JavaScript Bundler Performance Benchmark 2025: Webpack vs Rollup vs ESBuild vs Farm
Looking for the fastest JavaScript bundler in 2025? In 2025, you cannot imagine the frontend job without using some kind of bundler. But have you ever thought, how many resources do you need to run it, in order to compile your frontend application? We benchmarked Webpack, Rollup, ESBuild, and Farm to see how much RAM and CPU each tool uses while bundling a simple React project.
To ensure fair and consistent results, all benchmarks were run under the
same controlled conditions. We used a single machine with identical hardware
and software configurations for each test, keeping tool versions fixed to
avoid version-related performance differences. Each bundler compiled the
same minimal React project containing only one index.jsx file, ensuring
that the benchmark focused on bundler overhead rather than application
complexity. Every test was executed 10 times, and we calculated averages
to reduce the impact of random system fluctuations. While this setup provides
a clear comparison, it’s important to note some limitations: we did not
measure warm-cache performance, advanced configurations, or cross-platform
differences such as Windows or macOS environments.
Test Environment & Setup
We created a minimal React project (index.jsx) and bundled it using:
System Configuration
- OS: Linux ArchHost 6.16.4-arch1-1
- Node.js: v22.14.0
- Cores: 16
- RAM: 16 GB (2 × 8 GB)
Benchmark Command
We used /usr/bin/time -v to measure peak RAM usage and CPU
load during the bundling process:
for i in {1..10}; do
/usr/bin/time -v yarn build:esbuild 2>&1 | awk ' # replaced with corresponding bundler
/Maximum resident set size/ {ram=$6/1024}
/Percent of CPU this job got/ {cpu=$0; sub(/.*: /,"",cpu)}
END {printf "Peak RAM: %.2f MB\nCPU Load: %s\n", ram, cpu}'
done
Bundler Performance Results
Rollup Performance
| RAM | CPU |
|---|---|
| 420.66 Mb | 210% |
| 376.51 Mb | 211% |
| 420.25 MB | 213% |
| 369.96 MB | 212% |
| 370.79 MB | 216% |
| 368.41 MB | 211% |
| 371.82 MB | 211% |
| 431.74 MB | 210% |
| 375.54 MB | 212% |
| 371.10 MB | 213% |
| 444.08 MB | 212% |
Webpack Performance
| RAM | CPU |
|---|---|
| 298.85 MB | 187% |
| 281.30 MB | 189% |
| 297.50 MB | 186% |
| 294.16 MB | 185% |
| 298.09 MB | 185% |
| 297.80 MB | 185% |
| 300.30 MB | 187% |
| 295.35 MB | 188% |
| 293.68 MB | 188% |
| 295.55 MB | 189% |
| 294.28 MB | 188% |
Farm Performance
| RAM | CPU |
|---|---|
| 262.68 MB | 149% |
| 261.49 MB | 152% |
| 261.98 MB | 146% |
| 260.79 MB | 150% |
| 257.18 MB | 150% |
| 259.48 MB | 146% |
| 259.43 MB | 151% |
| 257.86 MB | 149% |
| 259.36 MB | 147% |
| 257.00 MB | 145% |
| 258.05 MB | 150% |
ESBuild Performance
| RAM | CPU |
|---|---|
| 91.71 MB | 115% |
| 91.55 MB | 114% |
| 91.10 MB | 117% |
| 91.14 MB | 118% |
| 91.86 MB | 118% |
| 92.61 MB | 120% |
| 91.88 MB | 118% |
| 91.41 MB | 117% |
| 92.12 MB | 119% |
| 92.14 MB | 114% |
| 92.16 MB | 118% |
Average Benchmark Results: 2025
Now, based from the previous results let's calculate the average for the bundlers
| Bundler | RAM | CPU |
|---|---|---|
| Webpack | 294.35 Mb | 187% |
| Rollup | 392.81 Mb | 212% |
| ESBuild | 91.79 Mb | 117% |
| Farm | 235.96 Mb | 149% |
Key Takeaways
- ESBuild is the fastest bundler with the lowest RAM usage and CPU consumption.
- Farm is the second most efficient option for modern projects.
- Webpack and Rollup remain popular but are heavier on resources.
If performance and build speed matter in 2025, ESBuild or Farm should be your top choices.
You can find the project on Github
Photo by Simon Kadula on Unsplash