Repo Compare › JavaScript runtimes
Node.js vs Deno vs Bun
A side-by-side look at how actively Node.js, Deno and Bun are developed on GitHub — popularity, contributor base, commit activity and how quickly issues and pull requests move.
What the numbers say
- Node.js is the most-starred of the 3, with 122k stars, close to Bun's 96k.
- Over the 52 weeks to the snapshot, Bun recorded the most commits (4.6k), against 3.0k for Deno.
- Node.js has closed or merged the most pull requests in its lifetime: 42k.
- Relative to its popularity, Node.js carries the lightest open-issue load: 4.9 open issues per 1,000 stars, versus 38.7 for Bun.
Head-to-head
Snapshot taken 30 September 2026.
| Metric | Node.js Active | Deno Active | Bun Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 122k | 109k | 96k |
| Forks | 38k | 6.4k | 5.1k |
| Contributors | 4.5k | 1.3k | 931 |
| Commits, last 52 weeks | 3.6k | 3.0k | 4.6k |
| Open issues | 604 | 1.3k | 3.7k |
| Open pull requests | 569 | 373 | 5.8k |
| Closed / merged PRs | 42k | 20k | 19k |
| Watchers | 3.0k | 1.4k | 626 |
| Last push | 30 Sep 2026 | 30 Sep 2026 | 30 Sep 2026 |
| Latest release | v26.10.0 (Sep 2026) | v2.9.7 (Sep 2026) | bun-v1.4.2 (Sep 2026) |
| Main language | JavaScript | Rust | Rust |
| Licence | Not detected by GitHub | MIT | Not detected by GitHub |
| Created | Nov 2014 | May 2018 | Apr 2021 |
Bold marks the highest value in a row. “Active / Slowing / Dormant” is a simple heuristic from how recently code was pushed and open issues per star — a starting point, not a verdict. Stars measure popularity, not quality.
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