Riya's Medley #11 - Buzz of Bun

Bun is an all-in-one tool for JavaScript that's really fast. It includes a bundler, test-runner and package manager.

Bun is a JavaScript runtime. What’s a runtime? Runtime is a tool that understands and executes code. In this case JavaScript code. Bun claims to cater to the needs of modern JavaScript ecosystem. It's positioned to offer a strong alternative to the widely-used Node.js runtime.

Bun 1.0

What problem is Bun solving?

• Performance

  Bun uses JavaScriptCore (JSC) engine to convert JavaScript code into machine level code. JSC aims to make JavaScript programs launch faster and use less of your computer's memory, even if it means they might not run as fast once they've started. As a result, the startup time of Bun is much faster than it’s competitors like Node.js which uses a different engine called V8.

• Better Developer Experience

  Bun is like a swiss army knife, comes with a wide range of built-in features and functionalities. It includes-

  • Built in support for transpiling .js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx into vanilla JavaScript.

  • Bundling support and do not need third party tools like Webpack.

  • In built test runner and do not rely on testing packages like Jest.

  • Hot Reloading.

  • Support for import() and require() in same file, thus removing the restrictive rules of CommonJS and ESM.

  • Support for integrations in existing Node.js projects.

Should you switch to Bun?

Before switching to Bun keep some things in mind-

• The ecosystem is in its early stages, and while it's growing, resources and support for it may be somewhat limited if you encounter any issues.

• The enthusiasm surrounding JavaScript tools is a familiar cycle, often followed by their eventual evolution or decline.

Consider building side projects utilizing Bun as your runtime, dig deeper into it’s pros and cons and share the knowledge you gain with the community.

Bun - A fast all-in-one JavaScript runtime

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Open-Source Projects Around the Web

• wtfjs - A list of funny and tricky JavaScript examples.

• Nue.js - It’s like Vue.js, React.js, or Svelte but there are no hooks, effects, props, portals, watchers, injects, suspensions, or other unusual abstractions on your way.

• Danger.js - Danger runs during your CI process, and gives teams the chance to automate common code review chores.

• Awesome Reinforcement Learning - Lots of free learning materials.