Bun Runtime Development Guide

This skill is intentionally grounded in official Bun documentation. Bun moves quickly, so prefer current docs over hard-coded release timelines or benchmark claims.

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Project Setup

Initialize a new project

bun init                      # Interactive setup (package.json + tsconfig.json)
bun init -y                   # Accept defaults
bun create <template> <dir>   # Scaffold from a template

TypeScript notes

• Bun runs TypeScript directly.
• bun init generates a compatible tsconfig.json.
• Add extra typing packages only when your editor/toolchain requires them.

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Package Management

Essential commands

bun install
bun add <pkg>
bun add -d <pkg>
bun add -g <pkg>
bun remove <pkg>
bun update
bunx <pkg>

Lockfile

• bun.lock is the default text lockfile format in modern Bun.
• bun.lockb remains supported for compatibility.
• Force text lockfile output:

bun install --save-text-lockfile

Diagnostics and security

bun why <pkg>
bun audit
bun list
bun pm migrate

Monorepo catalogs

Bun supports dependency catalogs in workspace roots:

{
  "workspaces": {
    "packages": ["packages/*"],
    "catalog": {
      "react": "^19.0.0",
      "typescript": "^5.7.0"
    }
  }
}

Reference from packages:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "catalog:"
  }
}

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Running Code

bun index.ts
bun run start
bun --watch index.ts
bun --hot index.ts

Environment variables

Bun auto-loads .env files. Order is:

1. .env
2. .env.{NODE_ENV} (development, production, test)
3. .env.local

const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY;
const bunApiKey = Bun.env.API_KEY;

HTML entrypoints (zero-config)

bun --hot index.html
bun --watch index.html

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HTTP Server

Bun supports route-based servers with Bun.serve().

Bun.serve({
  port: 3000,
  routes: {
    "/": new Response("Hello"),
    "/api/users/:id": (req) => Response.json({ id: req.params.id }),
    "/api/posts": {
      GET: () => Response.json({ posts: [] }),
      POST: async (req) => Response.json(await req.json(), { status: 201 }),
    },
  },
  fetch() {
    return new Response("Not Found", { status: 404 });
  },
});

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Built-in API Map

Need	Bun API
HTTP server + WebSockets	Bun.serve()
SQL databases	sql, SQL, Bun.sql, Bun.SQL
S3-compatible storage	s3, S3Client
Redis	redis, RedisClient
Shell scripting	Bun.$ / $
Local files	Bun.file, Bun.write
SQLite (embedded)	bun:sqlite
Password hashing	Bun.password

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Testing and Bundling

Test runner (bun test)

bun test
bun test --watch
bun test --test-name-pattern "auth"
bun test --bail
bun test --coverage
bun test --coverage-reporter text

Bundling

bun build ./src/index.ts --outdir ./dist
bun build --target=bun ./src/server.ts --outfile ./dist/server.js
bun build --compile ./src/cli.ts --outfile ./dist/my-cli

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Node.js Migration Checklist

1. Install Bun and run bun install.
2. Keep existing Node APIs where they work; Bun is highly Node-compatible.
3. Replace tooling incrementally (bun test, bun build, bun run).
4. Adopt Bun-native APIs where they simplify code (Bun.serve, sql, redis, s3, Bun.$).
5. Run your full tests in CI on Bun before removing Node-specific fallbacks.

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Deep-Dive References

Reference	Contents
references/builtin-apis.md	Bun.serve, SQL, S3, Redis, shell, filesystem, crypto/password utilities
references/testing-and-bundling.md	bun test usage, mocking patterns, bun build CLI and API
references/node-migration.md	Practical Node-to-Bun migration steps and compatibility guidance

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Authoritative Docs

• https://bun.com/docs
• https://bun.com/docs/cli/test
• https://bun.com/docs/cli/pm
• https://bun.com/docs/runtime/http/routing
• https://bun.com/docs/runtime/env
• https://bun.com/docs/runtime/sql
• https://bun.com/docs/runtime/s3
• https://bun.com/docs/runtime/redis
• https://bun.com/docs/guides/ecosystem/migrate-from-nodejs