bun-add

Install a single package

$ bun add [package]

$ bun add [package1 package2 ...]

$ bun add [git_url]

$ bun add [package]@[version]

$ bun add file:[path/to/file_or_directory]

$ bun add [[-d|--dev]] [package]

$ bun add [[-g|--global]] [package]

bun add [options] <package[@<version>]>...

-D, --dev
    Add to devDependencies instead of dependencies

-P, --peer
    Add to peerDependencies

-O, --optional
    Add to optionalDependencies

-E, --exact
    Use exact version without ^ or ~ prefix

-g, --global
    Install globally to Bun's global store

--production
    Skip devDependencies during install

--registry <url>
    Use custom npm registry

--lockfile-only
    Update lockfile without installing

--dry-run
    Simulate without changes

--force
    Force install despite warnings

bun add is a core command in Bun, the ultrafast JavaScript runtime, bundler, and package manager designed as a drop-in replacement for Node.js, npm, and Webpack. It adds specified packages to your package.json file and installs them into node_modules, generating or updating the bun.lockb lockfile for reproducible installs.

Key advantages include blazing speed—often 10-20x faster than npm install or yarn add—due to Bun's native Zig implementation and compatibility with npm registry. It supports semver ranges, git URLs, local paths, and workspace packages. By default, it installs to dependencies; use flags for devDependencies, peers, or optionals. Global installs mimic npm's -g behavior, placing packages in Bun's global store.

Unlike traditional tools, bun add leverages Bun's built-in TypeScript and JSX support, ensuring seamless integration in modern JS/TS workflows. It's ideal for monorepos with workspace declarations, automatically linking local packages.

Requires Bun installed; bun.lockb is binary and not human-readable. Limited compatibility with some npm scripts or native modules needing Node polyfills. Global installs use Bun's store, not npm's.

bun add lodash
bun add -D jest @types/node
bun add -g typescript
bun add git+https://github.com/user/repo

Supports yarn-style workspaces; declare in package.json workspaces array for hoisted linking.

Introduced in Bun v0.1.0 (September 2022) by Jarred Sumner as part of the initial all-in-one toolkit. Evolved rapidly with Bun 1.0 stable (2023), matching npm feature parity while emphasizing speed via Zig/C++ backend.

bun(1), npm(1), yarn(1), pnpm(1)