Parcel, Vite or Webpack – Which Bundler Fits Your Project?
Some time ago, we replaced our old AngularJS frontend at TOPIC PRO with a more modern tech stack. We decided on Solid.js, a framework I particularly appreciate because, unlike Angular, it doesn't dictate which tools I have to use. Solid.js gives me the freedom to pick exactly the tools I need.
About a year ago, I was very enthusiastic about Parcel. Every article praised its simplicity and quick setup without extensive configuration. I found it especially charming that Parcel essentially lets the index.html handle everything. Simply linking my script module and SCSS files was enough to get everything running right away. Initially, this seemed like the perfect fit for our project.
Unfortunately, problems started to pile up over time: Solid.js occasionally stopped working, and dependency issues arose across different operating systems. Whenever we slightly deviated from Parcel's default behavior, we had to introduce strange configurations in the package.json, and Parcel kept installing unwanted new modules. The initial charm faded quickly.
Frustrated, we decided to remove Parcel from the project and give Vite a chance instead. Vite promised speed and flexibility—exactly what we were looking for. We configured our proxy server (for our basic-auth-protected backend), SCSS, nested web components, and TypeScript—but we were pretty disappointed when Vite didn't work as expected.
After extensive troubleshooting and discussions with ChatGPT about alternatives such as Esbuild (which unfortunately lacks a complete dev server), I eventually returned to the good old Webpack. Had I perhaps unfairly doubted Webpack? Were the prejudices justified, or just myths? Surprisingly, Webpack worked quite well initially—until the same problems reappeared that we already had with Vite. Ultimately, it turned out that neither Webpack nor Vite was at fault—the problem was actually caused by the latest version of Solid.js.
With this clarified, it became apparent: Webpack and Vite are functionally comparable, but there's a critical difference already suggested by the name—the speed.
| Bundler | Startzeit | |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel | 395 ms |  |
| Vite | 170 ms |  |
| Webpack | 2548ms |  |
Conclusion
Parcel is ideal if you want quick and simple startup with minimal special requirements.
Vite is recommended if speed is important, and you still want decent control.
Webpack is my personal favorite for complex projects where maximum control and stability outweigh startup speed.
- Parcel is ideal if you want quick and simple startup with minimal special requirements..
- Vite recommended if speed is important, and you still want decent control..
- Webpack is my personal favorite for complex projects where maximum control and stability outweigh startup speed.
Sometimes, only after a few detours do we realize what really matters—and for TOPIC PRO, Webpack fits perfectly.
I'm always grateful for feedback.
Feel free to contact me at jacob@derkuba.de