esbuild
A very fast tool that bundles and minifies JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS for the web.
- Stars
- 40.1k
- Forks
- 1.4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 3 months ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
esbuild takes your web source code (JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, and CSS) and combines it into files that browsers can load, a process called bundling. It also minifies code to make it smaller and can produce source maps for debugging. The project emphasizes speed, claiming build tools are often 10-100x slower than they could be, and it does this without needing a cache.
- Bundle a TypeScript or JSX app into a single output file for the browser
- Minify CSS and JavaScript for production builds
- Run a local development server with watch mode that rebuilds on file changes
- Bundle CSS modules into a stylesheet
Great for
- Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects
- Teams using React or other JSX-based frontends
- Projects that mix ESM and CommonJS modules
- People who want a simple API through a CLI, JavaScript, or Go
Not ideal for
- Beginners who want a fully guided setup with a lot of hand-holding, since the README points to separate getting-started and API docs
- Projects that depend on plugins or features the README does not describe, since plugin details live on the external documentation site
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/evanw/esbuild - 2
Run it
- Follow the getting started guide at https://esbuild.github.io/getting-started/
- Point esbuild at an entry file in your project using the CLI or JavaScript API
- Check the output file it produces
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use watch mode to rebuild automatically while you edit
- Use the local server feature during development
- Enable minification and source maps for production builds
- Write plugins to extend behavior, as described in the plugins documentation
Downloads
Strengths
- The README describes very high speed as its main goal, and it works without a cache
- Built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, and CSS without extra setup listed in the README
- Offers CLI, JavaScript, and Go APIs with plugin support
Trade-offs
- The speed claims come from the README's own benchmark chart; results will vary by project
- The README is truncated here, so specific install steps and version requirements are not confirmed
- Latest release is listed without binaries, so installation likely goes through a package manager or building from source
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| esbuild (this) | 40.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 3 months ago | Developers who want fast builds for JavaScript, TypeScript, or CSS projects |
| vite | 83.7k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Frontend developers starting a new modern web project |
| webpack | 66k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Frontend developers building single-page or multi-page web apps |
| parcel | 44k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Web developers who want a bundler that works without a config file |
| rspack | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams with a large webpack project who want faster builds without rewriting their config |
| prettier | 52.4k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | Teams that want one shared code style without writing their own rules |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.