Install any additional dependencies your project may require, such as TypeScript or SCSS support.
5. Update your project configuration and scripts as necessary to align with Vite’s zero-config approach.

Conclusion

If you are looking to improve the development experience for your React projects, it’s time to consider using Vite instead of create-react-app. With its speed, flexibility, and modern build pipeline, Vite offers a compelling alternative that can help you build better-performing and more efficient React applications. So, stop using create-react-app and give Vite a try!