Bootstrap 6 with Parcel

Set up a Bootstrap 6 project bundled with Parcel. Parcel is zero-config and auto-installs language transformers (like Sass) as it detects them. Requires Node.js and terminal familiarity.

Workflow

• Step 1: Set up npm and install dependencies
• Step 2: Create the project structure
• Step 3: Configure Parcel (HTML + npm script)
• Step 4: Import Bootstrap's CSS and JS
• Step 5: Verify

Step 1: Set up npm and install dependencies

1. Create the project and initialize npm:

   mkdir my-project && cd my-project
   npm init -y
   

2. Install Parcel:

   npm i --save-dev parcel
   

3. Install Bootstrap and its optional peer dependencies (omit @floating-ui/dom if not using menus/popovers/tooltips; omit vanilla-calendar-pro if not using the datepicker):

   npm i --save bootstrap@6.0.0-alpha.1 @floating-ui/dom vanilla-calendar-pro
   

Parcel will auto-install the Sass plugin when it detects .scss. To install it manually: npm i --save-dev @parcel/transformer-sass.

Step 2: Create the project structure

mkdir {src,src/js,src/scss}
touch src/index.html src/js/main.js src/scss/styles.scss

Target layout (Parcel needs no config file):

my-project/
├── src/
│   ├── js/
│   │   └── main.js
│   ├── scss/
│   │   └── styles.scss
│   └── index.html
├── package-lock.json
└── package.json

Step 3: Configure Parcel

1. src/index.html — link the Sass and JS entry points directly (Parcel resolves and bundles them):

   <!doctype html>
   <html lang="en">
     <head>
       <meta charset="utf-8">
       <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
       <title>Bootstrap w/ Parcel</title>
       <link rel="stylesheet" href="scss/styles.scss">
       <script type="module" src="js/main.js"></script>
     </head>
     <body>
       <div class="container py-4 px-3 mx-auto">
         <h1>Hello, Bootstrap and Parcel!</h1>
         <button class="btn-solid theme-primary">Primary button</button>
       </div>
     </body>
   </html>
   

2. package.json — add the start script:

   {
     "scripts": {
       "start": "parcel serve src/index.html --public-url / --dist-dir dist",
       "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
     }
   }
   

3. Start Parcel:

   npm start
   

Step 4: Import Bootstrap's CSS and JS

1. src/scss/styles.scss — import the source Sass with @use (never @import):

   // Import all of Bootstrap's CSS
   @use "bootstrap/scss/bootstrap";
   

   To customize, override Bootstrap's CSS token maps ($root-tokens, $*-tokens) — see Customize › Sass. Token names are written unprefixed in Sass; Bootstrap's dist/CDN CSS adds the --bs- prefix via PostCSS, so compiling the source yourself keeps them unprefixed.

2. src/js/main.js — import Bootstrap's JS. Floating UI and Vanilla Calendar Pro are imported automatically through Bootstrap:

   // Import all of Bootstrap's JS
   import * as bootstrap from 'bootstrap'
   

   Import only the plugins you need to keep bundle sizes down:

   import { Tooltip, Toast, Popover } from 'bootstrap'
   

Step 5: Verify

1. Run npm start and open the served URL — the .container and .btn-solid.theme-primary button should be styled.
2. Confirm Parcel installed the Sass transformer (no .scss build errors) and the console is free of module errors.
3. Trigger a JS component (tooltip/dialog) to confirm the JS bundle works.
4. Bootstrap 6 requires a browser that supports oklch() and color-mix().

For an optimized build that imports only the parts of Bootstrap you use, see the twbs/examples Parcel project.