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swc-project/swc

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

★ 33,394RustAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

SWC is a JavaScript and TypeScript compiler written in Rust that transforms modern code into browser-compatible output 20x faster than Babel, already used under the hood by Next.js and Vite.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((SWC))
    What it does
      Compile TypeScript
      Transform JavaScript
      Minify code
      Parse and analyze
    Tech stack
      Rust core
      Node.js API
      npm packages
    Use cases
      Replace Babel
      Faster builds
      CI speedup
      Custom toolchains
    Audience
      Frontend developers
      Build tool authors
      JS framework teams
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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Replace Babel in a JavaScript or TypeScript project's build pipeline to dramatically speed up compilation times

USE CASE 2

Use SWC as the transformer in a custom webpack or Rollup setup to cut CI build times

USE CASE 3

Minify JavaScript output using SWC's built-in minifier as part of a production build process

USE CASE 4

Integrate SWC into a Node.js script to parse and transform JavaScript or TypeScript programmatically

What is it built with?

RustNode.jsTypeScript

How does it compare?

swc-project/swccasey/justfish-shell/fish-shell
Stars33,39433,40133,376
LanguageRustRustRust
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity3/51/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Node.js v10+ required, integrating as a Babel drop-in requires updating existing build configuration files.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.

In plain English

SWC (Speedy Web Compiler) is a JavaScript and TypeScript compiler written in Rust, designed to be a much faster drop-in replacement for tools like Babel. A compiler in this context means a tool that transforms modern JavaScript or TypeScript code into an older form that browsers and older runtimes can understand, while also handling things like JSX syntax (used by React) and TypeScript types. The problem SWC solves is build speed. When a web project grows large, the step that transforms all the JavaScript code before it can run in a browser can take many seconds or even minutes. Babel, the dominant tool for this task, is written in JavaScript and has performance limits tied to that. SWC, being written in Rust (a systems language known for speed), is dramatically faster, often 20x or more, which translates directly into faster development cycles and quicker CI/CD pipelines. You would use SWC when building a JavaScript or TypeScript web project and you want faster build and transformation times. It is already used under the hood by major build tools like Next.js and Vite, so many developers benefit from it without ever configuring it directly. Developers who want explicit control can also use it as a direct Babel replacement in their own toolchain. SWC can be used both as a Node.js library (via npm packages like @swc/core) and as a Rust library (via crates.io). It supports parsing, transforming, and minifying JavaScript and TypeScript. The project is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and community-maintained. Node.js v10 or later is required for its JavaScript API.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me replace Babel with SWC in my React TypeScript project, update the webpack config and package.json to use @swc/core
Prompt 2
Write an .swcrc config file for a project that transforms TypeScript, handles JSX for React, and targets modern browsers
Prompt 3
Show me how to use @swc/core in a Node.js script to transform a TypeScript file to JavaScript programmatically
Prompt 4
Help me benchmark Babel vs SWC transformation speed on my 200-file TypeScript project and measure the build time difference
Prompt 5
Generate a SWC config that strips TypeScript types, compiles JSX for React 18, and outputs ES2020 compatible JavaScript

Frequently asked questions

What is swc?

SWC is a JavaScript and TypeScript compiler written in Rust that transforms modern code into browser-compatible output 20x faster than Babel, already used under the hood by Next.js and Vite.

What language is swc written in?

Mainly Rust. The stack also includes Rust, Node.js, TypeScript.

What license does swc use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.

How hard is swc to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is swc for?

Mainly developer.

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