Relibun

Relibun is a GitHub starter template for Next.js 13 that uses Bun 1.0.0 as its single JavaScript toolchain, covering runtime, package management, testing, and bundling. The repository is a feature-complete starting point for developers who want to develop, test, run, and bundle JavaScript and TypeScript projects with Bun rather than separate Node.js tools.

What is Relibun?

Relibun is a starter template for Next.js 13 projects, built around Bun, the all-in-one JavaScript runtime and toolkit from Oven (the Bun project). The template's README documents Bun's CLI: bun run index.tsx executes TypeScript and JSX directly, bun test runs the built-in test runner, bun install installs packages, and bunx executes one-off packages. The repository metadata lists the topics bun, bundler, nextjs, nextjs13, starter, template, ts, tsx, and vercel, indicating that the starter targets TypeScript and Vercel deployment. Bun itself is described as a drop-in Node.js replacement written in Zig and powered by JavaScriptCore, with dramatically reduced startup times and memory usage compared to Node.

Key Features

• Next.js 13 support — The template is explicitly labeled as a Next.js 13 starter and is tagged with both nextjs and nextjs13.
• Bun 1.0.0 integration — The project name includes Bun (1.0.0), and the README shows how to run .ts and .tsx files directly with bun run.
• Unified toolchain — Bun provides a runtime, test runner, package manager, and bundler in a single executable, so there is no need for separate npm, webpack, and Jest installations.
• TypeScript and JSX out of the box — Bun natively handles TypeScript and JSX, so the starter works with these formats without a transpilation setup step.
• Bun's package manager — Dependencies are installed with bun install, which is Node.js-compatible and faster than npm, according to Bun's documentation.
• Bun's test runner — Tests can be written and executed with bun test using the built-in test runner.
• Vercel deployment target — The repository is tagged with vercel, suggesting the Next.js app is intended to deploy to Vercel.

Who should use Relibun?

• Next.js developers curious about Bun — Use Relibun as a base to evaluate Bun's speed and integrated tooling within a standard Next.js 13 project.
• JavaScript and TypeScript developers who want a single-tool workflow — Relibun lets you run, test, install, and bundle using only Bun commands, reducing the number of dependencies and configuration files.
• Developers building resource-constrained serverless functions — Bun's README notes that Bun is useful for serverless environments, so this starter suits projects targeting such deployments.
• Teams modernizing their JavaScript toolchain — The template provides a working example of a Next.js app that uses Bun for all CLI operations, making it a simple proof of concept for adoption.

What can you do with Relibun?

• Scaffold a Next.js 13 project — Clone the repository to get a starting point for a Next.js app that uses Bun for development and build tasks.
• Run scripts with Bun — Use bun run to execute any npm-style script in the project's package.json, such as a start script.
• Test with Bun — Write and run tests using bun test without loading a separate test framework like Jest.
• Install packages quickly — Use bun install to add dependencies; it is compatible with the Node.js ecosystem.
• Execute utilities — Use bunx to run one-off commands like bunx cowsay 'Hello, world!' without installing them globally.

Because Bun does not have a native Windows build, developers on Windows must install Bun through Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) before using this template, as noted in the Bun installation documentation. The Bun project also states that it is still under development, so production use should be considered carefully, particularly in resource-constrained serverless environments.