Deno: the new substitute for Node.js?

Deno is a tool for developing web applications, created by Ryan Dahl, the same programmer who invented Node.js, a technology still widely used today to build websites and online services. After years of experience, Dahl decided to start from scratch with an entirely new project to correct some choices that, over time, had proved to be limiting or complicated.

Officially launched in 2020, Deno 1.0 was intended to be simpler, safer and more modern than what was there before. But despite the initial enthusiasm, not everything went smoothly: many developers found it difficult to use with existing tools, and some parts were missing or not yet mature.

It is precisely from these difficulties that the need for a major upgrade arose so that Deno would be more complete, compatible and ready to really compete with the most established solutions.

Since its initial release, Deno has not been a great success: it attracted a lot of attention, but in fact offered little of substance.

Interestingly, many of the ideas that Ryan Dahl presented in 2018, with the intention of improving what he felt was not working in Node.js, turned out to be less brilliant than expected. For example, criticisms of NPM's package.json file and the way Node handles dependencies seemed very well-founded at the time, but over time it became clear that, however flawed, NPM worked better than it had been painted. Deno's attempts to introduce a new dependency management system, however, often led to compatibility problems and - ironically - new complications.

Over time, the Deno team realised that ignoring the entire pre-existing JavaScript ecosystem had not been a good strategy. So, almost without notice, they began to backtrack, introducing initial support for NPM. This allowed Deno to break out of its isolation and finally start interacting with existing libraries.

Of course, not everything worked right away. Compatibility with NPM - and later also with Node - was improved step by step, as it became clear how impractical it was to suggest an alternative that did not even support basic functionality or introduced it too differently.

Thus, Deno has gradually abandoned many of its initial principles, coming to support - in a pragmatic way - precisely those tools and approaches that it previously considered mistakes to be avoided. This journey culminated with the launch of Deno 2.0 last year.

With this new version, Deno no longer appears as an experimental project but as a truly concrete and promising platform, capable of offering real solutions to developers. And while Node.js continues to evolve in an increasingly messy and fragmented manner, Deno 2.0 presents itself as a cleaner and more modern alternative, ready to meet the challenge.

One of the most important new aspects of Deno 2.0 is that the development team has seriously focused on the problem of compatibility with Node.js and NPM. The result? Since its latest release, Deno can finally be used as a true replacement for Node. The stated aim is that any project that runs on Node should also be able to run on Deno, without any changes. This also applies to widely used frameworks such as Next.js, Astro, Remix, Angular, SvelteKit and many others: they can now run directly with Deno, without the need for special configuration.

However, Deno is not simply a copy of Node: it is a more modern and improved version, offering integrated tools and features that are often missing or require external libraries on Node. Many of these features were already present before 2.0, but are now more mature and complete. These include:

All this works very quickly and with great attention to detail, filling many small gaps that have plagued Node and NPM for years.

For example, Deno automatically compiles the TypeScript code when you start the application, so there is no need to do it by hand. And to improve performance, it skips type checking unless specifically requested. During testing, however, type checking is on by default - a smart choice that provides greater security during development without slowing down code execution in production.

Speaking of testing: everything is included in Deno. No need to install additional tools to test code, measure coverage or run benchmarks. Everything is already available in a single executable file, ready to use. True, Node has also introduced some of these features over time, but in Deno they work better and are easier to use.

In addition, Deno offers:

In short, Deno 2.0 offers a complete and consistent environment where everything is ready to be used. There is no need to install dozens of separate tools or waste time with complicated configurations. And that, ultimately, is what really sets it apart: simplicity, efficiency and a development experience that ‘just works’.

Deno 2.0 represents a turning point. After years of experimentation, ambitious promises and a few missteps, the project has finally found a concrete and mature direction. The team has been able to listen to criticism, be self-critical and - above all - correct its course, integrating compatibility and functionality that now make it a true alternative to Node.js, not only on paper, but in the daily practice of the developer.

With a more robust ecosystem, high-level integrated tools and a more pragmatic approach, Deno 2.0 succeeds in combining innovation and usability. It is still too early to say whether it will really succeed in replacing Node, but one thing is certain: Deno now deserves to be taken seriously.

For curious developers or those looking for a more modern, essential and well-designed environment, Deno is no longer an experiment: it is a real option. And it is worth a try.