Why use VectorKit?
SVG optimization, inspection, and conversion run entirely in your browser — no file upload, no server, no account.
Your SVG file never leaves the browser
Design tools like Figma and Illustrator export SVGs with significant overhead: editor metadata, unused layer IDs, embedded font references, and inline styles that serve no purpose in a browser. VectorKit strips these using SVGO entirely client-side — the file is never uploaded to a server, because there is no server.
SVGs are executable markup, not passive images
Unlike JPEG or PNG, SVG is XML that browsers parse and run. A malicious SVG can contain embedded scripts, external resource references, or event handlers that execute when the image loads. VectorKit's Inspect mode flags these signals before you embed a file you didn't author yourself — something most optimization tools skip entirely.
Inspect before you optimize
Blind optimization can silently remove things that matter — ARIA labels, clip paths, animation anchors. The Inspect mode shows you layers, embedded colors, structural signals, and accessibility markers before any transformation runs, so you can make an informed decision rather than discovering a broken SVG after the fact.
React-ready JSX output in one click
Converting SVG to JSX involves more than renaming class to className. VectorKit rewrites all attributes to camelCase, removes SVG-specific attributes that break in JSX contexts, and wraps the result in a functional component shell. The output pastes directly into a React file without a cleanup pass.
Why SVG files need optimization
An SVG exported from Figma, Illustrator, or Inkscape carries metadata the renderer never uses: editor-specific XML namespaces, comments, empty groups, absolute coordinates where relative ones are shorter, decimal precision beyond what the eye detects, and inline styles that duplicate presentation attributes. The visual result is identical; the file can be 40–70% larger than necessary. Smaller SVGs load faster, cost less to transfer over a CDN, parse more quickly in the browser, and embed more cleanly in HTML or CSS. VectorKit runs multipass SVGO optimization locally — no upload, no server — and reports exact byte savings before and after.
What SVGO optimizes and what it preserves
SVGO applies over 30 optimization passes: stripping editor namespaces (sodipodi:, inkscape:, xmp:), collapsing empty groups and redundant wrappers, converting shapes to shorter path equivalents, rounding coordinates to your specified decimal precision, removing default attribute values, and merging adjacent path commands. What it leaves alone by default: IDs referenced from CSS or JavaScript, accessibility attributes (title, desc, aria-*), and <script> elements. VectorKit exposes coordinate precision and a toggle between safe and aggressive modes so you can tune the tradeoff for your specific file.
Inspecting an SVG: what is actually inside
SVG files are XML and can contain more than visible paths. The Inspect mode extracts every color value in the file — fills, strokes, gradient stops — so you can audit the complete palette without reading raw markup. It surfaces the viewBox dimensions, any embedded fonts, <script> blocks (a security flag for untrusted SVGs from third parties), and external href references. The live preview renders the file exactly as the browser would, letting you verify the visual result alongside the metadata. Useful for auditing third-party icon sets, diagnosing cross-environment rendering differences, and understanding what a complex SVG is doing before deploying it.
Converting SVGs to PNG, CSS, and React JSX
The Convert mode transforms any SVG into four output formats. PNG rasterizes the vector at 1×, 2×, or 4× scale on an off-screen canvas — useful for generating image assets from SVG source, creating Open Graph thumbnails, or satisfying a service that does not accept vector files. Data URI produces the complete data:image/svg+xml;base64,... string for embedding in CSS or HTML without a separate file request. CSS background wraps it in a background-image: url(...) declaration, ready to paste into a stylesheet. React JSX converts SVG attributes to camelCase props and produces a functional component — the same transformation SVGR performs, without an npm install.
Why SVGs exported from design tools are bigger than they need to be
When you export an SVG from Figma, Illustrator, or Inkscape, the file includes information useful to the editor but invisible to the browser: comments, internal layer names, coordinates rounded to six decimal places when two would look identical, and groupings that have no visual effect. All of this adds up. A typical icon from Figma might be 15 KB; after removing everything the browser doesn’t need, the same icon might be 4 KB. VectorKit runs this optimization locally — your file never leaves your browser.
What actually gets cleaned up — and what’s left alone
VectorKit removes: comments, editor metadata, empty groups, unnecessary decimal precision, and attribute values that browsers assume by default. It leaves alone: IDs that CSS or JavaScript references, accessibility labels, and script elements (though those get flagged as a potential concern). You control how aggressively it optimizes — a safe mode preserves anything that might be referenced externally, while aggressive mode extracts the maximum savings. VectorKit reports the exact byte savings before and after.
What’s actually inside an SVG
An SVG is a text file, which means it can contain more than visible shapes. VectorKit’s inspect mode summarizes what’s inside: every color used, the dimensions, any embedded fonts, and any script blocks. Script blocks are a red flag in SVGs from untrusted sources — they can execute code when the file is opened in a browser. It also shows a live preview so you can see exactly how the browser renders it alongside the extracted information.
Turning an SVG into whatever format the next step needs
Sometimes you need an SVG in a different form. A service that doesn’t accept vector files needs a PNG. An HTML email needs an inline embedded version. A CSS file needs a background-image string. A React component needs the SVG in JSX format with camelCase attribute names. VectorKit handles all four: it converts to PNG at any scale, generates a data URI for inline embedding, wraps it as a CSS background declaration, or converts it to a ready-to-use React component.