Deno is a simple, modern and secure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript that uses V8 and is built in Rust. Version 1.0 was released this week.
It is secure by default, supports TypeScript out of the box, ships only a single executable file, and has built-in utilities like a dependency inspector (deno info) and a code formatter (deno fmt), the team explained.
“With the changing JavaScript language, and new additions like TypeScript, building Node projects can become an arduous endeavor, involving managing build systems and other heavy handed tooling that takes away from the fun of dynamic language scripting,” the developers behind Deno 1.0 said in a blog post. “We feel that the landscape of JavaScript and the surrounding software infrastructure has changed enough that it was worthwhile to simplify. We seek a fun and productive scripting environment that can be used for a wide range of tasks.”
Next to the Deno runtime, Deno also provides a list of audited standard modules that are reviewed by the core Deno team and are guaranteed to work with a specific Deno version.
Deno can import modules from any location on the web, like GitHub, a personal webserver, or a CDN like pika.dev or jspm.io.
Deno attempts to provide a standalone tool for quickly scripting complex functionality and it knows how to fetch external code. While not every browser API is relevant for the runtime, Deno does not deviate from the standard in the ones that are relevant, according to Deno.
“We want Deno to be applicable to a wide range of problem domains: from small one-line scripts, to complex server-side business logic. As programs become more complex, having some form of type checking becomes increasingly important,” the developers wrote. “Deno supports TypeScript without additional tooling.”
Additional details are available here.
