Comparing Create React App and Set React App: Speed, Flexibility, and Performance

When embarking on a React project, selecting the right setup tool is crucial for an efficient development experience. Both Create React App (CRA) and Set React App are tools designed to streamline the setup of React applications, but they differ in several key aspects:

1. Bundler and Build Tools:

• Create React App (CRA): Utilizes Webpack as its bundler, which, while robust, can result in slower build times, especially in larger projects.

• Set React App: Leverages Vite, a modern bundler known for its speed and efficiency, offering faster bundling and instant dev server start-up.

2. Configuration and Flexibility:

• CRA: Provides a zero-configuration setup, which is convenient for beginners but can be restrictive. Customizing beyond the default settings often requires "ejecting," exposing the underlying configurations and increasing complexity.

• Set React App: Offers a more streamlined and opinionated setup with sensible defaults, allowing for easier customization without the need to eject.

3. Testing Frameworks:

• CRA: Comes pre-configured with Jest for testing, providing a comprehensive testing environment out of the box.

• Set React App: Includes React Testing Library and Jest DOM, focusing on testing React components in a user-centric way.

4. Performance Metrics:

• CRA: Does not include performance monitoring tools by default.

• Set React App: Integrates Web Vitals for measuring performance metrics, aiding in the optimization of React applications.

5. Development Experience:

• CRA: While it simplifies the initial setup, the development experience can be slower due to longer build and refresh times, particularly in larger applications.

• Set React App: Provides a faster and more efficient development experience with features like hot module replacement, enhancing productivity.

6. Community and Ecosystem:

• CRA: Being the officially supported tool by the React team, it has a large user base and extensive community support.

• Set React App: As a newer tool inspired by CRA and leveraging Vite, it may have a smaller community but benefits from the growing popularity of Vite in the React ecosystem.

In summary, while both tools aim to simplify the creation of React applications, Set React App offers a more modern approach with faster build times and greater flexibility, making it a compelling alternative to Create React App, especially for developers seeking improved performance and a streamlined development experience.

For beginners, Set React App (SRA) is a great choice. Its fast setup, simple configuration, and beginner-friendly tools make it easy to get started with React development while focusing on learning the essentials.