What Can You Build with Bun?

Everything you build with Node.js - websites, APIs, bots, scripts, tools. It’s just a different runtime for JavaScript/TypeScript. Same code, runs faster, less config.

That said - it’s relatively new and there are edge cases so worth checking before starting.

Advantages

Fewer dependencies = less code = less potential for bugs

Lots built-in: password hashing, bundler, SQLite, much fewer installations.

Faster:

  • Install 10-20x faster
  • Code execution 2-4x faster
  • Startup almost instant

More advantages:

  • Quick executable building for distribution
  • Compatible with almost all npm packages
  • Clean native TypeScript code (no build step)

You can use it today.

Migration in Practice

Yesterday in ten minutes I migrated a Next.js project to Bun with Claude.

Before (npm/Node):

  • Code: package-lock.json - 9,730 lines
  • Install: npm install - ~60 seconds

After (Bun):

  • Code: bun.lock - 1,349 lines (86% less)
  • Install: about 6 seconds (10x faster)

No code changes - just the commands.

Summary

Bun is like Node.js but faster and simpler. Worth trying on new projects.

Also has built-in SQLite for memory, perfect for the local agent I’m building.