denoland/deno

Deno is a runtime for JavaScript, TypeScript and WebAssembly, built on V8, Rust and Tokio. It targets developers who want to write and run JS/TS without a separate build or package-management setup, and the README says it is most commonly used for web servers. It runs as a single installed program, so it suits scripting, local services and command-line tools as much as long-lived servers.

What changes in practice

A minimal Deno server is one TypeScript file: call Deno.serve and return a response. After installing Deno, the README's example runs with deno run --allow-net server.ts and listens on port 8000. TypeScript is executed directly, so there is no tsc step or tsconfig to arrange for this simple case.

The command line also exposes the runtime's permissions model: --allow-net is passed explicitly rather than granted by default. The README describes "secure defaults" and shows no example of installing dependencies for the hello-world server, which needs none. For larger projects, Deno's docs cover its manual, and the project points to JSR for packages and @std for its maintained standard utilities.

Installation options

The README lists a shell installer for macOS and Linux and a PowerShell installer for Windows, plus package-manager routes: Homebrew on macOS; Chocolatey, WinGet and Scoop on Windows. It also links to a fuller installation list in the docs and to instructions for building from source via the contribution guide. No platform other than macOS, Linux and Windows is documented for these paths.

Who should look elsewhere

This README documents the runtime, not Deno Deploy or every ecosystem detail; those live in separate docs and on the project homepage. It also does not promise that existing Node.js code runs unchanged: the material supplied here describes Deno's own API (Deno.serve) and its own install and package sources (JSR), so compatibility with a Node-based project's dependencies and build assumptions is not established here. Similarly, nothing in the supplied material sets a minimum Deno version or performance target; the README is a quick-start, and evaluation of speed or production readiness is outside what it can support.

Context

A 2020 Hacker News thread on compiling TypeScript to a standalone executable drew 657 points, with commenters comparing that packaging to Vercel's pkg for Node; one noted liking TypeScript over Go for shipping single-purpose binaries thread. That is discussion of a 2020 feature, not evidence about the current runtime. Deno is MIT-licensed, so the separate licence terms of dependencies and of Deno Deploy should be checked where relevant, rather than assumed from the runtime's licence.