esbuild vs Rslib
esbuild
esbuild.github.ioRslib
lib.rsbuild.devSide by side
| Figure | esbuild | Rslib |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · JavaScript Build Tools | 8.4 (#3) | 8.6 (#2) |
| License | The repository provides esbuild under the MIT License, which permits use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale subject to the license conditions. | Rslib is free and open source software released under the MIT license. |
| Purpose | esbuild is an extremely fast bundler for the web designed to improve build tool performance and be easy to use. | Rslib is an Rsbuild-based tool for developing JavaScript libraries and UI component libraries. |
Plans
In their own words
esbuild
esbuild is a free bundler for web projects, designed to improve build-tool performance while remaining easy to use. It bundles ESM and CommonJS modules, including CSS modules, with built-in support for JavaScript, CSS, TypeScript and JSX. Optimization features include tree shaking, minification and source maps; development tools include a local server, watch mode and plugins. Developers can use the command-line, JavaScript or Go interface. The recommended installation is the native executable installed with npm. An alternative WebAssembly package works across platforms, though it can be substantially slower than the native package. esbuild is MIT-licensed. It does not type-check TypeScript, and its FAQ recommends running tsc separately. The FAQ describes code-splitting support as primitive. The maintainer says the project receives periodic releases and is maintained, but active feature development is not underway. The FAQ also notes that a project primarily built by one developer may not fit organizations seeking a larger or more active community.
Rslib
Rslib is a free, open-source tool for developing JavaScript packages and UI component libraries. Based on Rsbuild and powered by Rspack, it integrates Rust-based tools including SWC and Lightning CSS. It supports bundle and bundleless build modes and outputs ESM, CJS, UMD, Module Federation, and IIFE formats. Framework integrations support component libraries for React, Vue, Svelte, and Solid. Rslib can generate TypeScript declaration files, including isolated declarations, though declaration generation is not enabled by default. Plugin support includes Rsbuild, Rspack, and webpack plugins. Its development integrations include Rstest for testing, Storybook for component development, Rspress for documentation and component previews, and Rsdoctor for build analysis. The quick-start guide lists Node.js, Deno, and Bun as runtime options, while Rslib v1 requires Node.js 20.19+ or 22.12+. It is available for API, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, and is released under the MIT license.