Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Parcel VS NuGet

Compare Parcel VS NuGet and see what are their differences

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Parcel logo Parcel

Blazing fast, zero configuration web application bundler

NuGet logo NuGet

The NuGet Gallery is the central package repository for NuGet, the package manager for .NET.
  • Parcel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-13
  • NuGet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-27

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.

NuGet features and specs

  • Wide Ecosystem
    NuGet supports a vast collection of packages, making it a comprehensive resource for .NET developers looking to integrate various libraries and tools into their projects.
  • Easy Package Management
    It simplifies the process of adding, removing, and updating libraries in .NET projects by managing dependencies and ensuring compatibility between package versions.
  • Integration with Visual Studio
    NuGet is integrated into Visual Studio, providing a seamless user experience with tools for package management directly within the IDE.
  • Automated Restore
    NuGet enables automated package restore functionality, which ensures all project dependencies are available, facilitating smooth builds and deployments.
  • Support for Private Repositories
    Supports hosting packages on private repositories, making it useful for organizations to manage internal libraries and proprietary code securely.

Possible disadvantages of NuGet

  • Dependency Hell
    Complex dependency chains can sometimes lead to conflicts or unexpected behaviors, making it difficult to manage updates and maintain projects.
  • Potential Security Risks
    Using third-party packages can introduce security vulnerabilities if not properly vetted, potentially exposing projects to exploits.
  • Package Quality Variability
    The quality and maintenance of packages can vary greatly, leading to potential issues with poorly maintained or abandoned packages.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might face a learning curve understanding how to configure packages, manage versions, and resolve conflicts effectively.
  • Overhead for Small Projects
    For smaller projects, using NuGet may introduce unnecessary overhead and complexity compared to manually managing a few dependencies.

Analysis of Parcel

Overall verdict

  • Parcel is a good choice for developers looking for a hassle-free, efficient, and beginner-friendly bundler. Its minimal configuration approach and speed make it ideal for small to medium-sized projects. However, for highly complex projects that require intricate and highly customized build processes, other bundlers might be more suitable due to their advanced configuration capabilities.

Why this product is good

  • Parcel is a web application bundler that is appreciated for its simplicity and zero-config philosophy. It automatically detects the files needed for a project without requiring a complex configuration file. Its fast performance is attributed to parallelization and efficient caching. Additionally, Parcel offers out-of-the-box support for JavaScript, CSS, HTML, asset management, and various types of file transformations, making it a versatile tool for web developers.

Recommended for

  • Developers new to module bundlers or looking for an easy-to-setup tool.
  • Projects that value speed and simplicity in their build processes.
  • Developers who need a bundler capable of handling multiple asset types with minimal configuration.
  • Teams that prefer convention over configuration and want to get started quickly without diving deep into complex bundler settings.

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

NuGet videos

Review jujur Belfoods nuget

More videos:

  • Review - NuGet Training Part 1 - The basics of Packages

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Parcel and NuGet)
Web Application Bundler
100 100%
0% 0
Package Manager
0 0%
100% 100
JS Build Tools
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 NuGet

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.

NuGet Reviews

Repository Management Tools
NuGet is the official package manager for .NET managed by the Outercurve Foundation. The original purpose to have a repository manager is to organize on your binary components that the development team relies upon and to maintain it properly. The whole idea of committing these along with your source code beats the purpose of using any Repository Managers and hence NuGet...
Source: mindmajix.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Parcel should be more popular than NuGet. 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 / 25 days 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 / 3 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 / 4 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 / 6 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 / 6 months ago
View more

NuGet mentions (38)

  • Add nuget.org as a package feed (nuget.exe CLI)
    How do I add nuget.org as a package feed when using nuget.exe CLI. (I need this for some CICD stuff I'm working on). Source: over 1 year ago
  • NU1100 error.
    NU1100 Unable to resolve 'Azure.Identity (>= 1.7.0)' for 'net6.0-windows7.0'. PackageSourceMapping is enabled, the following source(s) were not considered: Microsoft Visual Studio Offline Packages, nuget.org. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Building a RESTful Minimal API with .NET Core 7
    The .NET cli new command provides many templates to create your project. You can also add the search command to find community-developed templates from NuGet or use dotnet new list to see available templates provided by Microsoft. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • NuGet.Packaging in PowerShell - a Dependency for Importing PM Packages Automatically
    Right now, I have a (mostly) complete bootstrap script (gist) that downloads and imports NuGet.Packaging and all of its dependencies from nuget.org under the .NETStandard 2.0 TFM. Because I am using .NETStandard 2.0 dlls, in theory, this script should work on every version of PowerShell ever released. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Adding Reference to Local csproj File
    I make many of my libraries (C#) publicly available on github, and also publish nuget packages of them on nuget.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Parcel and NuGet, 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.

Chocolatey - The sane way to manage software on Windows.

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

Scoop - A command-line installer for Windows

esbuild - An extremely fast JavaScript bundler and minifier

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS