Bun is a JavaScript runtime that is designed to be a drop-in replacement for Node.js. It is written in Zig and powered by JavaScript Core, which is the JavaScript engine used by Apple's Safari web browser.
Bun claims to be faster than Node.js, and it also has a smaller memory footprint. It also has a built-in bundler, test runner, and package manager, which makes it a more complete development toolkit than Node.js.
Here are some of the key features of Bun:
Fast: Bun is designed to be fast and efficient. It uses a variety of techniques to improve performance, such as:
Using a lightweight runtime
Compiling JavaScript to native code
Using a minimal set of APIs
Lightweight: Bun has a small memory footprint. This makes it ideal for running on devices with limited resources, such as IoT devices and mobile phones.
Complete toolkit: Bun includes a built-in bundler, test runner, and package manager. This makes it a complete development toolkit for JavaScript applications.
Extensible: Bun is extensible. You can write your own plugins and extensions to add new features or improve performance.
Here are some of the use cases of Bun:
- Building web applications
- Building serverless applications
- Running microservices
- Developing IoT applications
- Developing mobile applications
Installing Bun:
- It is supported for macOS, Linux, and WSL.
- Bun provides a limited, experimental native build for Windows. At the moment, only the Bun runtime is supported.