Bun
One binary that replaces Node, npm, a bundler and a test runner.
What it does
Bun is a JavaScript and TypeScript runtime built on JavaScriptCore rather than V8. It bundles a package manager (bun install), a bundler (bun build), a test runner (bun test) and a script runner, and it runs TypeScript and JSX directly with no build step.
Its main practical draw is install speed — a cold bun install is typically several times faster than npm — and that a project needs one tool instead of four.
Notes
Available from the vendor tap (oven-sh/bun), not homebrew-core, so brew tap comes first. Node compatibility is good but not total; anything reaching deep into Node internals or native addons is worth testing before committing to it.
Alternative to
| Alternative | Type | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js with pnpm | Open source | The conservative choice, and what most CI expects |
| Deno | Open source | Secure by default, TypeScript-native, its own standard library |
| Yarn or npm | Open source | Package management only, on top of Node |
Install
brew tap oven-sh/bun
brew install oven-sh/bun/bun