Node.js 22 Has Free Built-in APIs — Here's What Replaces Your npm Packages

Node.js 22 is the current LTS release — and it comes with powerful free built-in APIs that replace dozens of npm packages.

What's New in Node 22?

Node 22 shipped features that eliminate entire categories of dependencies:

• Built-in test runner — no more Jest/Vitest
• Native watch mode — no more nodemon
• --env-file — no more dotenv
• Glob support in node:fs — no more glob package
• WebSocket client — native, no ws package
• node --run — scripts without package.json

The Free APIs You're Not Using

1. Built-in Test Runner (replaces Jest)

import { describe, it } from "node:test";
import assert from "node:assert/strict";

describe("User API", () => {
  it("creates a user", async () => {
    const res = await fetch("http://localhost:3000/users", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({ name: "Alex" })
    });
    assert.equal(res.status, 201);
    const user = await res.json();
    assert.equal(user.name, "Alex");
  });

  it("handles invalid input", async () => {
    const res = await fetch("http://localhost:3000/users", {
      method: "POST",
      body: "invalid"
    });
    assert.equal(res.status, 400);
  });
});

Run with: node --test

2. Watch Mode (replaces nodemon)

# Auto-restart on file changes
node --watch server.js

# Watch specific files
node --watch-path=./src server.js

Zero install. Zero config. Just works.

3. Environment Files (replaces dotenv)

# .env
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb
API_KEY=sk-1234567890

# Load automatically
node --env-file=.env server.js

4. Native Glob (replaces glob package)

import { globSync } from "node:fs";

// Find all TypeScript files
const files = globSync("src/**/*.ts");
console.log(files);

// Find all test files
const tests = globSync("**/*.test.{js,ts}");

5. Native WebSocket Client

const ws = new WebSocket("wss://echo.websocket.org");

ws.addEventListener("open", () => {
  ws.send("Hello from Node 22!");
});

ws.addEventListener("message", (event) => {
  console.log("Received:", event.data);
});

No ws package. No socket.io-client. Built into the runtime.

6. Permission Model (experimental)

# Allow only network access to specific domains
node --experimental-permission --allow-fs-read=./data --allow-net=api.example.com server.js

Deno-like security model, now in Node.js.

Quick Comparison: Before vs After Node 22

Before (npm install)	After (built-in)
jest / vitest	node --test
nodemon	node --watch
dotenv	node --env-file
glob	node:fs globSync
ws	new WebSocket()
node-fetch	fetch() (since Node 18)
uuid	crypto.randomUUID()

That's 7 fewer dependencies in your package.json.

Real Example: API Server Without Dependencies

import { createServer } from "node:http";
import { readFile, writeFile, globSync } from "node:fs";

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;

const server = createServer(async (req, res) => {
  const url = new URL(req.url, `http://localhost:${PORT}`);

  if (url.pathname === "/api/health") {
    res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "application/json" });
    res.end(JSON.stringify({ 
      status: "ok",
      node: process.version,
      uptime: process.uptime()
    }));
    return;
  }

  res.writeHead(404);
  res.end("Not found");
});

server.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
});

Zero dependencies. Production-ready.

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