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swc-project/swc

📈 Trending★ 33,426RustAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5ActiveLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A Rust-based JavaScript and TypeScript compiler that's 20x faster than Babel, transforming modern code for older browsers while handling JSX and TypeScript.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((SWC))
    What it does
      Compiles JavaScript
      Compiles TypeScript
      Handles JSX syntax
      Minifies code
    Why use it
      20x faster builds
      Faster CI/CD
      Drop-in Babel replacement
    How to use it
      Node.js library
      Rust library
      Via Next.js or Vite
    Tech stack
      Rust
      JavaScript
      TypeScript

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Speed up JavaScript and TypeScript build pipelines in large web projects by replacing Babel.

USE CASE 2

Integrate into your own toolchain as a faster alternative to Babel for code transformation.

USE CASE 3

Benefit from faster compilation in Next.js or Vite projects that already use SWC under the hood.

USE CASE 4

Minify and transform TypeScript and JSX code for production without waiting for slow builds.

Tech stack

RustJavaScriptTypeScriptNode.js

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you include the Apache 2.0 license notice.

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
How do I set up SWC as a Babel replacement in my webpack or esbuild config?
Prompt 2
Show me how to use @swc/core to transform a TypeScript file to JavaScript in Node.js.
Prompt 3
What are the performance differences between SWC and Babel for a large codebase?
Prompt 4
How do I configure SWC to handle JSX and TypeScript in my build pipeline?
Prompt 5
Can I use SWC as a Rust library in my own Rust project, and how?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.