Replace Babel in a JavaScript or TypeScript project's build pipeline to dramatically speed up compilation times
Use SWC as the transformer in a custom webpack or Rollup setup to cut CI build times
Minify JavaScript output using SWC's built-in minifier as part of a production build process
Integrate SWC into a Node.js script to parse and transform JavaScript or TypeScript programmatically
| swc-project/swc | casey/just | fish-shell/fish-shell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 33,394 | 33,401 | 33,376 |
| Language | Rust | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | moderate | easy | easy |
| Complexity | 3/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
| Audience | developer | developer | developer |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Node.js v10+ required, integrating as a Babel drop-in requires updating existing build configuration files.
SWC (Speedy Web Compiler) is a JavaScript and TypeScript compiler written in Rust, designed to be a much faster drop-in replacement for tools like Babel. A compiler in this context means a tool that transforms modern JavaScript or TypeScript code into an older form that browsers and older runtimes can understand, while also handling things like JSX syntax (used by React) and TypeScript types. The problem SWC solves is build speed. When a web project grows large, the step that transforms all the JavaScript code before it can run in a browser can take many seconds or even minutes. Babel, the dominant tool for this task, is written in JavaScript and has performance limits tied to that. SWC, being written in Rust (a systems language known for speed), is dramatically faster, often 20x or more, which translates directly into faster development cycles and quicker CI/CD pipelines. You would use SWC when building a JavaScript or TypeScript web project and you want faster build and transformation times. It is already used under the hood by major build tools like Next.js and Vite, so many developers benefit from it without ever configuring it directly. Developers who want explicit control can also use it as a direct Babel replacement in their own toolchain. SWC can be used both as a Node.js library (via npm packages like @swc/core) and as a Rust library (via crates.io). It supports parsing, transforming, and minifying JavaScript and TypeScript. The project is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and community-maintained. Node.js v10 or later is required for its JavaScript API.
SWC is a JavaScript and TypeScript compiler written in Rust that transforms modern code into browser-compatible output 20x faster than Babel, already used under the hood by Next.js and Vite.
Mainly Rust. The stack also includes Rust, Node.js, TypeScript.
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.
Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.
Mainly developer.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
double-check against the repo, no cap.