Bun

Website: https://bun.sh/

Bun is a modern JavaScript runtime, and it's gaining traction as an alternative to Node.js and Deno for building web applications and APIs. It’s designed for speed, performance, and developer experience. Here are some key reasons why you might choose to use Bun:

1. Performance and Speed

• Blazing Fast: Bun is built from the ground up with performance in mind. It is significantly faster than Node.js and Deno in terms of both startup time and general execution speed, particularly for bundling, transpiling, and running JavaScript.

2. Built-in Features

• Bundling, Transpiling, and Minification: Bun includes bundling, transpiling, and minification out of the box, unlike Node.js, which requires external tools like Webpack, Rollup, or esbuild. Bun automatically handles JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, and CSS bundling.
• Zero Config: You can run a JavaScript or TypeScript project with zero configuration and get instant results. There's no need to set up a bundler, transpiler, or other tools unless you want more customization.

3. Modern JavaScript Features

• ESM and TypeScript Support: Bun supports ES Modules (ESM) out of the box, and it can run TypeScript files without needing additional configuration or transpilation steps.
• Top-Level Await: Bun supports top-level await in both regular JavaScript files and modules, which helps simplify asynchronous code.
• Built-in Fetch API: Bun supports the Fetch API natively, making it easier to interact with APIs from the server side (similar to what you'd use in the browser).

4. Built-in Testing Framework

• Faster Testing: Bun comes with a built-in test runner that is specifically designed for high performance. It’s much faster than many existing JavaScript test runners (e.g., Jest or Mocha) because it doesn’t require a separate runtime and integrates seamlessly into the Bun environment.
• Bun’s Testing API: You can write and run tests directly within Bun, without needing an external testing library like Jest or Mocha. Its API is designed to be simple and fast.

5. Compatibility with Node.js

• API Compatibility: Bun is designed to be largely compatible with the Node.js ecosystem, meaning most Node.js packages can be run in Bun without modification. Bun automatically polyfills or handles some APIs, such as fs, path, http, etc.
• npm Support: Bun can install npm packages via its own package manager (which is optimized for speed), so you can continue using Node.js libraries without major changes to your existing codebase. Bun aims to be compatible with npm and Yarn package registries.