Deno Development Guidance

Overview

This skill provides foundational knowledge for building modern Deno applications. Deno is a secure JavaScript/TypeScript runtime that runs TypeScript directly, has built-in tools (formatter, linter, test runner), and uses modern package management through JSR.

When to Use This Skill

• Starting a new Deno project
• Adding dependencies to a project
• Configuring deno.json settings
• Running Deno CLI commands (fmt, lint, test)
• Setting up import maps
• Understanding Deno's permission system

Apply these practices whenever working in a Deno project (identified by the presence of deno.json).

Package Management Priority

When adding dependencies, follow this priority order:

1. JSR packages (jsr:) - Preferred for Deno-native packages

   • Better TypeScript support (types are built-in)
   • Faster to resolve and install
   • Example: jsr:@std/http, jsr:@fresh/core

2. npm packages (npm:) - Fully supported, use when no JSR alternative exists

   • Deno has full npm compatibility
   • Example: npm:express, npm:zod

3. AVOID: https://deno.land/x/ - Deprecated registry

   • This is the old package registry
   • Many LLMs incorrectly default to this
   • Always use jsr: instead

Standard Library

The Deno standard library lives at @std/ on JSR:

import { serve } from "jsr:@std/http";
import { join } from "jsr:@std/path";
import { assertEquals } from "jsr:@std/assert";

Never use https://deno.land/std/ - always use jsr:@std/*.

Understanding Deno

Reference: https://docs.deno.com/runtime/fundamentals/

Key concepts:

• Native TypeScript - No build step needed, Deno runs TypeScript directly
• Explicit permissions - Use flags like --allow-net, --allow-read, --allow-env
• deno.json - The config file (similar to package.json but simpler)
• Import maps - Define import aliases in deno.json's imports field

Workflow Best Practices

After Making Code Changes

Run these commands regularly, especially after significant changes:

deno fmt          # Format all files
deno lint         # Check for issues
deno test         # Run tests

Package Management

deno add jsr:@std/http    # Add a package
deno install              # Install all dependencies
deno upgrade              # Update packages to latest

Configuration

In deno.json, you can exclude directories from formatting/linting:

{
  "fmt": {
    "exclude": ["build/", "node_modules/"]
  },
  "lint": {
    "exclude": ["build/", "node_modules/"]
  }
}

Deployment

For deploying to Deno Deploy, see the dedicated deno-deploy skill.

Quick command: deno deploy --prod

Documentation Resources

When you need more information:

• deno doc <package> - Generate docs for any JSR or npm package locally
• https://docs.deno.com - Official Deno documentation
• https://jsr.io - Package registry with built-in documentation
• https://fresh.deno.dev/docs - Fresh framework documentation

Quick Reference: Deno CLI Commands

Command	Purpose
deno run file.ts	Run a TypeScript/JavaScript file
deno task <name>	Run a task from deno.json
deno fmt	Format code
deno lint	Lint code
deno test	Run tests
deno add <pkg>	Add a package
deno install	Install dependencies
deno upgrade	Update packages
deno doc <pkg>	View package documentation
deno deploy --prod	Deploy to Deno Deploy

Common Mistakes

Using deno.land/x instead of JSR

// ❌ Wrong - deprecated registry
import { serve } from "https://deno.land/x/http/mod.ts";

// ✅ Correct - use JSR
import { serve } from "jsr:@std/http";

Forgetting to run fmt/lint before committing

# ❌ Committing without checking
git add . && git commit -m "changes"

# ✅ Always format and lint first
deno fmt && deno lint && git add . && git commit -m "changes"

Using https://deno.land/std/ for standard library

// ❌ Wrong - old URL
import { join } from "https://deno.land/std/path/mod.ts";

// ✅ Correct - JSR standard library
import { join } from "jsr:@std/path";

Running code without permission flags

# ❌ Confusing error - "Requires net access"
deno run server.ts

# ✅ Grant specific permissions
deno run --allow-net server.ts

Not using deno add for dependencies

# ❌ Manually editing imports without updating deno.json
# (works, but misses lockfile benefits)

# ✅ Use deno add to manage dependencies
deno add jsr:@std/http