Bun vs Node.js: A Practical Comparison Every Developer Should Read

The comparison between Bun and Node.js highlights the distinct features and performance metrics of these two server-side JavaScript runtimes. Bun, powered by the JavaScriptCore engine, offers significant performance gains, with 4× HTTP throughput and halved CPU-intensive task completion times compared to Node.js, which runs on the V8 engine. Bun integrates runtime, package manager, bundler, and test runner into a single binary, while Node.js relies on separate tools for these functions, offering a mature ecosystem with millions of packages. Bun runs TypeScript files natively, eliminating the need for transpilation, and is ideal for greenfield projects, serverless functions, and performance-critical applications. In contrast, Node.js provides a decade of stability and is suited for large, existing codebases and enterprise requirements. While Bun excels in speed and simplicity, Node.js remains the more reliable choice for complex builds requiring customization. Both runtimes have their strengths, with Bun's speed and integrated tooling appealing to new projects and Node.js's stability being preferred for established, complex applications.