Vite Best Practices

Comprehensive performance optimization guide for Vite applications. Contains 42 rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact to guide automated refactoring and code generation.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Configuring Vite for a new project
• Troubleshooting slow dev server startup
• Optimizing production bundle size
• Debugging HMR issues
• Writing or evaluating Vite plugins
• Migrating from Webpack or other bundlers

Rule Categories by Priority

Quick Reference

1. Dependency Pre-bundling (CRITICAL)

• `deps-include-large-cjs` - Include large dependencies with many modules
• `deps-exclude-esm` - Exclude small ESM dependencies
• `deps-force-rebundle` - Use --force flag for dependency changes
• `deps-hold-until-crawl` - Configure holdUntilCrawlEnd for startup behavior
• `deps-entries` - Configure custom entry points for discovery
• `deps-linked-packages` - Handle linked dependencies in monorepos

2. Plugin Performance (CRITICAL)

• `plugin-lazy-imports` - Use dynamic imports in plugin code
• `plugin-avoid-long-hooks` - Avoid long operations in startup hooks
• `plugin-transform-early-return` - Early return in transform hooks
• `plugin-audit-community` - Audit community plugins for performance
• `plugin-swc-over-babel` - Use SWC instead of Babel for React

3. Bundle Optimization (CRITICAL)

• `bundle-manual-chunks` - Use manualChunks for vendor splitting
• `bundle-dynamic-imports` - Use dynamic imports for route-level splitting
• `bundle-analyze` - Analyze bundle composition
• `bundle-tree-shaking` - Enable effective tree-shaking
• `bundle-chunk-warning` - Address large chunk warnings
• `bundle-compression` - Disable compressed size reporting for large projects
• `bundle-asset-inlining` - Configure asset inlining threshold

4. Import Resolution (HIGH)

• `import-avoid-barrel` - Avoid barrel file imports
• `import-explicit-extensions` - Use explicit file extensions
• `import-path-aliases` - Configure path aliases for clean imports
• `import-svg-strings` - Import SVGs as strings instead of components
• `import-glob-patterns` - Use glob imports carefully

5. Build Configuration (HIGH)

• `build-modern-target` - Target modern browsers
• `build-minification` - Use esbuild for minification
• `build-sourcemaps` - Disable source maps in production
• `build-css-code-split` - Enable CSS code splitting
• `build-rolldown` - Consider Rolldown for faster builds
• `build-output-dir` - Configure output directory and caching

6. Development Server (MEDIUM-HIGH)

• `dev-server-warmup` - Warm up frequently used files
• `dev-browser-cache` - Keep browser cache enabled in DevTools
• `dev-fs-limits` - Increase file descriptor limits on Linux
• `dev-wsl-polling` - Use polling for WSL file watching
• `dev-https-proxy` - Configure HTTPS and proxy for development

7. CSS Optimization (MEDIUM)

• `css-lightning` - Use Lightning CSS instead of PostCSS
• `css-avoid-preprocessors` - Prefer CSS over preprocessors when possible
• `css-modules` - Use CSS Modules for component styles
• `css-inline-critical` - Extract critical CSS for initial paint

8. Advanced Patterns (LOW-MEDIUM)

• `advanced-ssr-externalize` - Externalize dependencies for SSR
• `advanced-env-static` - Use static environment variables
• `advanced-profiling` - Profile build performance
• `advanced-lib-mode` - Configure library mode for package development

How to Use

Read individual reference files for detailed explanations and code examples:

• Section definitions - Category structure and impact levels
• Rule template - Template for adding new rules

Reference Files