Vite Best Practices

This edition was verified against stable vite@8.2.2 (August 2026). Vite 8 uses Rolldown for dependency optimization and production builds, Oxc for JavaScript transforms and minification, and Lightning CSS for CSS minification.

For version-sensitive work, confirm the project's installed Vite version first. If the user requests the latest version, also confirm the current latest npm dist-tag and use the matching official documentation; do not apply Vite 8-only options to older projects unless the task includes migration.

Workflow

1. Inspect package.json, the lockfile, vite.config.*, framework plugins, and the scripts that actually invoke Vite. Frameworks may own or wrap Vite configuration.
2. Separate the requested fix from an upgrade. Preserve the installed major/minor unless the user asks to migrate or the requested API requires it.
3. Prefer a Vite-level option over low-level Rolldown/Oxc customization. Preserve existing JavaScript vs TypeScript and ESM conventions instead of rewriting the config format without need.
4. Treat release-candidate and experimental APIs as opt-in. State their status and compatibility limits, pin the Vite minor when relying on them, and add them only when the use case justifies the risk.
5. Verify with the repository's own checks. At minimum, run the relevant typecheck or config load plus a production build; exercise dev/HMR or SSR behavior when the change affects those paths.

Vite 8 Configuration Names

Use current names in new or migrated Vite 8 configuration. Compatibility aliases still work but are deprecated: