vite build Command: Build Frontends in CI

vite build creates an optimized production bundle using Rollup under the hood.

vite is a modern frontend build tool: a fast dev server plus a Rollup-based production build. In CI you almost always run vite build, which type-agnostically bundles, minifies, and hashes assets into a dist directory.

Common flags

vite build - produce a production build into dist/
--mode production|staging - select the .env mode and define vars
-c / --config FILE - use a specific vite config
--outDir DIR - output directory (default dist)
--base /path/ - public base path for deployed assets
--sourcemap - emit source maps for the build
--emptyOutDir - clear the out dir before building

Example in CI

Run a production build with a staging mode and source maps in CI:

shell

vite build --mode staging --sourcemap --outDir dist

Common errors in CI

[vite]: Rollup failed to resolve import "X" - missing dep or wrong path/alias
Could not load /path (imported by Y) - file missing or case-sensitive path mismatch
Build failed: Transform failed - a syntax error in source
JavaScript heap out of memory - large build; raise Node memory limit

Key takeaways

vite build is the CI command; the dev server is for local use only.
--mode picks the env file and import.meta.env define values.
"Rollup failed to resolve import" is the most common CI build failure.