software

Feature is not yet stable, but will offer easy conversion of web applications

The next major release of Deno, a JavaScript/TypeScript runtime, will include new commands to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technology. Deno desktop will compile an application from a plain TypeScript file or from frameworks such as Next.js, Astro, Deno Fresh, TanStack Start or Vite SSR (server-side rendering).A distinctive feature is that the native WebView is used by default, rather than bundling the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF). The advantage is much smaller applications. In our quick test, a compiled application using WebView on macOS was around 68.5MB, whereas using CEF, which is also an option, the size was 308.9MB (though the docs suggest 150MB as typical) and startup was slower.

A Deno desktop application, also showing memory usage as reported by Activity Monitor on macOS

Tim Anderson