Bun Next.js

Run Next.js applications with Bun for faster development and builds.

Quick Start

# Create new Next.js project with Bun
bunx create-next-app@latest my-app
cd my-app

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Development
bun run dev

# Build
bun run build

# Production
bun run start

Secure Installation

Scaffolding tools like bunx create-next-app download and execute remote code. Multiple install contexts (local, Docker) require pinning versions in both. Before running, follow supply chain security best practices:

• Block post-install scripts — Bun disables them by default; allow specific packages via trustedDependencies in package.json
• Cooldown period — Configure minimumReleaseAge in bunfig.toml to wait 7 days for new versions
• Audit before installing — Run socket package score npm <pkg> or use socket npm install <pkg> to check packages

Load the dependency-upgrade skill for full security configuration including Socket CLI integration, cooldown setup, lockfile validation, and CI enforcement.

Project Setup

package.json

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "next dev",
    "build": "next build",
    "start": "next start",
    "lint": "eslint ."
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "next": "^16.2.0",
    "react": "^19.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^19.2.0"
  }
}

Use Bun as Runtime

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "bun --bun next dev",
    "build": "bun --bun next build",
    "start": "bun --bun next start"
  }
}

The --bun flag forces Next.js to use Bun's runtime instead of Node.js.

Configuration

next.config.js

/** @type {import('next').NextConfig} */
const nextConfig = {
  // Turbopack is the default bundler in Next.js 16 (top-level, not under experimental)
  turbopack: {},

  // Server-side Bun APIs
  serverExternalPackages: ["bun:sqlite"],

  // Note: a `webpack` key is no longer supported in Next.js 16 — Turbopack is the
  // default bundler and a `webpack` config will fail `next build`. Bun-specific
  // imports (`bun:sqlite`, `bun:ffi`) are handled via `serverExternalPackages`
  // above. If you truly need the webpack bundler, run `next build --webpack`.
};

module.exports = nextConfig;

Using Bun APIs in Next.js

Server Components

// app/page.tsx (Server Component)
import { Database } from "bun:sqlite";

export default async function Home() {
  const db = new Database("data.sqlite");
  const users = db.query("SELECT * FROM users").all();
  db.close();

  return (
    <div>
      {users.map((user) => (
        <p key={user.id}>{user.name}</p>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

API Routes

// app/api/users/route.ts
import { Database } from "bun:sqlite";

export async function GET() {
  const db = new Database("data.sqlite");
  const users = db.query("SELECT * FROM users").all();
  db.close();

  return Response.json(users);
}

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const body = await request.json();

  const db = new Database("data.sqlite");
  db.run("INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES (?)", [body.name]);
  db.close();

  return Response.json({ success: true });
}

File Operations

// app/api/files/route.ts
export async function GET() {
  const file = Bun.file("./data/config.json");
  const config = await file.json();

  return Response.json(config);
}

export async function POST(request: Request) {
  const data = await request.json();
  await Bun.write("./data/config.json", JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));

  return Response.json({ saved: true });
}

Server Actions

// app/actions.ts
"use server";

import { Database } from "bun:sqlite";
import { revalidatePath } from "next/cache";

export async function createUser(formData: FormData) {
  const name = formData.get("name") as string;

  const db = new Database("data.sqlite");
  db.run("INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES (?)", [name]);
  db.close();

  revalidatePath("/users");
}

export async function deleteUser(id: number) {
  const db = new Database("data.sqlite");
  db.run("DELETE FROM users WHERE id = ?", [id]);
  db.close();

  revalidatePath("/users");
}

Proxy (formerly Middleware)

In Next.js 16, middleware.ts is renamed to proxy.ts (the middleware name still works but is deprecated). Proxy runs on the Node.js runtime, not the Edge runtime.

⚠️ Deploying to Cloudflare via OpenNext? Keep middleware.ts. @opennextjs/cloudflare does not yet recognize the proxy.ts filename — renaming will silently disable your middleware on Cloudflare. Until OpenNext adds support, deploy with the classic middleware.ts (it still works in Next 16, just deprecated upstream). This caveat does not apply to Node.js/Vercel/Bun-native deployments.

// proxy.ts (renamed from middleware.ts in Next.js 16)
import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
import type { NextRequest } from "next/server";

export function proxy(request: NextRequest) {
  // Check auth
  const token = request.cookies.get("token");

  if (!token && request.nextUrl.pathname.startsWith("/dashboard")) {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL("/login", request.url));
  }

  return NextResponse.next();
}

export const config = {
  matcher: ["/dashboard/:path*"],
};

Environment Variables

# .env.local
DATABASE_URL=./data.sqlite
API_SECRET=your-secret-key

// Access in server components/actions
const dbUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
const secret = process.env.API_SECRET;

// Expose to client (prefix with NEXT_PUBLIC_)
// .env.local
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://api.example.com

Deployment

Build for Production

bun run build
bun run start

Docker

FROM oven/bun:1

WORKDIR /app

COPY package.json bun.lockb ./
RUN bun install --frozen-lockfile

COPY . .
RUN bun run build

EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["bun", "run", "start"]

Vercel

# Install Vercel CLI
bun add -g vercel

# Deploy
vercel

Note: Vercel's edge runtime uses V8, not Bun. Bun APIs work in:

• Server Components (Node.js runtime)
• API Routes (Node.js runtime)
• Server Actions (Node.js runtime)

Performance Tips

1. Turbopack is the default in Next.js 16 (no flag needed):

   bun run dev
   

2. Prefer Server Components - Less JavaScript sent to client

3. Use Bun SQLite instead of external databases for simple apps

4. Enable compression:

   // next.config.js
   module.exports = {
     compress: true,
   };
   

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Fix
Cannot find bun:sqlite	Wrong runtime	Use bun --bun next dev
Module not found	Missing dependency	Run bun install
Hydration mismatch	Server/client diff	Check data fetching
Edge runtime error	Bun API on edge	Use Node.js runtime

When to Load References

Load references/app-router.md when:

• App Router patterns
• Route groups
• Parallel routes

Load references/caching.md when:

• Data caching strategies
• Revalidation patterns
• Static generation