Why We Ditched Node.js for Deno (And Had Fun Doing It)

Hi! Glory to Ukraine ???? and God Save the King ????. My name is Ihor Chyshkala and I'm CTO IC Studio .

You know that feeling when your favorite coffee shop changes its beans, and you're initially skeptical but end up loving the new taste? That's exactly how our team felt when we decided to migrate from Node.js to Deno. Let me tell you our story of how we embraced the dinosaur ?? and never looked back.

The Status Quo: Life with Node.js

Like many teams, we had been happily using Node.js for years. npm was our trusted package manager, package.json was our faithful companion, and node_modules was our... well, let's just say it was there, consuming disk space like a hungry hippo.

We had our fair share of typical Node.js moments:

- "Why is my node_modules folder 500MB?"

- "Which version of this package should we use?"

- "Who forgot to commit package-lock.json again?"

- "Why do we need 15 dependencies just to pad a string?"

Enter the Dinosaur

One day, during our weekly tech sync, someone mentioned Deno. "It's like Node.js, but with a cute dinosaur logo," they said. Initially, we thought it was just another JavaScript runtime trying to solve problems we'd already learned to live with.

But then we started reading about it:

- TypeScript support out of the box? Nice! Since we had plenty projects on Next.js, well...

- No more package.json? Interesting...

- Direct URL imports? Tell me more...

- Built-in developer tools? Now you're speaking our language!

- Security by default? Shut up and take my money! (Oh wait, it's free!)

The Migration Adventure

Step 1: Convincing the Team

Our pitch to management was simple: "It's like Node.js, but better, faster, and comes with a dinosaur mascot." Surprisingly, the dinosaur part sealed the deal. Never underestimate the power of good branding!

Step 2: The Learning Curve

The first few days were... interesting:

typescript

// Old habits die hard

const express = require('express');  // Nope!

import { Application } from "https://deno.land/x/oak/mod.ts";  // Yes!        

We had to unlearn some Node.js patterns and embrace the Deno way. But honestly? It felt like upgrading from a flip phone to a smartphone – once you get used to it, you wonder how you lived without it.

Step 3: The Actual Migration

It's crucial to note that Deno is fully compatible with npm Migrating our codebase was like renovating a house while living in it. We took it module by module:

1. Started with smaller, less critical services

2. Rewrote our test suites (and actually enjoyed the built-in testing tools)

3. Gradually moved our core services

4. Celebrated each successful migration with dinosaur-themed memes

The Unexpected Benefits

1. Simplified Deployment

- No more "Works on my machine" syndrome

- Dependencies are cached and versioned properly

- Our Docker images shrunk significantly

2. Developer Happiness

- Built-in formatting and linting tools

- No more configuration files scattered everywhere

- TypeScript just works?

3. Better Security

- Explicit permissions for file/network access

- No more "this package needs access to your entire system to pad strings"

- Fewer dependency-related security headaches

The Few Bumps Along the Way

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows:

- Some team members really missed their favorite npm packages

- We had to rewrite some utilities that weren't available in Deno

- A few developers needed time to adjust to the permissions model

- Our dinosaur pun game needed serious improvement

The Verdict

Six months in, and we're loving our decision. Our codebase is cleaner, our developers are happier, and our systems are more secure. Plus, our team's collection of dinosaur-themed merchandise has grown exponentially.

Lessons Learned

1. Change can be good, especially when it comes with a cute mascot

2. Modern development tools can significantly improve developer experience

3. Security by default is better than security as an afterthought

4. You can never have too many dinosaur memes in your Slack channels

Should You Make the Switch?

If you're starting a new project, definitely give Deno a shot. If you have an existing Node.js application, evaluate the benefits against the migration effort. For us, it was worth it – not just for the technical benefits, but also for the fresh perspective it brought to our development process.

Remember: the JavaScript ecosystem is ever-evolving, and sometimes embracing change (especially when it comes in the form of a friendly dinosaur) can lead to better things.

P.S. No node_modules were harmed in the making of this migration. They were peacefully retired to that great recycling bin in the sky.