UglifyJS vs Closure Compiler

Struggling to choose between UglifyJS and Closure Compiler? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

UglifyJS is a Development solution with tags like minifier, compressor, optimizer.

It boasts features such as Minifies JavaScript code by removing whitespace and comments, Shortens variable and function names, Applies optimizations to reduce code size without changing functionality, Command line interface and Node.js API available, Supports ES2015+ syntax, Integrates with build tools like Grunt, Gulp and webpack and pros including Greatly reduces JavaScript file size, Speeds up page load times, Simplifies deployment and management of JavaScript code, Well-maintained and updated regularly, Used by many popular frameworks and libraries.

On the other hand, Closure Compiler is a Development product tagged with compiler, minifier, optimizer.

Its standout features include Minifies JavaScript code by removing whitespace, comments and unused code, Performs optimizations like inlining variables, dead code elimination and function optimizations, Provides advanced compilation modes for more aggressive optimizations and code transformations, Can rewrite code to use more modern JavaScript syntax and features, Integrates with build tools like Grunt, Gulp and webpack, Can be run through a web interface, Node.js API or Java API, and it shines with pros like Greatly reduces JavaScript file size, Improves page load time and runtime performance, Lowers bandwidth usage and costs, Makes code harder to read and understand, Advanced optimizations require learning new syntax, Risk of breaking code if not thoroughly tested.

Feature	UglifyJS	Closure Compiler
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

UglifyJS

Description: UglifyJS is a JavaScript minifier that compresses code by removing whitespace, shortening variable names, and applying other optimizations without changing functionality. It helps reduce bandwidth usage and script loading times.

Closure Compiler

Description: Closure Compiler is a JavaScript optimizing compiler developed by Google. It analyzes and transforms JavaScript code to make it load faster, run faster, and make it smaller. It removes unused and dead code, checks syntax, rewrites and optimizes code.

Key Features Comparison

UglifyJS Features

• Minifies JavaScript code by removing whitespace and comments
• Shortens variable and function names
• Applies optimizations to reduce code size without changing functionality
• Command line interface and Node.js API available
• Supports ES2015+ syntax
• Integrates with build tools like Grunt, Gulp and webpack

Closure Compiler Features

• Minifies JavaScript code by removing whitespace, comments and unused code
• Performs optimizations like inlining variables, dead code elimination and function optimizations
• Provides advanced compilation modes for more aggressive optimizations and code transformations
• Can rewrite code to use more modern JavaScript syntax and features
• Integrates with build tools like Grunt, Gulp and webpack
• Can be run through a web interface, Node.js API or Java API

Pros & Cons Analysis

UglifyJS

Pros

• Greatly reduces JavaScript file size
• Speeds up page load times
• Simplifies deployment and management of JavaScript code
• Well-maintained and updated regularly
• Used by many popular frameworks and libraries

Cons

• Minified code is harder to read and debug
• Could break code relying on variable names if renaming not done properly
• Requires build step instead of working on raw source files
• Limited configuration options compared to some other minifiers

Closure Compiler

Pros

• Greatly reduces JavaScript file size
• Improves page load time and runtime performance
• Lowers bandwidth usage and costs
• Makes code harder to read and understand
• Advanced optimizations require learning new syntax
• Risk of breaking code if not thoroughly tested

Cons

• Free and open source
• Actively maintained by Google

Pricing Comparison

UglifyJS

• Open Source

Closure Compiler

• Free
• Open Source