setting `global` in `vite.define` breaks build

Environment

---

• Operating System: Darwin
• Node Version: v16.14.2
• Nuxt Version: 3.0.0-rc.2
• Package Manager: yarn@3.1.1
• Builder: vite
• User Config: ssr, runtimeConfig, typescript, css, buildModules, alias
• Runtime Modules: -
• Build Modules: @vueuse/nuxt@8.4.2, @intlify/nuxt3@0.1.10

---

Reproduction

Simply set these settings, and execute npx nuxi generate or nuxi build.

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  // ...
  alias: {
    // ...
    './runtimeConfig': './runtimeConfig.browser',
  },
  vite: {
    // ...
    define: {
      "global": {},
    }
  }
});

Describe the bug

More precisely, it seems that the global variable conflicts with nuxt’s middleware or something similar. However, this error does not appear when running nuxi dev.

Additional context

This global parameter is the currently standard flag that is added to solve runtime issues with AWS Amplify. See #2308 for the related discussion.

Logs

------------------------------
67:   nuxtApp._activeRoute = reactive(activeRoute);
68:   nuxtApp._middleware = nuxtApp._middleware || {
69:     global: [],
        ^
70:     named: {}
71:   };


 ERROR  Unexpected token (Note that you need plugins to import files that are not JavaScript)   

 ------------------------------

[rvmourik]

In that case the issue to follow is #1922 linked above by @pi0.

Thanks @danielroe, is this an issue that is a high priority? It’s open for about a half year, I am not complaining whatsoever, just interested if it is something that can be fixed easily or that it is difficult to fix.

Thanks 😃

[rvmourik]

Posted a work-around here: https://github.com/nuxt/framework/discussions/2308#discussioncomment-2766426