Any way to speed up dev server build time on NixOS?
Trying to debug an issue with either Nuxt or how Nixpkgs provides the Node binary, and because of that, dev servers take up to five minutes to load. Is there any way to debug these issues beyond playing around with Node's inspector?
This issue also seems to be plaguing
bun.
https://github.com/nuxt/nuxt/issues/28023GitHub
nuxt dev startup on any project has degraded to >2 minutes on Nix...Environment Operating System: Linux Node Version: v20.12.2 Nuxt Version: 3.9.3 CLI Version: 3.12.0 Nitro Version: - Package Manager: pnpm@9.3.0 Builder: - User Config: devtools Runtime Modules: - B...
2 Replies
Hi @Wale. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
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There are a few strategies and debugging tips for improving and investigating slow Nuxt dev server build times, though none are specific to NixOS in the provided sources. Here’s what the knowledge sources suggest:
1. HMR Performance on Windows (and potentially relevant for NixOS):
- On Windows, using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) with Ubuntu dramatically improves HMR (Hot Module Replacement) performance, reducing reload times from 20–30 seconds (or more) to under a second. While this is Windows-specific, it highlights that the environment and how Node is provided can have a significant impact on performance. For NixOS, you might want to experiment with different Node.js binaries or environments to see if performance improves, as the way Node is packaged can matter a lot docs: HMR performance note for Windows users.
2. Vite Warmup and Nitro Build:
- There have been improvements to Nuxt’s dev server startup by optimizing Vite’s warmup process so it doesn’t block the Nitro build. This reduces startup delays. However, there are still open questions about Vite warmup effectiveness on some platforms, including Windows, and possibly others. This suggests that platform-specific issues (like with Nixpkgs’ Node) could impact performance perf(vite): start warmups after nitro build.
3. Debugging Beyond Node Inspector:
- Nuxt supports sourcemaps and debugging with Node Inspector (
nuxt dev --inspect). You can also set up debugging in your IDE (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.) to step through the server and client code. This can help you identify where the bottleneck is occurring—whether it’s in Nuxt, Vite, Nitro, or your environment Debugging Nuxt.
4. Benchmarks and Build Caching:
- There are ongoing efforts to benchmark and improve dev server build times. Using build cache modules (like nuxt-build-cache) can help speed up rebuilds, though this is more relevant for production builds than initial dev server startup YouTube: Faster Nuxt Builds.
5. Platform/Environment Issues:
- There are reports of issues with Bun and certain Node versions or environments causing malformed HTTP responses or slow startup. Sometimes downgrading Bun or switching Node versions helps Malformed_HTTP_Response issue.
Summary of actionable steps:
- Try different Node.js versions or builds (e.g., from Nixpkgs, NodeSource, or nvm) to see if performance changes.
- Use nuxt dev --inspect and IDE debugging to profile where the delay occurs.
- Check if Vite warmup is effective on your platform.
- If you’re on Windows, try WSL; for NixOS, consider running in a container with a different base image as a test.
- Monitor open issues and discussions in the Nuxt repo for platform-specific performance problems.
Unfortunately, the knowledge sources do not provide a NixOS-specific solution, but they do suggest that the environment and Node.js binary can have a significant impact on Nuxt dev server performance. If you continue to experience issues, consider opening a detailed issue on the Nuxt repo with your findings.
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