JavaScript Conference (Node.js): Key Announcements and New Features

Node.js: A New Stage of Evolution

At the recent annual conference on JavaScript and Node.js, the developer community received many long-awaited announcements. The event gathered thousands of participants from around the world, with the main news concerning both the Node.js runtime itself and related tools. We have compiled for you the most significant announcements that will change the approach to building server-side applications.

1. Node.js 22: Stable Mode and Improved Performance

The main announcement is the release of the stable version of Node.js 22. Key changes include:

• Built-in WebSocket support — no need to install third-party libraries for working with real-time connections
• Improved garbage collector — average memory consumption reduced by 15%
• node:sqlite module — built-in SQLite support without additional dependencies
• Full ES module support — CommonJS mode is gradually becoming a thing of the past

Developers noted that Node.js 22 is 20% faster than the previous version when handling a large number of concurrent requests.

2. Bun: A New Competitor in the Market

Significant attention was given to the Bun project — an alternative runtime for JavaScript. The team announced version 1.2, which is now fully compatible with the Node.js API. Advantages include:

• Running scripts up to 4 times faster than Node.js
• Built-in TypeScript and JSX transpiler without additional configuration
• Its own package manager (10 times faster than npm)

Many speakers recommended Bun for new projects, especially in microservice architectures.

3. TypeScript 6.0: Strict Typing for Servers

Microsoft presented a preview version of TypeScript 6.0. The main innovation is decorators at the ECMAScript standard level. This means you can now use decorators without experimental flags. Support has also been added for:

• Conditional types with template literals
• The satisfies operator for precise type inference
• Integration with new Node.js 22 APIs

4. Deno: Stable Version 2.0 and npm Compatibility

The Deno project (created by the creator of Node.js) announced a stable release 2.0. The main change is full compatibility with npm packages. Deno can now run virtually any existing Node.js code. Additionally:

• Built-in support for environment variables from .env files
• Improved security — all scripts run in a sandbox by default
• A tool for automatic migration of projects from Node.js to Deno

5. Developer Tools: What's New?

The conference also presented updates to popular tools:

• ESLint 9.0 — transition to flat configuration, removal of deprecated rules
• Webpack 6 — modular architecture and support for new JavaScript standards
• Prisma 6 — improved support for SQLite and serverless databases

Conclusions and Predictions

The con