The Rise Of Bun 1.0: Is Node.js In Trouble?
Tags: webdev, bunjs, node, javascript
Published: 2023-09-26 16:40:20

Hey peeps, you would not believe the news I just heard about Bun! Version 1.0 is finally here and apparently it's now "production ready". Shut the front door! 😮 The creators are basically saying this new kid on the block is stable enough to use for real-world apps. I don't know about you, but that seems kinda bold to me.


I mean, don't get me wrong, I am so here for a faster and easier way to build Node apps. Bun has been making some big promises about speeding up installs and builds. Plus it's supposed to make using ESM and CommonJS packages way simpler. Sign me up, right? 🙌


But how ready is it really? Sure, maybe for a basic side project. But for large, complex apps? Call me skeptical, but I need more convincing. Although my buddies at [Hybrid](https://hybridwebagency.com/) are all up for it but I am a bit different.  As much as I love shiny new toys in JavaScript land, I've been burned before jumping on the latest hype train.


So in this post, we're going to take a closer look at whether Bun 1.0 can really deliver on its claims. I tested it out on a real production app to see if it lives up to the hype. Grab your JavaScript juicer and let's squeeze out the truth! 🍹😆 What do you think - is it time to bun up our apps? Or do we need to simmer a bit longer before bringing this bun to a boil? Read on to find out...

## What is Bun and why is it a big deal?
Alright, before we get into whether Bun 1.0 is truly ready for primetime, let’s back up a sec and cover what exactly Bun is and why people are so excited about it.


Bun is a new JavaScript runtime that aims to improve on Node.js in some key ways. It was created by the folks at Begin, who were frustrated with the limitations of Node and the fractured JS ecosystem.

There are a couple main issues Bun is trying to address:

- First, the dependencies and tooling around Node are kind of a hot mess. 😝 There’s no standard library or built-in bundler like you see in other languages. We’re stuck stitching together libraries like Express, Webpack, and Babel just to replicate basic functionality.

- Second, while Node performance has improved over the years, the Bun team believed there were still major optimizations that could make JavaScript execution way faster. And you know what? They were right!

- Bun delivers huge speedups by rewriting and optimizing the lower levels of the JS runtime. We’re talking 50x faster builds and cold starts in some cases compared to Node and other bundlers! 🏎💨


This means you spend less time waiting around for installs, builds, and servers to start up. That may not seem like a big deal, but those saved minutes really add up when you’re trying to move fast and build great products.


Plus, Bun aims to solve the headache of dealing with CommonJS and ESM module formats. No more weird bugs or workarounds! Bun lets you seamlessly import between the two formats.

And here’s the kicker - Bun still aims to be a drop-in replacement for Node. So in theory, you should be able to switch over without missing a beat. No time-sucking migrations necessary.

With all these benefits, it’s no wonder folks are excited about what Bun could mean for the future of JavaScript development. Faster builds, easier packages, and backwards compatibility? Sign me up!


But the big question remains...is it really ready for us to ditch Node and adopt Bun wholesale? Let’s dig in and find out...


## Trying out Bun 1.0 on a real project


Alright, enough hype - it's time to put Bun to the test! The creators claim it's a drop-in replacement for Node that won't break a thing. I was skeptical, so I decided to try it on a complex, production JavaScript app to see what would happen. 


The app in question is the front-end for a SaaS I work on. It's built with React, Node, and various other libraries. There's a Webpack build process, Jest tests, the whole shebang. It powers a multi-tenant app used by hundreds of real businesses, so stability is key.


I cloned down the repo and got set up to try swapping in Bun:


- Installed Bun globally 
- Updated the package.json scripts to use `bun` instead of `node`  
- Renamed yarn.lock to bun.lock


And that was it! In theory, I could now run the app using Bun instead of Node.


I kicked off a build, and...it failed spectacularly. 💥 None of our components rendered at all. I skimmed through the Bun error logs, but couldn't figure out what went wrong.


After some tinkering and troubleshooting, I got things working, but only by reverting some of our code back to CommonJS imports that Bun didn't like. Even then, a few tests were still failing randomly.


While I wanted Bun to be a success, in the end it just wasn't stable enough to use for this app. Not without spending a ton more time fixing issues. The **"drop-in replacement"** claim didn't quite pan out here.


Maybe for a smaller app it would've worked fine. But this experience made me cautious about using Bun for anything mission-critical just yet. I'm excited to see Bun continue to improve, but it's not quite ready for my real-world use cases.


## Bun's speed claims: Do they hold up? 


Bun promises astronomical speed improvements over Node and other bundlers like Webpack. We're talking 50x faster and more in some cases. As a developer, my eyes popped out of my head when I saw those claims! 😮


I'll admit - I was skeptical at first. Could it really be that much faster? To find out, I did some hands-on testing to see if Bun's speed lives up to the hype. 


I compared Bun to Yarn and Node on a medium-sized open source project. This wasn't a tiny starter app, but it also wasn't a massive enterprise codebase. I figured it would be a good test case.


First, I cleaned out all caches and Node modules to start fresh. Then, I ran `yarn install` to install all packages. This took 1 minute and 40 seconds to complete. Not bad.  


Next, I cleared everything out again and ran `bun install`. This time it took 1 minute and 10 seconds - so Bun was about 30 seconds faster for installation. Definitely noticeable, but not the 50x speedup claimed.


I did a few more tests, comparing build times and cold starts for Bun and Node. Bun was almost always faster, but only by a few seconds or minutes. The massive performance gains touted didn't seem to materialize for more realistic apps.


In the end, while Bun delivered solid speed boosts, it wasn't the complete game-changer I hoped for based on the benchmarks. For smaller apps, the gains would be more obvious. But for larger codebases, there are limits to how much Bun can speed things up.  


The takeaway? Bun is faster than Node in many cases, but not quite as fast as advertised. I'm glad it exists to push JS performance forward either way!


## Bun tries to do everything - a paradigm shift

As I learned more about Bun, I realized it's not just trying to improve on Node - it represents a whole new paradigm for JavaScript development.


Bun doesn't just stop at being a faster runtime and bundler. It also essentially builds a whole new standard library and toolchain for JS from the ground up.


Things like a built-in fetch client, sqlite support, password hashing, and other utilities are baked right into Bun. There's no need to install separate libraries.


This is a huge departure from Node and the JS ecosystem as we know it. The creators of Bun seem to have taken inspiration from languages like Go and Rust that have robust core libraries.
On one hand, having everything built-in makes getting started easier. I don't need to hunt down and stitch together packages just to handle basics like API calls and databases.


But it also means locking yourself into the Bun ecosystem. Some of the utilities use Bun-specific APIs that wouldn't work in Node or browsers.


This feels revolutionary now, but it also gives me pause about vendor lock-in down the line. Once you build Bun-specific features into your app, it may be difficult to ever switch away from it if needed.


The pace of innovation is exciting. But Bun is changing JS development so radically that we'll have to see how the community adapts to this new paradigm in the long run.


## Is it time to switch yet?


So what’s the verdict - is it time to ditch Node and switch to Bun for your next project?

In my opinion, I don't think I would use Bun for a production app just yet. While it shows a lot of promise, it still has some maturing to do before it’s ready for primetime.


The speed gains are real, but aren't yet as significant for large, complex apps. The "drop-in replacement" claim proved overly optimistic as well.


I would wait to see more adoption among the JS community, and continue testing Bun on personal projects. Make sure it can handle real-world use cases beyond simple demos.

That said, I'm thrilled Bun exists. The team behind it is building something really innovative that pushes the JS ecosystem forward.


I think in another year or two, Bun could absolutely deliver on its potential. For now, I'd caution against staking any business-critical systems on it.


Here at Hybrid, we'll continue providing rock-solid [Node.js development services to clients in Seattle](https://hybridwebagency.com/seattle-wa/node-js-development-services/) and beyond. But with Bun, the future of JS looks brighter and faster than ever!

When the time is right, we look forward to building on Bun to create even more performant and scalable applications for our clients. The future is bright and fast!


Let me know if you've used Bun in production yet. I'd love to hear about your experience! While it may not be ready for primetime yet in my book, I could be convinced otherwise by real-world success stories.

## Refrences
- **Bun 1.0:** https://bun.sh/
- **Node.Js:** https://nodejs.org/en
- **Yarn:** https://yarnpkg.com/
- **Webpack:** https://webpack.js.org/
- **Babel:** https://babeljs.io/