I Switched to Bun and I'm Not Going Back

I’ll be honest — I haven’t tried every JavaScript runtime out there. But after building a few projects with Bun, I’ve completely switched from Node. And I’m not looking back.

This isn’t a deep technical comparison. It’s just my experience as someone who got tired of the Node setup dance and wanted something that felt… smoother.

The Built-in Server Changed Everything

Remember when you needed Express or Fastify just to spin up a quick server to test something? With Bun, you don’t.

Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  fetch(req) {
    return new Response("Hello World");
  },
});

That’s it. No npm install express. No middleware setup. Just a server. This might seem small, but when you’re prototyping or testing APIs, it’s massive.

Batteries Included

Bun comes with built-in boilerplates for most frameworks. Want to start a Next.js project? React? Svelte?

bun create next-app my-app

No hunting for the “official” template. No wondering if you’re using the right starter. It’s just there.

The Speed is Absurd

Package installation is fast. Like, noticeably fast. The first time I ran bun install I thought it failed because it finished too quickly.

Build times? Same story. What took 30 seconds with Node takes 5 with Bun. When you’re iterating on a feature, those seconds add up.

Why This Matters

Look, Node isn’t going anywhere. It’s mature, stable, and has the entire ecosystem behind it. But for my side projects and daily work? Bun just feels better.

Less configuration. Less waiting. Less friction between “I have an idea” and “I’m building it.”

That’s the kind of developer experience I want. And right now, Bun delivers it.

The Honest Take

Have I stress-tested Bun in production? No. Have I migrated massive Node codebases? Also no. But for building new projects — especially personal ones like Mohur — Bun has become my default.

If you’re tired of the Node setup ceremony, give Bun a shot. Build something small. See how it feels. You might not switch completely, but I did.

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Currently building with Bun: Next.js apps, API servers, and whatever side project I’m obsessing over this week.