Vite integration for NativeScript apps.
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- NativeScript 9 or higher
npm i @nativescript/vite -DTo bootstrap an existing NativeScript app for Vite, run from your app root:
npx nativescript-vite initThis will:
- Generate a
vite.config.mtsusing the detected project flavor (Angular, Vue, React, Solid, TypeScript, or JavaScript — or a flavor a dependency declares, see below) and the corresponding helper subpath from@nativescript/vite. - Add the dependency
@valor/nativescript-websockets. - Append
.ns-vite-buildto.gitignoreif it is not already present.
After running init, you have two ways to work with Vite:
- HMR workflow (default — the CLI starts the dev server for you)
ns debug ios
ns debug android- Standard dev workflow (non-HMR)
ns debug ios --no-hmr
ns debug android --no-hmrFor Android HMR the CLI automatically runs adb reverse tcp:<port> tcp:<port>
for the session's dev-server port (using the SDK-resolved adb, scoped to the
deploy target, after the device is ready) so the device reaches the dev server
through the ADB tunnel at 127.0.0.1:<port>. Relevant opt-outs:
NS_HMR_NO_ADB_REVERSE=1— skip the tunnel and use10.0.2.2.NS_HMR_PREFER_LAN_HOST=1— physical device over Wi-Fi; emit the host's LAN IP.NS_HMR_HOST=<host[:port]>— point the device at an explicit origin (CI / tunnels).
The CLI picks the dev-server settings for each session on its own:
- Port — the first free port at or above
NS_HMR_PORT(default5173), the same wayvitemoves off a busy port. Whatever it picks is baked into the device URLs, bound by the dev server and (on Android) tunnelled withadb reverse, so all three always agree. - Staging directory —
.ns-vite-build/<platform>, so iOS and Android builds never overwrite each other's output.
Both can still be pinned explicitly:
| Environment variable | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
NS_HMR_PORT |
Preferred Vite dev-server port; the CLI moves to the next free port when it is taken | 5173 |
NS_HMR_STRICT_PORT |
Fail instead of moving when NS_HMR_PORT is taken (Vite's strictPort) — for tunnels / CI that forward a fixed port |
unset |
NS_VITE_DIST_DIR |
Project-relative staging directory used for Vite output before the NativeScript CLI copies it into the platform app | .ns-vite-build/<platform> |
The environment settings only need to be visible to the ns process — the CLI
propagates them (and the values it picks) to the dev server it spawns.
Start both; nothing to configure:
# Terminal 1
ns debug ios # dev server on 5173
# Terminal 2
ns debug android # 5173 is busy → dev server on 5174Each session gets its own port and staging directory. Older CLIs that don't pick ports need them set by hand per terminal:
# Terminal 1: iOS
NS_HMR_PORT=5173 NS_VITE_DIST_DIR=.ns-vite-build/ios ns debug ios
# Terminal 2: Android
NS_HMR_PORT=5174 NS_VITE_DIST_DIR=.ns-vite-build/android ns debug androidThe inline environment syntax above is for POSIX shells; use the equivalent assignment on Windows.
The dev server is just vite serve -- --env.<platform> --env.hmr. You can run
it standalone for diagnostics, but do not run it alongside ns run/ns debug
for the same platform — both would try to bind the same port. CLI-managed is the
supported default.
- Create
vite.config.mts(the.mtsextension keeps the config ESM without setting"type": "module"in the app's package.json, avoiding Vite'sconfigLoader: 'native'warning):
import { defineConfig, mergeConfig, UserConfig } from 'vite';
import { typescriptConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/typescript';
export default defineConfig(({ mode }): UserConfig => {
return mergeConfig(typescriptConfig({ mode }), {});
});Framework-specific configs should be imported from their matching subpaths to avoid loading unrelated framework tooling:
import { angularConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/angular';
import { reactConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/react';
import { solidConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/solid';
import { vueConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/vue';Plain JavaScript apps use the JavaScript helper and do not need typescript installed:
import { javascriptConfig } from '@nativescript/vite/javascript';The TypeScript compiler is loaded only when a source needs the @NativeClass ES5 downlevel or when build-time type checking runs. If a plugin ships @NativeClass-decorated code and typescript is missing, the build logs a warning asking you to add typescript as a devDependency. Path aliases for JavaScript apps are read from jsconfig.json when there is no tsconfig.json.
A framework can ship its own flavor — config helper, server strategy and device-side
client strategy — as a package, using @nativescript/vite/framework and
@nativescript/vite/hmr/client/framework.js. init and flavor detection pick it up from a
nativescript.vite declaration in that package's package.json. The Octane flavor,
@nativescript-community/vite-octane, is built this way:
import { octaneConfig } from '@nativescript-community/vite-octane';
export default defineConfig(({ mode }) => octaneConfig({ mode }));See docs/framework-flavors.md for the full walkthrough.
- Update
nativescript.config.ts:
import { NativeScriptConfig } from '@nativescript/core';
export default {
// add these:
bundler: 'vite',
bundlerConfigPath: 'vite.config.mts',
} as NativeScriptConfig;- Enjoy Vite.
Check out the NativeScript Vite documentation for more configuration options and features.