date-fns vs dayjs?

[mozeryansky]

Is there a reason shadcn uses date-fns instead of Day.js?

The date-fns module is 45mb vs 2mb for dayjs, and the gzipped include for date-fns is 6k vs dayjs is 3k.

I've already switched my local code, as it's a fairly simple 1-1 change.

[mozeryansky]

I see react-day-picker requires it, so they'll need to remove it. There's a previous discussion there: gpbl/react-day-picker#1087 (comment)

[CatWithAWand]

Not sure where you got your numbers from but for me date-fns is 21.1 MB locally. According to npm the unpacked size for each is, 22.2 MB for date-fns and 670 kB for dayjs. date-fns exports one function per file, this structure makes it tree-shakable, and bundlers will only include the code you import resulting in a much smaller final bundle size for the client. The 22.2 MB size is only relevant when installing the package on the server and you want to minimize the size the packages occupy.

[mozeryansky]

Is there a reason shadcn uses date-fns instead of Day.js?

[CatWithAWand]

Unfortunately, I can't speak to shadcn's specific reasons for choosing date-fns, as they introduced the library in this project. It could be developer preference or familiarity with said library. date-fns is primarily used for date formatting in the context of shacdn. Both libraries are more than capable for that and both will result in a very small bundle size which is usually the main concern.

It may be worth noting that shadcn is designed as a reference for building your own components rather than a traditional component library, so switching out libraries like this is entirely within its intended use.

[mozeryansky]

@CatWithAWand Thank you for replying to the discussion, but I'm well aware of how shadcn works as that's the first line of the readme. I was seeking a reason, so I can't see how you telling me you don't know a reason will help here.

[CatWithAWand]

@mozeryansky It's clear you have strong opinions on this matter. While I couldn't provide the specific answers you were seeking, perhaps this presents an opportunity for you to dive deeper and share your findings with the community? My intention was to provide context and information to the best of my ability.

I'd like to respectfully point out that reactionary behaviors, such as deliberately downvoting attempts at helpful discussion, can discourage community engagement!

[mozeryansky]

Dude seriously: #4817 (comment)

I would like to publicly acknowledge my discouragement of this chain of comments.