
About
Fast, modern JavaScript/TypeScript development with the Bun runtime, inspired by [oven-sh/bun](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun).
name: bun-development description: "Fast, modern JavaScript/TypeScript development with the Bun runtime, inspired by oven-sh/bun." risk: critical source: community date_added: "2026-02-27"
⚡ Bun Development
Fast, modern JavaScript/TypeScript development with the Bun runtime, inspired by oven-sh/bun.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Starting new JS/TS projects with Bun
- Migrating from Node.js to Bun
- Optimizing development speed
- Using Bun's built-in tools (bundler, test runner)
- Troubleshooting Bun-specific issues
1. Getting Started
1.1 Installation
# macOS / Linux
brew install oven-sh/bun/bun
# Alternative: download the official installer, inspect it, then execute it
curl -fsSLo /tmp/bun-install.sh https://bun.sh/install
sed -n '1,160p' /tmp/bun-install.sh
bash /tmp/bun-install.sh
# Windows
powershell -NoProfile -Command "Invoke-WebRequest https://bun.sh/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\\bun-install.ps1; Get-Content $env:TEMP\\bun-install.ps1 -TotalCount 120; powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\\bun-install.ps1"
# Homebrew
brew tap oven-sh/bun
brew install bun
# npm (if needed)
npm install -g bun
# Upgrade
bun upgrade
1.2 Why Bun?
| Feature | Bun | Node.js | | :-------------- | :------------- | :-------------------------- | | Startup time | ~25ms | ~100ms+ | | Package install | 10-100x faster | Baseline | | TypeScript | Native | Requires transpiler | | JSX | Native | Requires transpiler | | Test runner | Built-in | External (Jest, Vitest) | | Bundler | Built-in | External (Webpack, esbuild) |
2. Project Setup
2.1 Create New Project
# Initialize project
bun init
# Creates:
# ├── package.json
# ├── tsconfig.json
# ├── index.ts
# └── README.md
# With specific template
bun create <template> <project-name>
# Examples
bun create react my-app # React app
bun create next my-app # Next.js app
bun create vite my-app # Vite app
bun create elysia my-api # Elysia API
2.2 package.json
{
"name": "my-bun-project",
"version": "1.0.0",
"module": "index.ts",
"type": "module",
"scripts": {
"dev": "bun run --watch index.ts",
"start": "bun run index.ts",
"test": "bun test",
"build": "bun build ./index.ts --outdir ./dist",
"lint": "bunx eslint ."
},
"devDependencies": {
"@types/bun": "latest"
},
"peerDependencies": {
"typescript": "^5.0.0"
}
}
2.3 tsconfig.json (Bun-optimized)
{
"compilerOptions": {
"lib": ["ESNext"],
"module": "esnext",
"target": "esnext",
"moduleResolution": "bundler",
"moduleDetection": "force",
"allowImportingTsExtensions": true,
"noEmit": true,
"composite": true,
"strict": true,
"downlevelIteration": true,
"skipLibCheck": true,
"jsx": "react-jsx",
"allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
"allowJs": true,
"types": ["bun-types"]
}
}
3. Package Management
3.1 Installing Packages
# Install from package.json
bun install # or 'bun i'
# Add dependencies
bun add express # Regular dependency
bun add -d typescript # Dev dependency
bun add -D @types/node # Dev dependency (alias)
bun add --optional pkg # Optional dependency
# From specific registry
bun add lodash --registry https://registry.npmmirror.com
# Install specific version
bun add react@18.2.0
bun add react@latest
bun add react@next
# From git
bun add github:user/repo
bun add git+https://github.com/user/repo.git
3.2 Removing & Updating
# Remove package
bun remove lodash
# Update packages
bun update # Update all
bun update lodash # Update specific
bun update --latest # Update to latest (ignore ranges)
# Check outdated
bun outdated
3.3 bunx (npx equivalent)
# Execute package binaries
bunx prettier --write .
bunx tsc --init
bunx create-react-app my-app
# With specific version
bunx -p typescript@4.9 tsc --version
# Run without installing
bunx cowsay "Hello from Bun!"
3.4 Lockfile
# bun.lockb is a binary lockfile (faster parsing)
# To generate text lockfile for debugging:
bun install --yarn # Creates yarn.lock
# Trust existing lockfile
bun install --frozen-lockfile
4. Running Code
4.1 Basic Execution
# Run TypeScript directly (no build step!)
bun run index.ts
# Run JavaScript
bun run index.js
# Run with arguments
bun run server.ts --port 3000
# Run package.json script
bun run dev
bun run build
# Short form (for scripts)
bun dev
bun build
4.2 Watch Mode
# Auto-restart on file changes
bun --watch run index.ts
# With ho
