Terminal.skills
Skills/bun-runtime
>

bun-runtime

Bun — fast all-in-one JavaScript runtime, bundler, test runner, and package manager. Use when speeding up Node.js projects, using Bun as a drop-in Node replacement, bundling with Bun, or running tests faster. Covers runtime APIs, package management, bundling, and Bun-specific features like Bun.serve, Bun.file, and Bun.sqlite.

#bun#javascript#runtime#bundler#fast#node-alternative
terminal-skillsv1.0.0
Works with:claude-codeopenai-codexgemini-clicursor
Source

Usage

$
✓ Installed bun-runtime v1.0.0

Getting Started

  1. Install the skill using the command above
  2. Open your AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Cursor)
  3. Reference the skill in your prompt
  4. The AI will use the skill's capabilities automatically

Example Prompts

  • "Review the open pull requests and summarize what needs attention"
  • "Generate a changelog from the last 20 commits on the main branch"

Information

Version
1.0.0
Author
terminal-skills
Category
Runtime
License
Apache-2.0

Documentation

Overview

Bun is a fast, all-in-one JavaScript toolkit: runtime, package manager, bundler, and test runner. It is Node.js-compatible and dramatically faster at startup, installs, and test runs. Use Bun to speed up existing Node.js projects or build new apps from scratch.

Installation

bash
# macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Windows (via Scoop)
scoop install bun

# Verify
bun --version

Package Manager

Bun's package manager is a drop-in replacement for npm and pnpm:

bash
bun install              # Install all dependencies (reads package.json)
bun add express          # Add a package
bun add -d typescript    # Add dev dependency
bun remove lodash        # Remove a package
bun update               # Update all packages
bun run dev              # Run a package.json script

Lockfile: bun.lockb (binary, faster than package-lock.json).

Runtime

Bun runs .js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx files natively — no compilation step needed:

bash
bun run index.ts         # Run TypeScript directly
bun index.ts             # Shorthand
bun --hot index.ts       # Hot reload on file change
bun --watch index.ts     # Restart on file change

Node.js built-ins (fs, path, http, crypto, etc.) are fully supported. Native fetch, WebSocket, and ReadableStream are built in.

HTTP Server with Bun.serve

typescript
const server = Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  async fetch(req) {
    const url = new URL(req.url);

    if (url.pathname === "/") {
      return new Response("Hello from Bun!", {
        headers: { "Content-Type": "text/plain" },
      });
    }

    if (url.pathname === "/json") {
      return Response.json({ message: "fast", runtime: "bun" });
    }

    return new Response("Not Found", { status: 404 });
  },
  error(err) {
    return new Response(`Error: ${err.message}`, { status: 500 });
  },
});

console.log(`Listening on http://localhost:${server.port}`);

File I/O with Bun.file

typescript
// Read file
const file = Bun.file("data.json");
const text = await file.text();
const json = await file.json();
const buffer = await file.arrayBuffer();

// Write file
await Bun.write("output.txt", "Hello, Bun!");
await Bun.write("data.json", JSON.stringify({ key: "value" }, null, 2));

// Stream large files
const stream = file.stream();

SQLite with Bun.sqlite

Built-in SQLite — no native bindings needed:

typescript
import { Database } from "bun:sqlite";

const db = new Database("mydb.sqlite");

// Create table
db.run(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
  name TEXT NOT NULL,
  email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL
)`);

// Prepared statements
const insert = db.prepare("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (?, ?)");
insert.run("Alice", "alice@example.com");

// Query
const getAll = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM users");
const users = getAll.all();
console.log(users);

// Single row
const getOne = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?");
const user = getOne.get(1);

db.close();

Bundler

bash
# Bundle a TypeScript app for the browser
bun build src/index.ts --outdir dist --target browser

# Bundle for Node.js with minification
bun build src/index.ts --outdir dist --target node --minify

# Bundle as a single executable
bun build src/cli.ts --compile --outfile mycli

Programmatic bundling:

typescript
const result = await Bun.build({
  entrypoints: ["./src/index.ts"],
  outdir: "./dist",
  target: "browser",
  minify: true,
  sourcemap: "external",
  define: {
    "process.env.NODE_ENV": JSON.stringify("production"),
  },
});

if (!result.success) {
  console.error("Build failed:", result.logs);
  process.exit(1);
}

Test Runner

Bun's test runner is Jest-compatible:

typescript
// math.test.ts
import { describe, expect, test, beforeEach } from "bun:test";
import { add, multiply } from "./math";

describe("math", () => {
  test("adds two numbers", () => {
    expect(add(2, 3)).toBe(5);
  });

  test("multiplies two numbers", () => {
    expect(multiply(4, 5)).toBe(20);
  });
});
bash
bun test                     # Run all tests
bun test --watch             # Watch mode
bun test math.test.ts        # Run specific file
bun test --coverage          # With coverage report
bun test --timeout 10000     # Custom timeout (ms)

Environment Variables

typescript
// Bun reads .env automatically — no dotenv needed
const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;
const port = Bun.env.PORT ?? "3000";

WebSocket Server

typescript
const server = Bun.serve({
  port: 3001,
  fetch(req, server) {
    if (server.upgrade(req)) {
      return; // Upgraded to WebSocket
    }
    return new Response("Use WebSocket", { status: 426 });
  },
  websocket: {
    open(ws) {
      console.log("Client connected");
      ws.subscribe("chat");
    },
    message(ws, message) {
      server.publish("chat", message); // Broadcast
    },
    close(ws) {
      console.log("Client disconnected");
    },
  },
});

Migrating from Node.js

Most Node.js code runs without changes. Key differences:

FeatureNode.jsBun
Package managernpm installbun install
Run TypeScriptNeeds ts-node or buildbun run index.ts
.env loadingNeeds dotenvBuilt-in
fetchNeeds node-fetch (old)Built-in
SQLiteNeeds better-sqlite3bun:sqlite built-in
Test runnerjestbun test

package.json Setup

json
{
  "name": "my-bun-app",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "bun --hot src/index.ts",
    "build": "bun build src/index.ts --outdir dist --target node",
    "test": "bun test",
    "start": "bun dist/index.js"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/bun": "latest"
  }
}

Guidelines

  • Prefer bun install over npm install in all Bun projects — it is 10–25x faster.
  • Use bun:sqlite instead of better-sqlite3 for zero-dependency SQLite.
  • Use Bun.file and Bun.write instead of fs for simpler file I/O.
  • Run TypeScript directly with bun run — no build step needed in development.
  • Use bun --hot for hot reload during development (preserves module state).
  • Use bun --compile to produce a single self-contained executable binary.
  • Bun reads .env files automatically — remove dotenv from your dependencies.
  • The bun:test module is Jest-compatible; most Jest tests work with zero changes.