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binja

Introduction

binja is a high-performance Jinja2/Django Template Language engine built specifically for the Bun runtime. It provides 100% compatibility with Django templates while being 2-4x faster than Nunjucks in runtime mode and up to 160x faster with AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation.

Key Features

Performance

  • 2-4x faster than Nunjucks in runtime mode
  • 160x faster with AOT compilation for production
  • Pure TypeScript implementation optimized for Bun
  • Inline filter optimization for ~70 common filters

Compatibility

  • 100% Django Template Language (DTL) compatible
  • Full Jinja2 syntax support
  • Drop-in replacement for Django templates in JavaScript

Multi-Engine Support

binja uniquely supports multiple template syntaxes through a unified API:

EngineSyntaxUse Case
Jinja2/DTL{{ var }} {% if %}Python/Django projects
Handlebars{{var}} {{#if}}JavaScript ecosystem
Liquid{{ var }} {% if %}Shopify, Jekyll
Twig{{ var }} {% if %}PHP/Symfony projects

All engines share the same 84+ built-in filters and runtime optimizations.

Developer Experience

  • 84 built-in filters covering string, number, date, list, URL operations
  • 28 built-in tests for the is operator
  • Debug panel similar to Django Debug Toolbar
  • AI-powered linting for security, performance, and accessibility
  • CLI tool for compilation, checking, and watching templates
  • Framework adapters for Hono and Elysia

Two Rendering Modes

binja supports two rendering modes to optimize for different use cases:

Runtime Mode

Best for development and templates with dynamic inheritance.

import { render } from 'binja'


const html = await render('Hello, {{ name }}!', { name: 'World' })

AOT Mode

Best for production - pre-compile templates to JavaScript functions.

import { compile } from 'binja'


// Compile once at startup
const template = compile('<h1>{{ title|upper }}</h1>')


// Render synchronously (extremely fast)
const html = template({ title: 'welcome' })
// Output: <h1>WELCOME</h1>

When to Use binja

binja is ideal for:

  • Bun web applications using Hono, Elysia, or raw Bun.serve
  • Server-side rendering where performance matters
  • Migrating Django projects to JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Multi-engine projects that need Handlebars, Liquid, or Twig support
  • Static site generators that need fast template compilation

Next Steps