A new JavaScript runtime called Ant just landed on Hacker News and the developer reaction has been electric. At just 8 MB with a hand-built engine called Ant Silver, it achieves cold starts in 5 milliseconds while Node.js takes nearly 30 ms. For developers building serverless functions, edge deployments, and CLI tools, this is the kind of innovation that makes you rethink your stack.
Ant is not another Node.js wrapper. Its creator, known as theMackabu, built the entire engine from scratch in C over several months, chronicling the journey in a blog series that shows exactly how a single developer can build what previously required a team of engineers. The project went viral on Hacker News with over 210 upvotes, and the community immediately started debating its performance, security model, and long-term viability.
Why Ant Exists
The JavaScript runtime space has been dominated by three players: Node.js (120 MB), Deno (90 MB), and Bun (60 MB). All three are excellent runtimes, but they share a common problem: they are heavy. For a developer deploying a simple API endpoint or a command-line tool, shipping 60+ MB of runtime feels like overkill.
Ant targets environments where binary size and startup time matter most:
- Serverless functions where cold start latency directly impacts user experience
- Edge computing platforms with strict size limits
- Embedded systems where memory is constrained
- CLI tools that need to start instantly
- CI/CD pipelines where every millisecond counts
The tagline says it best: "An ant carries 50x its weight. So does this one."
Technical Architecture
Ant Silver, the engine powering Ant, is a hand-built JavaScript engine written in C. It is not a wrapper around V8, JavaScriptCore, or SpiderMonkey. The JIT compiler uses a fork of MIR, a lightweight intermediate representation backend that delivers near-compiled performance.
Key Technical Highlights
| Feature | Ant | Node.js | Bun | Deno |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binary size | ~8 MB | ~120 MB | ~60 MB | ~90 MB |
| Cold start | ~5 ms | ~31 ms | ~13 ms | ~25 ms |
| Engine | Ant Silver | V8 | JSC | V8 |
| JIT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WinterTC conformant | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in sandboxing | Yes | No | No | No |
The WinterTC Minimum Common API specification (Ecma TC55) is the emerging standard for server-side JavaScript interoperability. Ant achieves 100% on the compat-table suite (1511/1511 tests) and about 64% on test262, with the team focused on real-world coverage rather than chasing a perfect theoretical score.
Cold Start Benchmarks
Using the Hono framework as a realistic workload, Ant demonstrates remarkable startup performance:
hyperfine --warmup 10 --runs 100 \
'ant examples/npm/hono/bench-coldstart.js' \
'node examples/npm/hono/bench-coldstart.js' \
'bun examples/npm/hono/bench-coldstart.js' \
'deno run --allow-read --allow-env examples/npm/hono/bench-coldstart.js'
| Runtime | Mean | Min | Max | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ant | 5.5 ms | 4.9 ms | 6.1 ms | 1.00 |
| Bun | 10.6 ms | 9.5 ms | 13.8 ms | 1.93x slower |
| Deno | 24.8 ms | 22.2 ms | 29.4 ms | 4.51x slower |
| Node | 28.7 ms | 27.1 ms | 31.2 ms | 5.22x slower |
These benchmarks were measured on an Apple M5 Pro with 64 GB RAM. Ant is over 5x faster than Node.js at cold start and nearly 2x faster than Bun.
What Makes Ant Different
Built-in Sandboxing
One of the most discussed features in the HN thread is Ant's security model. Unlike Node.js and npm, which provide no default sandboxing for package execution, Ant includes built-in sandbox that restricts what code can do. The HN community noted that this could help prevent supply chain attacks and worms that plague the npm ecosystem.
Native Package Registry: ant.land
Ant ships with its own package registry called ant.land, which the community has praised for features missing from npm. While it also supports npm packages, the native registry offers better integration with Ant's security and performance model.
Compilation in C
The entire runtime is written in C, not C++ like V8 or Zig like Bun's underlying components. This makes it easier to audit and potentially embed in other applications. One HN commenter noted excitement about embedding Ant for distributing applications "without dragging along hundreds of megabytes of V8 or Node."
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ant production-ready? Ant is in active development with an MIT license. The core engine works well for many use cases, but it has not yet reached the maturity level of Node.js. Expect breaking changes as the API stabilizes.
Does Ant support npm packages? Yes, Ant supports npm packages through its package manager. Some packages may have compatibility issues due to the different engine, but the WinterTC conformance ensures broad compatibility.
Can I embed Ant in my own application? The lightweight 8 MB binary and C codebase make Ant an attractive option for embedding. The author is responsive to community needs around embedding use cases.
How does performance compare for production workloads? The cold start advantage is clear, but production throughput benchmarks are still emerging. The community has noted that the zoo.js benchmarks show room for improvement in sustained execution compared to V8.
Who maintains Ant? The project is primarily maintained by theMackabu with growing community contributions. The HN thread specifically called for more collaborators to increase the bus factor.
Does Ant support TypeScript? TypeScript is listed as one of the project topics on GitHub, and WinterTC conformance suggests modern JavaScript features are well-supported. For full TypeScript compilation, you may need a build step.
Is there a binary compilation feature like Deno's? Deno's ability to compile to a standalone binary was raised in the HN discussion. The Ant team has acknowledged interest in this feature but it is not yet available.
Developer Experience
Installing Ant is straightforward:
The binary weighs about 8 MB (or 4 MB with size optimization flags). Running a script is as simple as:
The project includes a Discord community, an active blog documenting the development journey, and a DeepWiki page explaining internals. The creator's blog series "Working was the beginning" and "Ant Part Two" provide an in-depth look at the engineering decisions behind the runtime.
Key Takeaways
- Ant is an 8 MB JavaScript runtime with a hand-built engine (Ant Silver) written in C
- 5 ms cold starts make it 5x faster than Node.js and 2x faster than Bun for startup
- Built-in sandboxing addresses a major security gap in the Node.js/npm ecosystem
- WinterTC conformant with 100% compat-table pass rate
- Single-developer project that shows the power of modern AI-assisted development
- Active community with 478 GitHub stars and growing
Conclusion
Ant represents a compelling new direction for JavaScript runtimes. While it is not yet ready to replace Node.js in production for every use case, its 8 MB footprint, 5 ms cold starts, and built-in security sandbox make it an exciting option for serverless, edge, and embedded JavaScript workloads.
The fact that a single developer built this from scratch over a few months says something about the state of software development in 2026. Whether Ant becomes the next big runtime or inspires features in existing ones, the JavaScript ecosystem is better for having it.
Sources: Ant JS Runtime, GitHub Repository, Hacker News Discussion
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