Getting started with Deno and Fresh

Deno is a TypeScript and WebAssembly runtime designed to address some limitations identified in Node.js, offering a fresh alternative to the well-known JavaScript runtime. Deno, developed by Ryan Dahl using Rust, contrasts with Node’s C++ foundation and brings several advantages, such as native TypeScript execution and a simplified module system that avoids dependency hell. Unlike Node, Deno does not rely on the npm ecosystem, as dependencies are managed by directly referencing TypeScript files. Fresh, a modern web framework provided by Deno, enables file system-based routing and a template engine for creating web app UIs, leveraging Preact to render pages with server-client component distribution. The article details a demonstration web app using Deno and Fresh, featuring a REST API and a dynamic frontend that showcases capabilities like dynamic routes and selective TypeScript transpiling. This combination offers a streamlined development experience for small to medium-sized projects, benefiting from the absence of npm's bloat and the efficient handling of Deno modules.