Vite 5.0 Brings SSR and Plugin API Boosts

Vite 5.0 arrives with major improvements in SSR handling, plugin APIs, and performance optimization across dev and build processes.

Vite 5.0 Launches

Released by Evan You and the open source team.

Continues to push the boundary for ultra-fast frontend tooling.

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Improvements

Smarter module resolution for SSR compatibility.

Reduces cold-start times for SSR in production environments.

New Plugin API Enhancements

Cleaner hooks for resolveId, transform, and load.

Improved TypeScript support and DX for plugin authors.

Dynamic Import Handling Improved

Better tree-shaking and module preloading for dynamic imports.

Faster dev server reload and HMR when editing large modules.

Deprecation of Node.js 14

Node.js 16 or later now required.

Aligns with the modern web development ecosystem.

Rollup 4 Integration

Vite now uses Rollup 4 under the hood for production builds.

Result: smaller bundles and faster build times.

CSS Module Enhancements

Support for scoped class names in Vue and React out of the box.

Faster CSS handling and source map generation.

Migration Path and Compatibility

Minimal breaking changes from Vite 4.x.

Migration guide and auto-upgrade CLI provided for smooth transition.

Enhanced Dev Server Stability

New file watching engine (based on chokidar v4).

Reduced CPU load during development.

Community Plugin Ecosystem Growth

Over 1,200 plugins now available via vite-plugin ecosystem.

Ecosystem continues to flourish with support from major frameworks like Nuxt, Astro, and SvelteKit.