Since its launch, Bun 1.0 has become the talk of town in the web development community. It is gaining popularity as an all-in-one tool for JavaScript and TypeScript development. If you haven’t used it yet and want to explore Bun 1.0 features, this post is for you.
Before we jump into the Bun 1.0 features, let’s learn about it briefly.
Overview of Bun and its Significance
Bun is a renowned open-source bundler for JavaScript and TypeScript. Jarred Sumner is the key person behind the foundation of this JavaScript runtime. Unlike Node.js and Deno, the bundler uses JavaScriptCore as the JavaScript engine.
Bun 1.0 was launched on September 8, 2023. It is a versatile tool to build, test, debug, and run JavaScript and TypeScript applications. Bun 1.0 is quite fast in comparison to Node.js and Deno.
Let us uncover all the Bun 1.0 features one by one.
Features of Bun 1.0
Universal Tool
Bun 1.0 meets the requirements of both JavaScript and TypeScript developers. Whether you are working on a single-file project or developing a full-stack application, Bun provides an efficient development environment.
Below are some features that make Bun 1.0 worth using:
- Bun supports quick command execution, thanks to npx. NPX is part of Bun.
- It eliminates the requirement of nodemon as it features a built-in watch mode.
- It is an ideal replacement for Node.js.
- Bun is capable of reading .env files. It means you don’t need any 3rd party configuration.
- You get support for various file formats such as .js, .ts, .cjs, .mjs., tsx, etc.
- Bun provides you with an integrated bundling solution. It replaces web pack, parcel, rollup, rebuild, etc.
- Bun 1.0 also features testing libraries that remove the requirement for jest and similar tools.
- Bun is an npm-compatible package manager. Therefore, it naturally reduces the need for yarn and npm.
High Speed and Performance
Speed and performance are other aspects of Bun impressing JavaScript developers. It lets you run your code at an excellent speed.
Bun 1.0 is several times faster. You won’t need to use tools like yarn, npm, and pnpm.
Bun takes about 0.36 seconds to compile a code. In the case of pnpm, compilation may take up to 6.44 seconds. With npm, code compilation takes 10.58 seconds, while Yarn takes 12.08 seconds for the same task.
Compared to Node.js, Bun is about four times faster.
Bun 1.0 provides top-notch performance, thanks to its advanced optimization technology and efficient code bundling. In addition, it minimizes the load times for web applications. As a result, it provides a better user experience.
Built-in Support for JavaScript and TypeScript
Bun 1.0 provides complete support for JavaScript and TypeScript. Developers can work with both languages without using any third-party transpilers.
Bun makes it easy to set up your development process. You do not need to struggle with various tools. Bun handles everything so that you can focus on coding entirely.
Hot Reloading
Bun 1.0 allows you to see instant updates in applications as you make changes. All credit goes to hot reloading.
Bun features built-in hot reloading that enhances the development process by providing real-time updates to code and configurations. As a result, you can quickly spot all issues and fix them.
With Bun, you do not need Nodemon. It automatically refreshes the server when developers run TypeScript or JavaScript code.
If you have been using npm rum, you can replace it with bun run. It will reduce command execution time by at least 150 milliseconds on every run.
Installation Speed
It can be frustrating and time-consuming to install development tools. Fortunately, Bun 1.0 supports lightning-fast installation that reduces the setup hassle.
Bun uses a global module cache system to avoid redundant downloads from the npm registry. Consequently, it uses quick system calls, available in different operating systems.
Compatibility
Adaptability is one of the primary Bun 1.0 features that users appreciate. This open-source bundler can effortlessly integrate with well-known server frameworks such as Hono, Koa, and Express.
Web developers also get support for applications built using full-stack frameworks, including Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, Vite, Remix, etc.
In addition to this, Bun 1.0 is also compatible with ESM and CommonJS. It means you can use both of them together in the same file. This feature was missing in Node.js.
Conclusion
Bun 1.0 is an ideal choice for developers working on JavaScript and TypeScript. It has numerous built-in features, making it a game-changer in the ever-evolving web development era.
The bundle ends your dependency on complex and slow fragmented tool chains. It won’t be wrong to mention that Bun has brought revolutionary changes in the development of JavaScript projects. So these are a few worth mentioning Bun 1.0 features.
