Bun on Termux

[n0thhhing]

What is the type of issue?

Documentation is missing

What is the issue?

Missing Docs for Termux users

Intro

While the primary focus of Bun is not currently on Android platforms like Termux, this aims to help Termux users install and use Bun smoothly.

installation

To begin, refer to the official Bun installation documentation using the following command:

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

However, after installation, attempting to use Bun may result in a Command not found error.

Solutions

Native Termux

1. Start by addressing this issue with the only current viable solution — utilizing Termux's glibc package, which is detailed here.
2. After installation, set an alias using grun to process the binary correctly.
   • Open your preferred configuration file (e.g., vim ~/.zshrc).
   • Add the alias:

     alias bun="grun ~/.bun/bin/bun"

     Downsides

     While this solution has its usecases, there are some downsides to consider:

Packages Are Limited:

Due to limitations with grun, Bun may encounter difficulties reading and processing node modules, resulting in errors like:

❯ bun run index.ts
error: Cannot find package "some-package" from "/storage/emulated/0/Download/some_project/index.ts"

Limited Functionality:

As of now, due to native permissions and issues with grun, the Bun binary isn't fully processed. Consequently, certain operations may not work correctly:

• Installing packages:

  ❯ bun add axios
  bun add v1.0.25 (a8ff7be6)  🔍 axios [6/6]error: FailedToOpenSocket downloading package manifest axioserror: axios@ failed to resolve

• Using features like bunx or Bun's REPL:

  ❯ bun repl
  error loading current directoryerror: CouldntReadCurrentDirectory----- bun meta -----Bun v1.0.25 (a8ff7be6) Linux arm64 #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed Dec 27 11:31:51 UTC 2023BunxCommand:Elapsed: 11ms | User: 4ms | Sys: 12msRSS: 33.55MB | Peak: 9.72MB | Commit: 33.55MB | Faults: 12----- bun meta -----0   0x720c4e24f81   ???2   ???3   ???4   ???5   ???6   ???Search GitHub issues https://bun.sh/issues or ask for #help in https://bun.sh/discord

  #

  Proot distro

  For installation and usage of Bun on Termux with a better approach, follow these steps:

  1. Install PRoot-Distro: Execute the following command to install PRoot-Distro using Termux's packages:

     apt update && apt install proot-distro -y

  2. starting a session

     proot-distro install ubuntu proot-distro login ubuntu # once installed you can use this anytime to start your Ubuntu terminal

  3. make sure bun is installed in the new session
  4. After installation, set an alias to run the Bun binary. Unlike native Termux, there are no external packages needed in this environment.

• Open your preferred configuration file (e.g., vim ~/.zshrc).

• Add the alias:

  alias bun="~/.bun/bin/bun" # Or use the path where you have placed Bun's binaries

  5. Restart Your Shell: If you're using zsh, restart your shell to apply the changes:

     exec zsh

  6. Verify Installation: Confirm the successful installation of Bun by running:

     bun --version

     downsides

• Installing Packages: Due to Bun not being optimized for Android architectures, it lacks the necessary permissions to access node_modules. However, a fix is available. Update your configuration file with the following:

  alias bun=bun_function
  # Function to handle installations with the "--backend=copyfile" flag to prevent an "access denied" error during package installations.
  bun_function() {
  if [ "$1" = "add" ]; then
  shift
  ~/.bun/bin/bun add --backend=copyfile "${@}"
  else
  ~/.bun/bin/bun "$@"
  fi
  }

  Additional Notes

  This doesn't intend to force developers to prioritize Termux support but serves as a guide for those with limited access to environments like Termux. Ideas and fixes presented here are mostly original, with clarifications drawn from insightful comments on related issues.

credits:

Special thanks to issue #5085 for providing insights into fixing package installations. Additionally, credit goes to Denos fix for addressing similar usage issues.

Where Did You Find It?

This issue post aims to address missing documentation for Bun on Termux. It is *not intended to compel developers to prioritize Termux support but rather serves as guidance for users with limited access to environments like Termux. The outlined solutions and insights are derived from mostly original ideas with additional clarification from comments on related issues, particularly issue #5085 and Denos fix.

[Electroid]

Thanks for opening this issue with detailed ideas/workarounds. We have too many other things to prioritize over Android/Termux. If we add it to our docs, there is an implicit expectation that it is a supported platform, when in reality it is not.

[n0thhhing]

understandable, Considering the recent launch of Bun and other urgent matters, addressing concerns related to native Termux may not be the current primary focus. also, prioritizing support for Windows as of now is crucial to avoid potential complications from simultaneous extensive updates, which could negatively impact the ecosystem and workflow.

[CodeIter]

I made a shell script termux-pacman-glibc-setup.sh to setup glibc-runner with pacman on Termux and install Deno.JS and Bun.JS as a demo.