What is Desktopr?

Easily build and sign lightweight desktop applications using web stacks, with Desktopr GitHub actions and a straightforward Node API.

Desktopr is an open source, cross‑platform desktop builder that wraps any web app into a fully native desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux — powered by Tauri and a TypeScript ↔ Rust bridge API.

It allows developers to take any existing web app (built with SvelteKit, React, Vue, Bubble.io or any other framework) and easily transform it into a real native desktop app, with full white-label and total ownership on your builds. The whole toolchain is on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license.

Why Desktopr Exists

Building native desktop applications is traditionally complex.
It involves:

• Maintaining separate codebases per OS
• Handling native icons, installers, signatures, and updates
• Managing certificates and build pipelines
• Integrating OS‑level APIs manually (notifications, file system, shortcuts, etc.)

Desktopr automates all of this.

Developers keep their existing web app — and Desktopr takes care of everything else.

How It Works

1. You provide a public URL and other details of your web app (or bundle local files).

2. Desktopr builds a custom Tauri wrapper around it, on your machine or in your GitHub Actions.

3. Inside that wrapper, a Rust ↔ TypeScript bridge exposes native APIs for:

   • File system access
   • Global shortcuts
   • Notifications and tray icons
   • Deep links (app://...)
   • Updater and auto‑launch
   • Network and diagnostics
   • And more, via Desktopr.*

4. The build generates the native installers (NSIS/MSIX, DMG, AppImage/deb/rpm).

Key Features

• ⚙️ Desktop builds from any web app
• 🔗 Full JS/TS bridge for notifications, files, and OS events
• 🔒 Signed installers with your own certificates, and optional self-hosted updates
• 🧩 Sandboxed WebAssembly plugins
• 🎨 Custom branding (icons, app name, colors)
• 🧱 No "not-web code languages" knowledge required

The Developer Experience

Desktopr abstracts away the “boring” setup of Tauri and Rust, while preserving full control over configuration files and API exposure.

Developers can:

• Define app metadata (name, identifiers, schemes)
• Configure native menu and tray icons
• Keep signing certificates as their own repository secrets
• Run cross-platform builds in GitHub Actions and download the installers
• Access native OS capabilities through the Desktopr bridge API using the desktopr Node module.

Everything is modular, isolated, and reproducible.

Desktopr vs. Others

Feature	Desktopr	Others
Full ownership of binaries	✅ You own them	❌ Vendor‑locked
Native bridge API	✅ Yes	⚙️ Limited
Plugins	✅ Sandboxed WASM	❌ No
Source code	✅ Open source (Apache 2.0)	❌ Closed
Cost	Free	Subscription

Desktopr is not a centralized service — it's an independent builder that you run yourself. You keep full control over your binaries, storage, and branding.

Who It’s For

Spoiler... everybody, here a few examples:

• Teams needing internal native tools without cross‑platform complexity
• Agencies building branded desktop versions for clients
• Small developers turning web apps into desktop products
• No-code developers (eg. Bubble.io) who want true native integration

Summary

Desktopr turns your web app into a fully native desktop app.
No complex setup. No platform‑specific maintenance. Just your app, everywhere.