Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Parcel VS Gulp.js

Compare Parcel VS Gulp.js and see what are their differences

Parcel logo Parcel

Blazing fast, zero configuration web application bundler

Gulp.js logo Gulp.js

Automate and enhance your workflow
  • Parcel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-13
  • Gulp.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-26

Parcel features and specs

  • Zero Configuration
    Parcel requires minimal to no configuration to get started, making it extremely user-friendly, especially for beginners or small projects.
  • Fast Bundling
    Parcel uses worker threads to parallelize tasks, which significantly speeds up the bundling process compared to other bundlers that do not use this approach.
  • Out-of-the-box support for many file types
    Parcel supports many file types (e.g., JavaScript, CSS, HTML, images) right out-of-the-box without needing additional plugins or configurations.
  • Hot Module Replacement (HMR)
    Parcel offers built-in HMR, allowing developers to see changes in real-time without needing to refresh the browser, leading to a faster development cycle.
  • Tree Shaking
    Parcel automatically performs tree shaking, removing unused code from the production build to reduce file sizes, which can improve loading times.
  • Code Splitting
    Parcel has automatic code splitting capabilities which help to improve performance by loading only the necessary assets.
  • Extensible via Plugins
    Parcel’s plugin system allows developers to extend its functionality easily if custom or additional features are needed.

Possible disadvantages of Parcel

  • Community and Ecosystem
    The community and ecosystem around Parcel are smaller compared to other bundlers like Webpack, so finding solutions and third-party plugins might be more challenging.
  • Limited Customization
    While the zero-config aspect is beneficial, it also means there are fewer customization options out-of-the-box, which might be limiting for complex projects needing specific configurations.
  • Performance with Large Projects
    For very large projects, Parcel's performance can become a bottleneck, particularly when it comes to initial build times.
  • Documentation
    The documentation, while improving, is not as comprehensive as some other tools, making it harder for developers to find detailed information when they encounter issues.
  • Dependency Bloat
    Parcel can sometimes include more dependencies than necessary in the final bundle, potentially increasing the final bundle size.

Gulp.js features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Gulp.js is designed to be fast and efficient, handling asynchronous task execution seamlessly, reducing build times compared to many other task runners.
  • Code over Configuration
    Gulp uses code instead of complex configuration files, making it easier for developers to set up tasks in JavaScript, which can be more intuitive and flexible.
  • Strong Ecosystem
    Gulp has a rich ecosystem of plugins available for virtually any task a developer might need, from CSS preprocessing to live reloading, making it highly extensible.
  • Stream Processing
    Gulp leverages Node.js streams to process files, which helps in chaining tasks and minimizes the need to write temporary files, making tasks faster and more memory efficient.
  • Easy to Read and Maintain
    Gulp files are typically concise and easy to read, which can help in maintaining and updating build processes as project requirements evolve.

Possible disadvantages of Gulp.js

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers new to task runners or Node.js, Gulp can have a steep learning curve due to the need to understand concepts such as streams, pipes, and asynchronous execution.
  • Plugin Dependencies
    Relying on Gulp plugins can sometimes lead to compatibility issues or outdated plugins, which might require developers to write custom tasks or wait for plugin updates.
  • Limited Debugging
    Debugging Gulp tasks can be challenging, as error messages are not always descriptive, and tracking down bugs in the build process may require additional effort.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Maintaining a Gulp setup can become burdensome as the number of tasks and complexity of the build process grows, potentially leading to complicated and hard-to-manage code.
  • Changing APIs
    Gulp has undergone significant changes across its major versions, which can lead to breaking changes and the need to refactor build scripts when upgrading.

Parcel videos

Danby Parcel Guard Smart Mailbox blogger Review

More videos:

  • Review - PARCEL MOVIE REVIEW | SASWATA CHATTERJEE | RITUPARNA SENGUPTA | RUPAM'S REVIEW
  • Review - Le Parcel Box review

Gulp.js videos

No Gulp.js videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Parcel and Gulp.js)
Web Application Bundler
72 72%
28% 28
JS Build Tools
58 58%
42% 42
Assets Bundler
100 100%
0% 0
Front End Package Manager

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Parcel and Gulp.js

Parcel Reviews

Rollup v. Webpack v. Parcel
Parcel's caching feature sees dramatically decreases in time consumption after the initial run. For frequent, small changes, in smaller projects **Parcel*8 is a great choice.
Source: x-team.com
If you’ve ever configured Webpack, Parcel will blow your mind!
document.body.className = document.body.className.replace(/(^|\s)is-noJs(\s|$)/, "$1is-js$2")HomepageHomepageJavascriptBecome a memberSign inGet startedIf you’ve ever configured Webpack, Parcel will blow your mind!And how to hit the ground running with Parcel.Ibrahim ButtBlockedUnblockFollowFollowingMar 16, 2018Click here to share this article on LinkedIn »Zero...
Source: medium.com
First impressions with Parcel JS
The big selling point of Parcel though is that it offers a zero configuration experience. This means all the features are available out of the box! It also boasts blazing fast bundle times 👟 You won’t be configuring how Parcel works or having to draft in various plugins to get started. If you do need something, Parcel magically detects this and will pull in stuff for you on...
Source: codeburst.io
Parcel vs webpack - Jakob Lind
Parcel has made their own benchmarks of Parcel and other bundlers. Parcel has been criticized because they have not made the benchmarks open source. People cannot verify that the benchmarks are true when they are not open source.

Gulp.js Reviews

We have no reviews of Gulp.js yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Parcel should be more popular than Gulp.js. It has been mentiond 113 times since March 2021. 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.

Parcel mentions (113)

  • Migrating a JavaScript Project from Prettier and ESLint to BiomeJS
    Https://parceljs.org/ is another. It even supports languages like `` out of the box which is pretty cool. IIRC it downloads necessarily plugins on the fly. - Source: Hacker News / about 7 hours ago
  • Create React App is Deprecated – What’s Next ?
    Parcel is another alternative that requires zero configuration and is super fast. If you want a simple React setup without any hassle, Parcel is a great choice. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Bun 1.2 Is Released
    From its documentation [1] it looks a lot like a parceljs replacement [2], i.e. a zero config bundler which processes and bundles the dependencies in .html pages. So great for simple websites, not for replacing an entire Vite stack. [1] https://bun.sh/docs/bundler/fullstack [2] https://parceljs.org. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • What is Evan You doing by creating VoidZero, and what are the issues with JS toolchains?
    Packagers are the ones we most frequently come into contact with, such as Webpack Vite and Parcel. The latter may not be commonly used, but it is also a well-established tool. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Node.js: A brief history of cjs, bundlers, and esm
    Npm packages dramatically sped up the productivity of developers by being able to leverage other developers' work. However, it had a major disadvantage: cjs was not compatible with web browsers. To solve this problem, the concept of bundlers was born. Browserify was the first bundler which essentially worked by traversing an entry point and "bundling" all the require()-ed code into a single .js file compatible... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
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Gulp.js mentions (28)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Parcel and Gulp.js, you can also consider the following products

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.

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

Grunt - The Grunt ecosystem is huge and it's growing every day.

esbuild - An extremely fast JavaScript bundler and minifier

17track - All-in-one package tracking

Yeoman - To do so, we provide a generator ecosystem. A generator is basically a plugin that can be run with the `yo` command to scaffold complete projects or useful parts. Through our official Generators, we promote the "Yeoman workflow".