How to Set Up Vite React App? And Why Is It Important to Use Vite?
ReactJS has now become one of the key frameworks in web development, useful in creating interfaces for different applications. However, as the projects become larger, developers experience some issues concerning utility, bundling, and building speed that have roots in the usage of basic instruments like the Create React App (CRA).
This is where Vite comes in handy to make top-quality official memberships of all sorts and designs to reach the public. Recognized for its development and optimized builds, Vite is an existing bundler and development server that has transformed how React developers build applications.
This blog will help you create a ReactJS application with Vite, along with identifying why moving to Vite can revolutionize your development process.
Overview of Vite React App and How to Run
Vite (veete) is a modern front-end development tool that is intended to improve a bundler. It is developed by Evan You, the creator of Vue.js. Vite simplifies development using native modules during development and uses Rollup for optimized production builds.
Some of Vite’s standout features include:
Lightning-Fast Development: Vite’s development server spins up in less than a second—and that’s for even complex projects since it compiles only what is relevant.
Hot Module Replacement (HMR): Using Vite updates, updates in your code can be checked more efficiently and precisely than scrolling through a long page.
Optimized Builds: It uses Rollup to develop very special production bundles.
Framework-Agnostic: It will have excellent compatibility with frameworks like React, Vue, and Svelte but is also well suited to work with vanilla JS projects.
Why Use Vite React App with ReactJS?
Switching from CRA or other traditional tools to Vite for a Vite React app brings several advantages:
Improved Development Speed
This means that in a project, builds may take a lot of time in the large aspects. The Vite React app offers to serve files through modules and only compile the active ones. This approach ensures that the development process seems more like a flow of events because it is.
Enhanced Build Performance
Vite uses a two-step process for builds: pre-bundling dependencies by using build and creating impact-ready bundles with the help of Rollup. This reduces the cycle time for the establishment and deployment of applications to a tremendous extent.
Simple Configuration
The configuration file of Vite is called vite.config.js and is brief for modification. However, if you’re looking to add some plugins, tweak the proxies, or even set up the environment variables, Vite proves a flexible tool that won’t overwhelm developers.
Also Read : Angular Vs React Vs Vue
Modern Development Features
HMR and native support for TypeScript & JSX provide developers with some nice tools to work with when using a Vite React app.
Community Support and Ecosystem
With the expansive list of plugins and constant expansion of the ecosystem, Vite is suitable for projects of different scales.
Reasons Behind Integrating Vite with ReactJS
Before diving into the setup process, ensure you have the following:
Node.js: For dependency management, Vite depends on Node.js 16, so install the latest version of Node.js.
Basic React Knowledge: The knowledge of such React principles as components, props, and states.
A Code Editor: During development, work is facilitated by tools such as the Visual Studio Code.
Guide on How to Get ReactJS to Work with Vite
Step 1: Install Vite and Create Your Project
To start your project, you need to use the command Vite Create React app to create a new application. The next part of Vite is that it has templates for creating React projects that are already set up for development.
Step 2: Explore the Project Structure
When the project is created, learn about its hierarchy. The SRC directory is more about application logic, and the public directory is more about application assets. Vite’s vite.config.js specifies how your application is built based on your project requirements.
Step 3: Start the Development Server
The operation of the Vite React app is quite simple. The development server takes little time to start because as soon as you begin modifying your code, it begins to feedback instantly.
Step 4: Add Custom Configurations
There are settings that can be modified using vite.config.js to meet or enhance your application needs. For example, you can install plugins to add further capabilities or set up the environment variable for production.
Also Read : Next JS vs React
Step 5: Build and Deploy Your Application
And if you’re ready to deploy it, Vite provides you with efficient production bundles just with a little bit of configuration. These builds are often produced relatively smaller, lighter, faster, and more efficiently than those produced by conventional tools.
Detailed Comparison: Difference between Vite React App and Create React App (CRA)?
Now as a ReactJS developer, you may ponder about how we can compare Vite to Create React App (CRA), which was the go-to tool for a very long time. Below is a feature comparison between Vite and other competing frameworks to share more knowledge and show why Vite is becoming the solution for the new ReactJS projects.
Development Speed
Vite React App
Vite uses a server-side setup that the native ES module. Contrary to other tools, which package all the applications at once during the development process, Vite only builds the files that were modified.
This leads to fast loading from almost none to a relatively small project’s size in terms of loading time. Hot Module Replacement (HMR) is really fast, and updates are visible almost immediately.
Create React App (CRA)
As for the tool used by CRA, Webpack bundles the whole application in one go. This is good if it is a small project, but as your project grows, this is going to be a problem. Staring-up times can be longer, and HMR is slow, leading to product development setbacks.
Build Performance
Vite React App
Vite itself implements a two-progress construction process. First, it pre-bundles dependencies with a build that is faster than JS bundlers on average. Second, it makes production builds using Rollup, and it is optimized for use. These builds also incorporate optimizations for less file size to load in the browser, which is beneficial for users.
Create React App (CRA)
Our build from CRA with the Webpack-based build is slower and can lead to larger production bundle sizes than we observed with the GatsbyJS-based build. This results in a larger but more cumbersome framework, which, therefore, has longer deployment times for large-scale applications and slightly slower page load speeds for end users.
Configuration
Vite React App
Vite has a relatively easy and also highly adjustable configuration. The container is an understandable solution that already has a vite.config.js file set up for required modifications.
It becomes easy whether it involves adding plugins, setting environment variables, or proxies when you’re using Vite. Also, it supports numerous frameworks; you can free yourself from the React framework.
Also Read : Difference Between Angular and React: Which Framework to Choose?
Create React App (CRA)
CRA is opinionated and comes with many defaults out of the box, which makes it quite beginner friendly as well. However, to achieve custom setup, you need to eject the app and are introduced to a lot of webpack configurations that may make future development rather difficult.
Hot Module Replacement (HMR)
Vite React App
The reactivity and speed for HMR in Vite are also brilliant because of the use of file-based compilation. This feature updates only the modules that have been modified, which means your application is only slowed down for a brief period during the update, and the development environment is made a lot more pleasant for the developers working on the project.
Create React App (CRA)
The CRA platform in turn supports HMR but works slower than Vite. Thus, in larger applications, updates might take several seconds, and this has a negative impact on developmental cycling.
Ecosystem and Plugin Support
Vite React App
Vite has an expanding list of plugins for extending its functionality and currently allows you to use TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and others. It also can work as an interface with testing libraries and deployment platforms with ease.
Create React App (CRA)
CRA has a rich environment and currently features many integrations with third-party platforms. Still, it lacks plugin compatibility, which is not as vast and easy to implement when compared to how Vite does it.
Organization of the Project and its Complexity
Vite React App
Vite has a contemporary project architecture that is quite neat and uncluttered. In terms of installation, it couldn’t be any easier, which causes developers to begin developing their apps using Vite React.
Create React App (CRA)
While CRA has a relatively more standardized structure and contains many boilerplate files. Even though it often makes it easier to get started for novices, designs might seem complex as a project unfolds.
Suitability for Large Projects
Vite React App
These ensured performances make Vite ideal for large-scale applications, hence enhancing its applicability. Another advantage of this technology is that it can handle complex builds and gives fast-cycle development to scale up.
Create React App (CRA)
CRA is greatly suitable for small applications or for projects where the developers want more of an opinionated platform. When it comes to larger projects, one does find certain constraints with Webpack that can delay the overall process.
Which One Should You Choose?
If you’re in a new ReactJS app modernization project or you want to develop a project much faster with a bit of a simpler configuration, then you’d want to get the Vite React app. It is versatile, particularly for developers, because of its fast speed and ability to support modern features of development.
But if you are a new developer seeking an umbrella application without requiring much configuration and are okay with working with applications that slow down during build, CRA can be an option.
In all the cases under analysis, particularly in 2024, Vite is more advantageous compared to its competitors. Regardless of whether you’re starting new with a Vite Create React app or migrating to an existing application, it’s a decision that will reap benefits down the line.
Concluding Thoughts
It also reimagines and pushes the forefront of front-end developers. It is fast, easy to use, has all the modern features, and can become very helpful for developers who work with ReactJS.
In this world, whether you are in a situation where you are starting from a Vite React app or you came from a more conventional way of structuring a web application, the advantages are without a doubt apparent.
FAQ
What is the primary difference between Vite and Create React App (CRA) for ReactJS projects?
This will result in a marked difference in the development and the building process of the two. Vite is much faster than CRA first because it uses native ES modules and because of its pre-bundles dependencies with esbuild. Vite reduces the logic of bundling the whole app during development, leading to virtually zero loading time and far better Hot Module Replacement.
Why is it important to switch to Vite for ReactJS development?
Switching to Vite for ReactJS development offers numerous advantages:
Speed: Thanks to Vite, the development server is incredibly fast, so it is suitable for complex applications.
Optimized Builds: Rollup enables smaller and more effective production bundles to be created.
Modern Features: Vite out of the box comes with many powerful features including the ability to do fast HMR, support for typescript, and many other modern development tools.
How do I run a Vite React app, and is the process different from Create React App?
Running a Vite React app is easy, and it is less complicated in comparison to Create React App. Once you have set up your project with Vite, all you need to do is:
- Navigate to your project directory using the terminal.
- Run the command npm run dev or yarn dev.
- This starts the Vite development server, which is almost instant and provides real-time updates through fast HMR.