SWC

SWC (Speedy Web Compiler) is a Rust-based extensible platform. It is the compiler inside Next.js and Deno.

When to Use

• Compilation: Replacing Babel.
• Minification: Faster and often smaller than Terser.
• Jest: @swc/jest speeds up tests by 10x.

Core Concepts

Transforms

Supports standard transforms (React JSX, TypeScript, legacy decorators).

Plugins (Wasm)

SWC plugins are written in Rust (Wasm), making them fast but harder to write than Babel plugins.

Best Practices (2025)

Do:

• Use swc-loader: In Webpack configs.
• Use .swcrc: JSON configuration file (similar to .babelrc).

Don't:

• Don't stick with Babel: Unless you need a very niche Babel plugin that doesn't exist in SWC yet.

References

• SWC Documentation