Created by Ryan Dahl, the inventor of Node.js, Deno was designed to address what he saw as mistakes in Node.js. It features a stricter sandboxing system, built-in dependency management and native TypeScript support — a key draw for its user base. Many of us prefer Deno for TypeScript projects, as it feels like a true TypeScript run time and toolchain, rather than an add-on to Node.js.
Since its inclusion in the Radar in 2019, Deno has made significant advancements. The Deno 2 release introduces backward compatibility with Node.js and npm libraries, long-term support (LTS) releases and other improvements. Previously, one of the biggest barriers to adoption was the need to rewrite Node.js applications. These updates reduce migration friction while expanding dependency options for supporting tools and systems. Given the massive Node.js and npm ecosystem, these changes should drive further adoption.
Additionally, Deno’s Standard Library has stabilized, helping combat the proliferation of low-value npm packages across the ecosystem. Its tooling and Standard Library make TypeScript or JavaScript more appealing for server-side development. However, we caution against choosing a platform solely to avoid polyglot programming.
As a group we have mixed feelings about programming in JavaScript on the server side, especially when the rationale for doing so is simply to avoid polyglot programming. That said, if you decide to use JavaScript or TypeScript on the server, have a look at Deno. Written by Ryan Dahl, the inventor of Node.js, Deno aims to avoid what Ryan considers mistakes that were made in Node.js. It brings a strict sandbox system and built-in dependency and package management, and it supports TypeScript out of the box. Deno is built using Rust and V8.
