# Bun Installation
> Install Bun with npm, Homebrew, Docker, or the official script.
- Skill: `jarle/bun-installation` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jarle/bun-installation`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jarle/bun-installation/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: jarle (https://skillmd.com/u/jarle)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jarle/bun-installation
---
# Installation
> Install Bun with npm, Homebrew, Docker, or the official script.
## Overview
Bun ships as a single, dependency-free executable. You can install it via script, package manager, or Docker across macOS, Linux, and Windows.
After installation, verify with `bun --version` and `bun --revision`.
## Installation
```bash curl icon="globe" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
curl -fsSL https://bun.com/install | bash
```
**Linux users** The `unzip` package is required to install Bun. Use `sudo apt install unzip` to install the unzip package. Kernel version 5.6 or higher is strongly recommended, but the minimum is 5.1. Use `uname -r` to check Kernel version.
```powershell PowerShell icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1|iex"
```
Bun requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later.
For support and discussion, please join the **#windows** channel on our [Discord](https://bun.com/discord).
```bash npm icon="npm" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
npm install -g bun # the last `npm` command you'll ever need
```
```bash Homebrew icon="https://mintcdn.com/bun-1dd33a4e/nIz6GtMH5K-dfXeV/icons/homebrew.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=nIz6GtMH5K-dfXeV&q=85&s=5c6dc69e5e0d20fb807fba0a9cd45023" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
brew install oven-sh/bun/bun
```
```bash Scoop icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
scoop install bun
```
Bun provides a Docker image that supports both Linux x64 and arm64.
```bash Docker icon="docker" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
docker pull oven/bun
docker run --rm --init --ulimit memlock=-1:-1 oven/bun
```
### Image Variants
There are also image variants for different operating systems:
```bash Docker icon="docker" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
docker pull oven/bun:debian
docker pull oven/bun:slim
docker pull oven/bun:distroless
docker pull oven/bun:alpine
```
To check that Bun was installed successfully, open a new terminal window and run:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
bun --version
# Output: 1.x.y
# See the precise commit of `oven-sh/bun` that you're using
bun --revision
# Output: 1.x.y+b7982ac13189
```
If you've installed Bun but are seeing a `command not found` error, you may have to manually add the installation
directory (`~/.bun/bin`) to your `PATH`.
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
echo $SHELL
# /bin/zsh or /bin/bash or /bin/fish
```
* For bash: `~/.bashrc`
* For zsh: `~/.zshrc`
* For fish: `~/.config/fish/config.fish`
Add this line to your configuration file:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
export BUN_INSTALL="$HOME/.bun"
export PATH="$BUN_INSTALL/bin:$PATH"
```
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
source ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc
```
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
& "$env:USERPROFILE\.bun\bin\bun" --version
```
If the command runs successfully but `bun --version` is not recognized, it means that bun is not in your system's PATH. To fix this, open a Powershell terminal and run the following command:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
"Path",
[System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";$env:USERPROFILE\.bun\bin",
[System.EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User
)
```
After running the command, restart your terminal and test with `bun --version`
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
bun --version
```
***
## Upgrading
Once installed, the binary can upgrade itself:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
bun upgrade
```
**Homebrew users**
To avoid conflicts with Homebrew, use `brew upgrade bun` instead.
**Scoop users**
To avoid conflicts with Scoop, use `scoop update bun` instead.
***
## Canary Builds
[-> View canary build](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases/tag/canary)
Bun automatically releases an (untested) canary build on every commit to main. To upgrade to the latest canary build:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
# Upgrade to latest canary
bun upgrade --canary
# Switch back to stable
bun upgrade --stable
```
The canary build is useful for testing new features and bug fixes before they're released in a stable build. To help the Bun team fix bugs faster, canary builds automatically upload crash reports to Bun's team.
***
## Installing Older Versions
Since Bun is a single binary, you can install older versions by re-running the installer script with a specific version.
To install a specific version, pass the git tag to the install script:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
curl -fsSL https://bun.com/install | bash -s "bun-v1.3.3"
```
On Windows, pass the version number to the PowerShell install script:
```powershell PowerShell icon="windows" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
iex "& {$(irm https://bun.com/install.ps1)} -Version 1.3.3"
```
***
## Direct Downloads
To download Bun binaries directly, visit the [releases page on GitHub](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases).
### Latest Version Downloads
Standard Linux x64 binary
For older CPUs without AVX2
Standard Windows binary
For older CPUs without AVX2
Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
Intel Macs
ARM64 Linux systems
### Musl Binaries
For distributions without `glibc` (Alpine Linux, Void Linux):
* [Linux x64 musl](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases/latest/download/bun-linux-x64-musl.zip)
* [Linux x64 musl baseline](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases/latest/download/bun-linux-x64-musl-baseline.zip)
* [Linux ARM64 musl](https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/releases/latest/download/bun-linux-aarch64-musl.zip)
If you encounter an error like `bun: /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6: version GLIBC_2.29 not found`, try using the
musl binary. Bun's install script automatically chooses the correct binary for your system.
***
## CPU Requirements
Bun has specific CPU requirements based on the binary you're using:
**x64 binaries** target the Haswell CPU architecture (AVX and AVX2 instructions required)
| Platform | Intel Requirement | AMD Requirement |
| -------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| x64 | Haswell (4th gen Core) or newer | Excavator or newer |
**x64-baseline binaries** target the Nehalem architecture for older CPUs
| Platform | Intel Requirement | AMD Requirement |
| ------------ | ------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| x64-baseline | Nehalem (1st gen Core) or newer | Bulldozer or newer |
Baseline builds are slower than regular builds. Use them only if you encounter an "Illegal
Instruction" error.
Bun does not support CPUs older than the baseline target, which mandates the SSE4.2 extension. macOS requires version
13.0 or later.
***
## Uninstall
To remove Bun from your system:
```bash terminal icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
rm -rf ~/.bun
```
```powershell PowerShell icon="windows" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
powershell -c ~\.bun\uninstall.ps1
```
```bash npm icon="npm" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
npm uninstall -g bun
```
```bash Homebrew icon="https://mintcdn.com/bun-1dd33a4e/nIz6GtMH5K-dfXeV/icons/homebrew.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=nIz6GtMH5K-dfXeV&q=85&s=5c6dc69e5e0d20fb807fba0a9cd45023" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
brew uninstall bun
```
```bash Scoop icon="terminal" theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"dracula"}}
scoop uninstall bun
```