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Node.js vs Bun: catalog facts
Node.js	Bun
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence, governed by the OpenJS Foundation.	Free Free and open source. The runtime core is MIT licensed with some bundled components under…
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
The largest package ecosystem of any language through npm Predictable release schedule with clearly marked long-term support versions	Runtime, bundler, test runner and package manager in one executable Much faster startup and installs than the Node and npm equivalents
Single-threaded by default, so CPU-heavy work needs worker threads or another process The size and churn of the npm ecosystem is itself a supply chain risk	Node compatibility is good but not complete; packages using deep internals can break Younger than Node, so fewer production deployments to learn from
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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