Support Bun.js for NodeJS Site Type (Skip npm install)

[Kamleshpaul]

I am using Vito Deploy with the Site Type: NodeJS with NPM.

I want to deploy a project that uses Bun.js instead of npm. However, currently:

• The deployment process automatically runs npm install

• I cannot:

  • Clone the repository without triggering npm
  • Configure the build/install step to use bun install instead

• This prevents using Bun-based projects properly

Expected Behavior

It would be very helpful to have one of the following options:

1. Bun.js support as a first-class Site Type (NodeJS with Bun), or

2. A configuration option to:

   • Clone the repository without running npm install
   • Allow custom install commands (e.g. bun install)
   • Allow custom build commands using Bun

Use Case

Many modern Node.js projects are switching to Bun for:

• Faster installs
• Built-in bundler
• Better performance

Currently, it’s not possible to deploy Bun-based projects cleanly because npm is mandatory in the NodeJS Site Type.

Proposed Solution

• Add a “Skip default npm install” toggle, or
• Allow selecting package manager: npm / yarn / pnpm / bun
• Or introduce a NodeJS (Custom Runtime) option

Environment

• Vito Deploy
• Site Type: NodeJS with NPM
• Runtime: Bun.js

[Kamleshpaul]

I’m currently using this approach in another project where the site was initially set up with npm, and later switched to Bun manually.

What I had to do:

• Install Bun.js manually on the server
• Override the default Vito deploy behavior
• Replace npm install and npm run build with Bun-based commands
• Manually manage the .next build directory

This works, but it’s a workaround and requires extra maintenance.

Current deploy script using Bun:

cd $SITE_PATH

git pull origin $BRANCH || exit

bun i || exit

bun run db:migrate || exit

rm -rf temp
rm -rf next_backup

BUILD_DIR=temp bun run build || exit

if [ ! -d "temp" ]; then
  echo 'temp Directory not exists!'
  exit 1
fi

if [ -d ".next" ]; then
  mv .next .next_backup || exit
fi

rm -rf .next || {
  echo 'Failed to remove old .next directory!'
  mv .next_backup .next
  exit 1
}

mv temp .next || {
  echo 'Failed to move new build to .next!'
  mv .next_backup .next
  exit 1
}

rm -rf .next_backup
rm -rf temp

echo "Deploy done."

Worker command:

bun run --cwd=/home/vito/example.com start -p 3000

Because the NodeJS with NPM site type always assumes npm, this setup isn’t possible without overriding the default behavior.

Having native Bun support or at least an option to skip npm install and define a custom package manager would make this much cleaner and easier to maintain.

[saeedvaziry]

Bun support is coming on V4. to use on V3 you can use a community plugin released recently