Deno is a modern JavaScript and TypeScript runtime created by the original creator of Node.js, Ryan Dahl, designed to address Node.js's limitations. This post compares Deno and Node.js across key dimensions including built-in TypeScript support, the secure-by-default permissions model, URL-based module imports vs npm, and the built-in standard library.
Why Deno?
What's Deno? Deno is also a very new, exciting technology. It's a javascript runtime. Why should we be excited about Deno and why should we even care?
Deno is a simple, modern, and secure runtime for javascript and typescript that uses V8 and is built in Rust.
Node is a javascript runtime just like Deno is. So why do we need another javascript runtime, a place where we can run our javascript code? That's actually a good question, because why do we need Dino? We have so many programming languages. We have Python, C++, PHP, and Nodejs. All of these are ways to write programs, right? And at the end of the day, programs are just instructions that we can write so that computers do tasks for us. All of these languages are different ways that we can communicate with a machine or a computer. But at the end of the day, they're just different syntax. Just like we have human languages, we have languages to communicate with computers. But at the end of the day, all of them do the same thing. Hey machine, do this for me.
Deno is written in Rust, a programming language that is heavily invested by Mozilla. Mozilla works on the Firefox browser. It has first-class TypeScript support, so you can write TypeScript out of the box with Deno. Typescript is supported by Microsoft. It's created by Microsoft and then it uses something called the V8 engine, which node does as well to actually read your javascript.
Deno is built on some really reliable technologies. Technologies that are probably going to be sticking around for a long time because they have heavy backers.
Install Deno Runtime
https://docs.deno.com/runtime/manual
Mac/Linux: after run install command we need to export deno like the below:
export DENO_INSTALL="/Users/username/.deno"
export PATH="$DENO_INSTALL/bin:$PATH"
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Deno?
Deno is a secure JavaScript and TypeScript runtime built on V8 and Rust, created by Ryan Dahl as a modern successor to Node.js — it supports TypeScript natively, uses URL-based imports instead of node_modules, and requires explicit permissions for file, network, and environment access.
Should I use Deno or Node.js for a new project?
Node.js is the safer choice for production projects due to its massive ecosystem and community; Deno is excellent for new projects where you value built-in TypeScript, security-by-default, and modern web standards — and it now supports npm packages, reducing the ecosystem gap.