The Need for Speed: Why bun Matter

Introduction

In the ever-evolving world of software development, one thing remains constant: time is of the essence. The speed at which we can iterate, code, and deliver projects directly impacts our productivity and, in turn, our bottom line. In this article, we’ll explore why tools like bun, biome, turbopack, and other performance-focused development tools are making such a significant impact on the software engineering landscape.

picture is originally from https://static1.makeuseofimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/BunjsLogoOnLaptop-1.jpg

The Value of Speed

As a product engineer, you likely understand that iteration speed is everything. It’s not just about getting things done faster; it’s about maximizing your productivity and efficiency. Faster iteration speed means more significant progress, and it can even extend your project’s runway. But why do those precious seconds matter so much?

In the past decade, working on non-trivial projects has shown us that several steps, besides writing code, consume a considerable amount of time when landing code in Continuous Integration (CI):

1. Installing dependencies
2. Building the code
3. Linting the codebase
4. Type-checking
5. Running tests

Now, imagine one version of this process taking just 2 minutes, while another version takes a whopping 20 minutes. It’s not hard to see the problem.

Below are the charts showcasing the performance comparisons of bun, Deno, and Node.js in three key areas: Server-Side Rendering (SSR) in React, creating a socket server, and loading a large table. These visualizations provide valuable insights into their respective capabilities.

this picture was taken from bun’s official website and then edited with maspaint to merge them into one picture. xD

Presenting a chart that illustrates the significant time disparities among yarn, npm, pnpm, and bun. The differences are striking.

this is an screenshot from bun’s official website

The Review Waiting Game

Picture this scenario: you’ve just received a review on your Pull Request (PR), and it includes those dreaded words, “NIT.” Frustrating, right? You make the necessary changes, commit them, and then the waiting game begins — again. Those precious minutes start to add up, and the inefficiency becomes painfully evident.

Sure, you can implement caching solutions, but there’s a point where even loading and saving caches take up valuable time and resources. We often assume that our development tools are as fast as they can be, which is why when product engineers stumble upon a tool that reclaims their time, they associate it with freedom.

The Impact on Life and Work

But why is this speed so crucial? It’s not just about completing projects faster; it’s about improving the quality of life for developers. Speed enables product engineers to:

• Ship faster
• Spend more time with their families
• Earn professional accolades
• Focus on tasks that genuinely contribute to project success

This isn’t mere tech navel-gazing; it’s a reality born from experience. These tools enable developers to regain control of their time, leading to a better work-life balance.

The Game-Changers: bun, biome, turbopack, and More

In this quest for speed and efficiency, several innovative tools have emerged:

1. bun tackles steps 1, 2, and 5.
2. Turbopack takes a more holistic approach, combining speed with excellent caching strategies.
3. The Bloomberg gang is dedicated to solving step 4.
4. Biome might just have the solution to step 3.

The collective impact of these tools is vast, potentially benefiting millions of developers worldwide. Why? Because they are all working on conventions and standards that impact the entire industry. What once took hours to land can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

Conclusion

In the world of software development, time is money. Tools like bun, biome, turbopack, and their kin are not just a big deal; they are transformative. They empower developers to work more efficiently, enjoy a better work-life balance, and ultimately produce better results. It’s not just about saving seconds; it’s about saving lives — the lives of developers who can now focus on what truly matters, both in their professional and personal worlds. Do you see it? It’s a big deal.

Find me on your favorite platform

• Github — Follow me on GitHub for further useful code snippets and open source repos.
• LinkedIn Profile — Connect with me on LinkedIn for further discussions and updates.
• Twitter (X) — Connect with me on Twitter (X) for useless tech tweets.