Vite is a next-generation frontend build tool created by Evan You in 2020 that leverages native ES modules and esbuild to deliver near-instant server start and lightning-fast hot module replacement during development. Unlike traditional bundlers that process all code upfront, Vite serves source code directly over native ESM in development, letting the browser handle module resolution on-demand, while using Rollup for optimized production builds. This dual approach—unbundled development with on-the-fly transformation, bundled production output—eliminates the slow cold starts of webpack-era tooling and has made Vite the de facto choice for modern Vue, React, Svelte, and other framework projects in 2026.