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Microbundle vs rollup: What are the differences?
Introduction
Microbundle and Rollup are two popular tools used for bundling and packaging JavaScript modules. While they have some similarities, there are key differences between them that make each one suitable for specific use cases. In this comparison, we will highlight six main differences between Microbundle and Rollup.
Configuration simplicity: Microbundle aims to simplify the configuration process by providing sensible defaults. It requires minimal configuration and can build a bundle with just a few lines of code. On the other hand, Rollup offers more flexibility and control over the bundling process by allowing detailed configuration. It requires a more in-depth configuration setup but provides more customization options.
Built-in optimizations: Microbundle includes various built-in optimizations such as tree-shaking, dead code elimination, and minification by default. These optimizations help to reduce the bundle size and improve performance without the need for additional configuration. Rollup, on the other hand, provides flexibility to explicitly configure and enable optimizations based on specific requirements.
Module formats support: Microbundle primarily focuses on providing CommonJS and ES modules as output formats, which are compatible with most modern JavaScript environments. Rollup, in contrast, supports a wide range of output formats, including CommonJS, ES modules, UMD, AMD, and SystemJS. This flexibility makes Rollup a better choice when targeting different module systems.
Plugins and ecosystem: Rollup has a larger and more mature ecosystem of plugins compared to Microbundle. This wide range of plugins allows for seamless integration with various build tools, optimizing images, transpiling code, and many other functionalities. Microbundle, although it has a growing number of plugins, doesn't have the same level of plugin support as Rollup.
Development experience: Microbundle provides a fast and easy development experience out of the box. It offers fast rebuild times, automatic reloading, and supports incremental builds, making it ideal for rapid prototyping and development workflows. Rollup, while still offering decent build performance, may require additional setup for features like live reloading and incremental builds.
Community and popularity: Rollup has gained more popularity and has a larger community compared to Microbundle. This means that Rollup has more active development, updates, and community support. It also makes it easier to find help, tutorials, and resources related to Rollup.
In summary, Microbundle is a lightweight and easy-to-use bundler with built-in optimizations and simplicity, ideal for small to medium-sized projects. On the other hand, Rollup offers more customization options, module format support, a larger ecosystem of plugins, and is well-suited for larger projects with complex bundling requirements.
We mostly use rollup to publish package onto NPM. For most all other use cases, we use the Meteor build tool (probably 99% of the time) for publishing packages. If you're using Node on FHIR you probably won't need to know rollup, unless you are somehow working on helping us publish front end user interface components using FHIR. That being said, we have been migrating away from Atmosphere package manager towards NPM. As we continue to migrate away, we may publish other NPM packages using rollup.
Pros of Microbundle
- All the best Terser and Rollup settings already set1
- Works well with TypeScript1
Pros of rollup
- Makes it easy to publish packages4
- Easier configuration3
- Better tree shaking2
- Provides smaller bundle size2
- Integrates seamlessly with SystemJS1
- Produces very clean code1
- Very reliable1
- Very robust Plugin-API (years old Plugins still work)1
- Very flexible1
- Was built with ESM-Modules in mind1
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Cons of Microbundle
Cons of rollup
- No clear path for static assets1
- No Loader like Webpack (need to use sjs or ESM imports)1
- Almost everything needs to be a Plugin1
- Manual Chunking is a bit buggy1
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What is Microbundle?
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