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Farm

What Farm is
Farm is a free, Rust-based, Vite-compatible build tool for web applications and JavaScript libraries. It compiles HTML, CSS, CSS Modules, JavaScript, JSX, TypeScript, TSX, JSON and static assets out of the box. The project says React and Vue projects can start in milliseconds, with most hot module replacement updates within 10ms. Persistent module-level caching avoids recompiling unchanged modules, while partial bundling creates a few bundles and retains caching granularity. Official plugins cover Sass, Less, PostCSS, Vue, React and Solid; Rust, JavaScript and Vite plugins are also supported. Farm targets legacy ES5 and modern browsers. Production builds are compressed, tree-shaken and downgraded to ES2017 by default. The Quick Start guide requires Node 16.18.0 or later, supports npm, yarn, pnpm and bun, and starts a development server at http://localhost:9000.
Who it suits
Farm suits developers building web applications or JavaScript libraries who want Vite compatibility and broad input support. It is also relevant to teams using Rust or JavaScript plugins.
What it does well
- Free MIT-licensed build tool
- Compiles common web inputs by default
- Module caching avoids repeated compilation
- Supports Rust, JavaScript and Vite plugins
- TypeScript, code splitting and source maps supported
What to know first
- Requires Node 16.18.0 or later
- Default production output is ES2017
- Development server uses port 9000
Getting started
- Open the Farm website
- Install Node 16.18.0 or later
- Create a project with npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun
- Start the project development server
- Open http://localhost:9000
Verdict
Farm combines fast-start claims with caching, partial bundling and a wide plugin ecosystem. Its Node requirement and default build targets should fit the project setup before adoption.
Questions
Is Farm free?
Yes. Farm is offered as free software under the MIT license.
Which inputs does Farm compile?
It compiles HTML, CSS, CSS Modules, JavaScript, JSX, TypeScript, TSX, JSON, and static assets out of the box.
Which frameworks have official plugins?
Official plugins are listed for Sass, Less, PostCSS, Vue, React, and Solid.
What Node version is required?
The Quick Start guide requires Node 16.18.0 or later.
Does Farm support Vite plugins?
Yes. Farm supports Vite plugins, along with Rust and JavaScript plugins.
Facts from Farm's own pages
- Browser compatibility
- Farm says it supports both legacy ES5 and modern browsers and aims for development output to match production output. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Bundling
- Farm partially bundles projects into a few bundles while retaining caching granularity. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Community and support
- The official site links to WeChat and Discord community groups. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Community support
- The site links to community support through WeChat and Discord. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Development server
- The Quick Start guide says a new project starts at http://localhost:9000 by default. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Framework plugins
- The site lists official plugins for Sass, Less, PostCSS, Vue, React and Solid. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Frameworks and plugins
- Official plugins support Sass, Less, PostCSS, Vue, React, and Solid, and Farm supports Rust and JavaScript plugins plus Vite plugins. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Getting started
- The quick start guide says Farm requires Node 16.18.0 or later and documents project creation with npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Incremental builds
- Farm supports persistent caching and enables module level caching by default. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Languages and assets
- Farm compiles HTML, CSS, CSS Modules, JavaScript, JSX, TypeScript, TSX, JSON, and static assets out of the box. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- License
- The project's GitHub page identifies its license as MIT. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
- Maintainer
- The GitHub repository names brightwu as author and ErKeLost and shulandmimi as maintainers. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Partial bundling
- Farm bundles projects into a few bundles intended to speed resource loading while preserving caching granularity. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Performance
- The site says Farm can start React or Vue projects in milliseconds and perform most HMR updates within 10ms. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Plugin ecosystem
- Farm supports Rust and JavaScript plugins and Vite plugins out of the box. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- Farm describes itself as a Rust based web build tool for web programs and JavaScript libraries. · farm-fe.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
- Production output
- The Quick Start guide says production builds are downgraded to ES2017 by default, compressed and tree-shaken. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Project setup
- The Quick Start guide requires Node 16.18.0 or above and provides project creation commands for npm, yarn, pnpm and bun. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Speed
- The homepage says Farm can start React or Vue projects in milliseconds and perform HMR updates within 10ms in most situations. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
- Supported inputs
- Farm compiles HTML, CSS, CSS Modules, JavaScript, JSX, TypeScript, TSX, JSON and static assets out of the box. · farm-fe.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Where Farm stands on Freedom251
- JavaScript Build Tools#23 of 27