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esbuild VS Dart

Compare esbuild VS Dart and see what are their differences

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esbuild logo esbuild

An extremely fast JavaScript bundler and minifier

Dart logo Dart

A new web programming language with libraries, a virtual machine, and tools
  • esbuild Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-07
  • Dart Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-27

We recommend LibHunt Dart for discovery and comparisons of trending Dart projects.

esbuild features and specs

  • Speed
    esbuild is known for its blazing-fast performance because it is written in Go and optimized for efficiency. This makes it significantly faster than many other popular build tools.
  • Simplicity
    esbuild has a minimalistic and straightforward configuration, making it easy to set up and use without needing to navigate through complex configuration files.
  • Tree Shaking
    esbuild supports tree shaking, which helps in eliminating dead code, thereby resulting in smaller bundle sizes and improved performance.
  • TypeScript Support
    esbuild has built-in support for TypeScript, allowing developers to seamlessly integrate TypeScript into their build process without needing additional configuration.
  • CommonJS and ES Module Support
    esbuild supports both CommonJS and ES modules, providing flexibility in how modules are imported and exported.
  • Bundling
    esbuild can bundle multiple JavaScript files, resolving dependencies and optimizing the output, which is beneficial for production-ready applications.

Possible disadvantages of esbuild

  • Limited Plugin Ecosystem
    Compared to more mature tools like Webpack or Rollup, esbuild has a relatively smaller ecosystem of plugins, which might limit some advanced customization and integration capabilities.
  • Less Mature
    As a newer tool, esbuild might have less extensive community support and fewer resources such as tutorials and documentation compared to older and more established build tools.
  • Feature Parity
    While esbuild covers many essential features, it may lack some advanced features found in other build tools, potentially requiring additional tools or workarounds for complex scenarios.
  • Non-Configurable Output
    esbuild's approach to simplicity sometimes means less configurability compared to other tools. This might be restrictive for projects that require highly customized or specific build outputs.
  • Source Map Support
    While esbuild does support source maps, its support might be less comprehensive compared to some other build tools, potentially causing issues during debugging.

Dart features and specs

  • Performance
    Dart is designed for optimal performance with its Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation, which allows it to compile to efficient native code.
  • Easy to Learn
    Dart's syntax is clear and closely resembling other popular languages like Java, JavaScript, and C#, making it relatively easy to pick up for developers familiar with those languages.
  • Strong Typing
    The language offers strong typing which allows for early detection of errors during development and helps in maintaining robust code.
  • Flutter Integration
    Dart’s seamless integration with Flutter makes it an excellent choice for cross-platform app development, enabling developers to write one codebase for both iOS and Android.
  • Hot Reload
    Dart, when used with Flutter, supports hot reload which speeds up the development process by allowing immediate reflection of changes without restarting the application.
  • Comprehensive Libraries
    Dart comes with a rich set of core libraries and packages, which provide extensive functionality without needing external dependencies.
  • Concurrency Support
    Dart provides robust support for asynchronous programming with features like Future and Stream, which simplify writing concurrent code.

Possible disadvantages of Dart

  • Relatively New Language
    Dart is relatively new compared to established languages like Java and JavaScript, meaning there can be fewer resources, tutorials, and a smaller community.
  • Limited Backend Development
    While Dart can be used for backend development with frameworks like Aqueduct and Shelf, it is not as mature or widely adopted as languages like Node.js, Python, or Java.
  • Tooling and IDE Support
    Dart does not have as extensive tooling and IDE support as some other more established languages, which could impact the development experience.
  • Ecosystem
    The ecosystem around Dart is not as large as those for other languages, meaning fewer third-party libraries, plugins, and tools might be available.
  • Small Talent Pool
    The adoption rate of Dart is lower compared to other languages, potentially making it harder to find experienced Dart developers.
  • Learning Curve
    Though similar to other languages, there is still a learning curve for adopting Dart, especially for developers who are more familiar with different programming paradigms.

Analysis of esbuild

Overall verdict

  • Esbuild is considered a great tool for developers looking for a fast and efficient bundling solution. Its performance and feature set make it a preferred choice for projects where build speed is a critical factor.

Why this product is good

  • Esbuild is highly regarded due to its impressive speed and performance. It is built in Go, which allows it to be significantly faster than other JavaScript bundlers written in JavaScript. Esbuild is designed to handle large codebases quickly, making it a great tool for developers who prioritize build speed. Additionally, it supports modern JavaScript features and offers features like tree shaking, minification, and support for various module formats.

Recommended for

    Esbuild is recommended for developers who work on large projects and need a bundler that can significantly reduce build times. It is ideal for those who prefer using cutting-edge tools and technologies in their workflow. Additionally, it's suitable for developers who need to support modern JavaScript features and are looking for a straightforward configuration process.

Analysis of Dart

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Dart can be considered a good programming language for certain use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Dart is designed for client-side development, making it particularly suitable for building high-performance web and mobile applications.
  • It has a clean and easy-to-understand syntax, which is familiar to those who have experience with other C-based languages like Java, JavaScript, or C#.
  • Dart is the underlying language for Flutter, a popular framework for building cross-platform mobile applications, which means it benefits from strong support and integration with Flutter's robust ecosystem.
  • The language offers a great development experience with features like a strong static type system, asynchronous programming support, and comprehensive libraries.
  • Dart includes just-in-time (JIT) compilation for quick development cycles and ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation for fast, reliable production performance.

Recommended for

  • Developers who are working on cross-platform mobile applications using the Flutter framework.
  • Web developers seeking a language that offers fast compilation times and sound null safety.
  • Programmers looking for a modern, cohesive language with robust tooling and a strong core library.
  • Teams interested in a language that keeps elements consistent across web and mobile projects.

esbuild videos

ESBuild and SWC: Worth your time?

More videos:

  • Review - Let's talk about esbuild
  • Tutorial - Introduction to ESBuild tutorial for React / JavaScript and Typescript bundling. Bye bye Webpack

Dart videos

Best Darts Of 2019 My Top Ten Favourites

More videos:

  • Review - Red Dragon 2020 World Champion Edition Peter Wright Darts Review 21g
  • Review - Winmau Michael van Gerwen Authentic 23g Darts Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to esbuild and Dart)
JS Build Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Programming Language
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
OOP
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, esbuild seems to be a lot more popular than Dart. While we know about 143 links to esbuild, we've tracked only 1 mention of Dart. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

esbuild mentions (143)

  • ⚔️ Vite vs. Turbopack in 2025: Which One to Choose?
    Vite (pronounced veet) was created by Evan You (Vue's creator) and launched in 2020. It uses native ES modules in the browser and esbuild for lightning-fast dev servers and Rollup for optimized production builds. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • Understanding how Vite deals with your node_modules
    Pre-bundle all the dependencies on the "optimization boundary" list into node_modules/.vite/deps/ folder. This step is done by esbuild. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Show HN: Nue – Apps lighter than a React button
    5. Show me metrics: https://esbuild.github.io/ nailed this one. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Extensible WASM Applications with Go
    ESBuild is a bundler. The subtitle on the website is literally “An extremely fast bundler for the web”. To bundle, pass —-bundle flag. https://esbuild.github.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • How I Built a SpeedtestTracker with Raspberry PI and AWS Lambda
    Esbuild for bunding both the client and server separately. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
View more

Dart mentions (1)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing esbuild and Dart, you can also consider the following products

Vite - Next Generation Frontend Tooling

Kotlin - Statically typed Programming Language targeting JVM and JavaScript

Webpack - Webpack is a module bundler. Its main purpose is to bundle JavaScript files for usage in a browser, yet it is also capable of transforming, bundling, or packaging just about any resource or asset.

Lua - Powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language

rollup.js - Rollup is a module bundler for JavaScript which compiles small pieces of code into a larger piece such as application.

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible