Front-end Tools: Handling CSS & JavaScript
Warning: You are browsing the documentation for Symfony 6.3, which is no longer maintained.
Read the updated version of this page for Symfony 7.1 (the current stable version).
Symfony gives you the flexibility to choose any front-end tools you want. This could
be dead-simple - like putting CSS & JS directly in the public/ directory - or
more advanced - like scaffolding your front-end with a tool like Next.js.
However, Symfony does come with two powerful options to help you build a modern, fast frontend, and enjoy the process:
- Webpack Encore is a powerful tool built with Node.js on top of Webpack that allows you to write modern CSS & JavaScript and handle things like JSX (React), Vue or TypeScript.
- AssetMapper, is a production-ready simpler alternative to Webpack Encore that runs entirely in PHP. It's currently experimental.
| Webpack Encore | AssetMapper | |
|---|---|---|
| Production Ready? | yes | yes |
| Stable? | yes | experimental |
| Requirements | Node.js | none (pure PHP) |
| Requires a build step? | yes | no |
| Works in all browsers? | yes | yes |
| Supports Stimulus/UX | yes | yes |
| Supports Sass/Tailwind | yes | yes |
| Supports React, Vue, Svelte? | yes | yes [1] |
| Supports TypeScript | yes | no [1] |
| Versioned assets | optional | always |
[1] Using JSX (React), Vue or TypeScript with AssetMapper is possible, but you'll need to use their native tools for pre-compilation. Also, some features (like Vue single-file components) cannot be compiled down to pure JavaScript that can be executed by a browser.
Webpack Encore
Screencast
Do you prefer video tutorials? Check out the Webpack Encore screencast series.
Webpack Encore is a simpler way to integrate Webpack into your application. It wraps Webpack, giving you a clean & powerful API for bundling JavaScript modules, pre-processing CSS & JS and compiling and minifying assets. Encore gives you a professional asset system that's a delight to use.
Encore is inspired by Webpacker and Mix, but stays in the spirit of Webpack: using its features, concepts and naming conventions for a familiar feel. It aims to solve the most common Webpack use cases.
Tip
Encore is made by Symfony and works beautifully in Symfony applications. But it can be used in any PHP application and even with other server-side programming languages!
AssetMapper
AssetMapper is an alternative to Webpack Encore that runs entirely in PHP
without any complex build steps. It leverages the importmap feature of
your browser, which is available in all browsers thanks to a polyfill.
AssetMapper is currently experimental.
Stimulus & Symfony UX Components
To learn about Stimulus & the UX Components, see: the StimulusBundle Documentation