intermediate

Bundlers and compilers

Transform source modules into deployable assets with Vite, Webpack, Rollup, esbuild, SWC, Babel, Rspack, and Turbopack.

Bundler and compiler interviews test module graph thinking: dev server speed, production output shape, transform versus typecheck, and migration risk. Subtopics: Vite, Webpack, Rollup, esbuild, SWC, Babel, Rspack, Turbopack.

On interviews: explain when native ESM dev differs from production bundling, why esbuild/SWC/Babel are not substitutes for `tsc`, and what you verify before switching bundlers.

Common pitfalls: assuming dev HMR equals production chunks; bundling peer dependencies into libraries; skipping bundle diffs after tool migration.

The trade-off is feedback speed versus plugin ecosystem depth and production confidence.

Checklist:

Verify dev and production outputs separately.
Keep semantic typecheck outside fast transpilers.
Inspect chunks and externals for libraries.
Benchmark on the real application graph.