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Vite 6 Migration

Summary

We are currently using Vite 5.4.10 in the Lyzer project frontend. This tech debt document proposes upgrading to Vite 6. While our current Vite version is working well, upgrading to Vite 6 would provide performance improvements, new features, and ensure we stay current with the ecosystem.

Impact Assessment

  • Severity: Low
  • Scope: Component
  • Risk Profile: Low
  • Development Impact: Minimal immediate impact, primarily affecting build tooling
  • Area: Frontend

Detailed Description

Vite 6 introduced several improvements and changes including:

  • Node.js Support: Support for Node.js 18, 20, and 22+ (dropped Node.js 21 support)
  • New Experimental Environment API: Providing better control over environment variables
  • Changes to resolve.conditions: New default value affecting module resolution
  • JSON Handling Improvements: Changes to JSON stringify behavior
  • Enhanced Asset Reference Support: Extended support for asset references in HTML elements
  • Better Error Messages: Improved error message formatting and clarity
  • Plugin API Enhancements: Updated plugin hooks and capabilities

Our current Vite 5.4.10 implementation works well, but as Vite 6 becomes more widely adopted, we may face:

  • Compatibility issues with newer plugins that target Vite 6
  • Missing out on build performance improvements
  • Increased difficulty migrating if we delay too long
  • Potential security fixes only available in newer versions

Proposed Resolution

To successfully migrate to Vite 6, we would need to:

  1. Review the official Vite 6 Migration Guide
  2. Update our package.json dependencies:
  3. Update vite from ^5.4.10 to ^6.0.0
  4. Update @vitejs/plugin-react-swc to a compatible version
  5. Update vitest and related packages as needed
  6. Check our Node.js version to ensure compatibility (18, 20, or 22+)
  7. Verify any changes related to module resolution (resolve.conditions)
  8. Review our JSON imports for potential impacts from JSON stringify changes
  9. Test our builds for any issues related to asset references in HTML
  10. Update our CI/CD pipeline configurations as needed
  11. Perform thorough testing of the development and build processes

Benefits of Resolution

The benefits of upgrading to Vite 6 include:

  • Improved Build Performance: Vite 6 includes optimizations for faster builds
  • Enhanced Developer Experience: Better error messages and debugging
  • New Features: Access to the experimental Environment API and other new features
  • Future Compatibility: Staying current with the ecosystem to prevent larger migrations later
  • Security Improvements: Potential security enhancements included in newer versions

Some potential downsides include:

  • Initial development effort required for the upgrade
  • Possible incompatibilities with other tools or plugins
  • Potential need to adapt to new defaults and behaviors

Risks of Deferral

  • Widening gap between our tooling and current standards
  • Increasing complexity of eventual migration
  • Missing out on performance improvements and bug fixes
  • Potential incompatibility with newer plugins and tools
  • Security vulnerabilities that are fixed in newer versions

Acceptance Criteria

  • Development server starts and runs correctly with Vite 6
  • Production builds complete successfully
  • All existing functionality works as expected in development and production
  • Hot Module Replacement (HMR) functions properly
  • Build performance is maintained or improved
  • All tests pass with the updated build tooling
  • No critical console warnings related to deprecated features
  • Documentation is updated to reflect Vite 6 usage