Vite Advanced Patterns

A wrapper around Vite 8 (Rolldown-powered), not a copy of its documentation. Vite's own docs are the source of truth for config keys, API surface, and migration mechanics. This skill carries the house delta plus four enforceable rules.

Vite 8 replaces the esbuild+Rollup pipeline with Rolldown (Rust-based unified bundler) and is the default for new projects. advancedChunks supersedes manualChunks; build.rollupOptions becomes build.rolldownOptions.

Upstream coverage (do not restate)

Fetch these from Vite rather than expecting them here. Rows marked with a rule keep a narrower, enforceable house subset in that rule file: read the rule for the house position, fetch the doc for the full API.

Topic	Fetch from
Vite 7 to 8 migration: `rolldownOptions`, `transformWithOxc`, `moduleType: 'js'`, removed hooks and output formats, browser target bumps	https://vite.dev/guide/migration
Rolldown adoption path, `rolldown-vite`, Oxc, `advancedChunks` group syntax (house subset stays in `rules/vite-advanced-chunks.md`)	https://vite.dev/guide/rolldown
Build options: `target`, `minify`, `sourcemap`, `cssCodeSplit`, `cssMinify`, `assetsInlineLimit`, `chunkSizeWarningLimit`	https://vite.dev/config/build-options
Dependency pre-bundling and `optimizeDeps` include/exclude/force	https://vite.dev/guide/dep-pre-bundling
SSR: client and server entry points, middleware-mode dev server, production server wiring, streaming	https://vite.dev/guide/ssr
Environment API config and per-environment build output (house subset stays in `rules/vite-environments.md`)	https://vite.dev/guide/api-environment
Environment API for plugins: `this.environment`, `perEnvironmentPlugin`, `applyToEnvironment`	https://vite.dev/guide/api-environment-plugins
Environment API for frameworks: `createBuilder`, `buildApp`, `ModuleRunner`	https://vite.dev/guide/api-environment-frameworks
Plugin hook reference, virtual modules, `enforce`/`apply`, `handleHotUpdate` (house subset stays in `rules/vite-plugin-hooks.md`)	https://vite.dev/guide/api-plugin
Env variables and modes, `.env` files, the `VITE_` prefix	https://vite.dev/guide/env-and-mode
Deploying a static site and verifying with `vite preview`	https://vite.dev/guide/static-deploy

Library mode is not in the table: references/library-mode.md and rules/vite-lib-config.md still carry it in full.

House delta

Read references/ork-delta.md for the rules Vite's docs do not state: the Vite 8 adoption path for existing production apps, the VITE_ secrets rule, the production sourcemap setting, the house build budget, the vite preview gate, chunk-name stability across the advancedChunks migration, the visualizer diff requirement, and the node_modules/.vite cache-clearing step.

House config

Not a Vite tutorial: these are the settings the delta above makes non-negotiable, in the shape we actually ship them.

// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';

export default defineConfig({
  build: {
    // 'hidden' emits maps for the error reporter without publishing source.
    // Never true (publishes source) and never 'inline' (inflates every JS file).
    sourcemap: 'hidden',
    rollupOptions: {
      output: {
        // Carry existing chunk NAMES across the manualChunks to advancedChunks
        // migration. A renamed group changes its filename and invalidates that
        // chunk for every returning visitor, even with identical contents.
        advancedChunks: {
          groups: [
            { name: 'vendor', test: /node_modules/, priority: 10 },
            { name: 'app', priority: 0 },
          ],
        },
      },
    },
  },
});

# Prove the build. `vite build` exiting 0 means the bundler finished, not that the
# app runs: base-path mistakes and dev-only env vars survive a green build.
vite build && vite preview      # then walk the routes, console must be clean

# Diff the chunk graph before and after any chunk-config change.
npx vite-bundle-visualizer

# Stale pre-bundle cache mimics a broken plugin. Clear it BEFORE editing plugin code.
rm -rf node_modules/.vite && vite --force

VITE_-prefixed variables are inlined into the client bundle at build time. They are public bundle content, never secrets. Audit .env.production before deploy.

Rules

Rule	Covers
`rules/vite-advanced-chunks.md`	Chunk splitting: `advancedChunks` groups, priority, `maxSize`, `minShareCount`
`rules/vite-environments.md`	`environments` config for client, SSR, and edge; per-environment `outDir`
`rules/vite-lib-config.md`	Library mode externals, dual ESM/CJS output, `exports` map, type declarations
`rules/vite-plugin-hooks.md`	Hook order, virtual modules via `resolveId` + `load`, `enforce` and `apply`

Key Decisions

Decision	Recommendation
New projects	Vite 8 (default)
Existing production apps	Stage the upgrade through `rolldown-vite` before committing
Multi-env builds	Environment API (`environments` config)
Plugin scope	Use `this.environment` for env-aware plugins
SSR	Middleware mode for dev, separate builds for prod
Chunks	`advancedChunks` for Vite 8, `manualChunks` for Vite 7 compat

Related Skills

ork:react-server-components-framework - SSR integration
ork:storybook-testing - Component testing with Vitest
ork:performance - Core Web Vitals targets behind the build budget

References

Load on demand with Read("references/<file>"):

File	Content
`ork-delta.md`	House rules that Vite's docs do not state
`library-mode.md`	Building publishable npm packages

vite-advanced