Bun
A JavaScript runtime, bundler, test runner and package manager in one executable, built as a faster drop-in for Node.js.
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2 more ways to get Bun
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install bun - Homebrew
brew install bun
About Bun
Bun replaces several tools with one binary. The runtime is designed as a drop-in for Node.js and is built on JavaScriptCore rather than V8, which cuts startup time and memory use noticeably. The same `bun` command is also a bundler, a test runner and an npm-compatible package manager.
The practical effect is that a project can drop most of its tooling dependencies and keep just Bun, and its install step is dramatically faster than npm's. TypeScript runs directly with no build step. Compatibility with Node is good but not total, so some packages that reach deep into Node internals still need checking.
Linux users should be on kernel 5.6 or later; 5.1 is the minimum.
Strengths
- Runtime, bundler, test runner and package manager in one executable
- Much faster startup and installs than the Node and npm equivalents
- Runs TypeScript directly with no build step
- Designed as a drop-in for Node.js, so existing projects often work unchanged
Limitations
- Node compatibility is good but not complete; packages using deep internals can break
- Younger than Node, so fewer production deployments to learn from
- Linux kernel 5.6 or later is strongly recommended, with 5.1 the minimum
- Older x64 CPUs can hit illegal instruction errors without a baseline build
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free and open source. The runtime core is MIT licensed with some bundled components under other licences including GPL-2.0.
- License
- MIT
- Developer
- Oven
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Replacing Node, npm, a bundler and a test runner with a single faster tool
- Categories
- Developer tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Dev Tools); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 3 sources on file.