Bun or Node.js in 2024?

Hey there, fellow developers! 🖥️

Well, when it comes to web development, YOU'RE RIGHT! There are just so many tools! But the most popular option and extensively used tool is Node.js. However Bun a new tool brings a lot of benefits as well.

Should you move from Node.js to Bun in 2024?

I'm here to break down the key differences and help you decide which one might be your best fit.

So, grab a cup of coffee ☕️, put on your favorite coding playlist, and let's dive in!

Understanding Bun: The New Kid on the Block

Imagine Bun as your trusty sidekick, always ready to simplify your web development adventures. 🦸‍♂️ This modern, lightweight framework is a completely new JavaScript runtime environment written in the Zig programming language is like a cool breeze on a hot summer day – refreshing and efficient. Bun is designed to be a drop-in replacement for Node.js, and it supports most of the same APIs and features. With Bun, building web applications becomes a breeze, thanks to its intuitive syntax and streamlined features.

The latest: Bun. A new JS runtime focused on performance and being all-in-one (runtime, bundler, package manager, transpiler). So think of it like Node.js, plus NPM, plus tsc, plus rollup - but faster.

What makes Bun Faster?

The Bun team attributes their performance to a few things:

1. Tons of time spent profiling, benchmarking and optimizing.
2. Using the Zig language for it's low-level memory control and lack of hidden control flow.
3. Using JavaScript Core, the engine inside of Safari, instead of V8, the engine inside of Chromium.

Basic Structure of Bun:

// app.js

const Bun = require('bun');

const app = new Bun();

app.get('/', (req, res) => {

  res.send('Hello, Bun!');

});

app.listen(3000, () => {

  console.log('Bun server running on port 3000');

});

Exploring Node.js: The Veteran Warrior

Now, picture Node.js as the seasoned warrior of the web development realm, battle-tested and reliable. ⚔️ This runtime environment is your go-to choice for scalable and high-performance applications. Its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model is like having a superpower to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. This makes makes it suitable for handling concurrent connections and processing large volumes of data. With its vast ecosystem of modules and libraries, Node.js empowers developers to create a wide range of applications, from web servers to IoT devices.

Basic Structure for Node.js:

// app.js

const http = require('http');

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {

  res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'text/plain' });

  res.end('Hello, Node.js!');

});

server.listen(3000, 'localhost', () => {

  console.log('Node.js server running on port 3000');

});

Feature Face-Off: Bun vs. Node.js

🚀 Performance: Node.js shines in handling thousands of connections with ease, like a superhero managing a bustling city. On the other hand, Bun, though newer, holds its ground well and is perfect for moderate workloads.
🎨 Ease of Use: Bun is your friendly neighborhood guide, making web development a joyride with its simplicity. Meanwhile, Node.js offers a deeper dive into the world of asynchronous programming, like mastering a complex puzzle.
🌐 Scalability: Both Bun and Node.js are your trusty companions for scaling applications. Node.js excels in handling concurrent connections, while Bun inherits this strength and adapts to various environments seamlessly.

Real-World Scenarios: Where Do They Shine?

🌟 Bun:

Ideal for startups and small teams, Bun is your swift companion for building lightweight web apps and APIs. It's like having a magic wand for quick prototyping without compromising on performance.

🌟 Node.js:

Widely used across industries, Node.js is your versatile ally for diverse applications – from web servers to IoT devices. Its prowess in handling I/O tasks makes it a favourite among enterprises for building robust, high-performance solutions.

Final Thoughts: Choosing Your Web Development Sidekick

In the battle of Bun vs. Node.js, the choice is yours to make based on your quest in the web development realm. Whether you seek simplicity and speed or power and scalability, both Bun and Node.js stand ready to join you on your coding adventures. 🌟

So, dear developers, which sidekick will you choose for your next web development quest?

Let the coding adventures begin! 💻✨

Let us hear different opinions and experiences from our fellow developers.

Thank you for reading the blog.

#javascript #coding #react #node.js #web-development #trending2024 #frameworks.

Comments

[Senthilbalajiganesan]

Hey, thank you for the fantastic article. I appreciate the insights shared.

I'd like to share my experience with Bun. While it's incredibly fast and has great features for real-world applications, I encountered several unfixed bugs when using it with sqlite3.

Some of these bugs that were working in previous versions. I believe it's best to use Bun for minimal scripts due to easier debugging and fixing.

As the ecosystem matures, using Bun over node.js makes more sense to me.

[Vedansh Sharma]

Ohh! Well yeah I think bun is relatively very new and needs much improvement that is why organisations still use node.

[Chris Robison]

If performance were really the most important metric, JavaScript would not even be considered. Bun is an experimental runtime written in an experimental language. I think it is too bleeding edge for production right now.

[Vedansh Sharma]

That’s an interesting point because before bun even started the performance metric I don’t think people even talked about it as there wasn’t much to compare with.

[Mike Talbot ⭐]

At the time Node was created, there was a lot of talk about performance - but this was down to the fact that most other server architectures were doing thread-based serving - effectively synchronous serving but on a thread. Turns out that the async / event loop approach was way more scalable for traffic that wasn't doing heavy calculations. These days you have the same principle in lots of other architectures and so those turn out to be more performant than JS in some circumstances.

[Steeve]

Bun looks promising, but Node provides performances that most people don't even reach. Take a look at Restana handling 79000 req/s:
github.com/BackendStack21/restana

[Vedansh Sharma]

Exactly Bun aims more towards simplicity and speed but Node is like the superpower with strength and capabilities.

[Alain D'Ettorre]

Bun seems fast, but Node.js is king in any other relevant metric. It's far more likely that Node.js will evolve and get faster instead of Bun getting traction. At least for me.

[Vedansh Sharma]

Yes absolutely!

[Cheikhnouha]

interesting read

[Vedansh Sharma]

Thank you! Glad to hear it.

[Rohit]

it is very interesting but i think node is better because i never used bun ....if you used then can you tell what is it

[Vedansh Sharma]

I believe it all comes down to your requirements but yeah Nodejs is like evergreen.

[Rohit]

yes node is very exited ...if you know then can you tell about Bun

[Vedansh Sharma]

I would suggest you to go through the Bun’s official platform to get a better idea as it is kind of difficult to share everything over here.

[Rohit]

Ok.. thanks for supporting ♥️

[Vedansh Sharma]

Anytime.

[Dotennin]

If Bun can slove the pain points of Node, rather than just the performance, I'm sure it'll slowly get a higher share. on the contracry, nodejs is not really more of a performance issue right (web development)?. I think that more performance-orientaed scenarios will not consider nodejs.

[Aykut Akgün]

It does for me personally, installing things is faster with bun, running typescript directly, having a better inspector. Bun is nowhere perfect yet, but its really smexy to dev with it.

[Vedansh Sharma]

Absolutely! Good point

[Joe]

Just be careful, Bun isn't yet ready in all aspects. For example, all crypto functions (such as hashing, AES, etc) is around 10x slower than Node.js at the moment.

[Aykut Akgün]

Did they have a regression? I had done some tests where bun was 3x perf of node, (mainly uuid tests)

[Joe]

No clue, I tried moving a crypto-heavy project of mine to Bun and my dev machine nearly died. When I investigated, I realised that it was all the crypto work that was slow. Btw when I say 10x slower, that's not an exaggeration - we're talking 2-3 seconds in Node vs 25-32 seconds in Bun for the same key strength. Everything else I tested was around 2x-6x faster in Bun.

[Vedansh Sharma]

Yes absolutely that is why I referred it as a new child.

[Kevin]

Hey there! ☕️ Great breakdown on the differences between Node.js and Bun! Bun really does bring some refreshing updates to the scene—its all-in-one approach with built-in tools like a package manager, bundler, and test runner definitely simplifies setups. And as you mentioned, the use of JavaScriptCore and Zig gives it a speed edge in many scenarios.

Node.js, of course, remains a rock-solid option with its massive ecosystem and mature community, making it ideal for large, scalable projects. For anyone curious to dive deeper, I recently came across a detailed comparison that discusses both runtimes and when you might pick one over the other. Here’s the link if you’re interested: scalablepath.com/nodejs/bun-node-a...

Looking forward to seeing where Bun heads in 2025—more choices for devs is always a win!

[Vedansh Sharma]

Well said!
I really wanna see Bun reach new heights

[Rayyan Nafees]

Bruh.. Your bun code is wrong.. it doesnt even run

[Vedansh Sharma]

Thanks for pointing it out, but I believe this typescript error might get resolved if you run it from your shell.

Although this has been highlighted on Bun’s QuickStart guide.

Please try this code:
const server = Bun.serve({
port: 3000,
fetch(req) {
return new Response("Bun!");
},
});

console.log(Listening on http://localhost:${server.port} ...);

Hope this works for you.

[Rayyan Nafees]

bun version 1.1.1

[Vedansh Sharma]

I have shared another code, please try it and let me know if you still face some errors, please share it with me and I would also like you to go through the QuickStart guide on official website.