CODEWITHSUNDEEP
node.jsdesktop-applicationelectronnwjs
Chamov
Chamov

Reputation: 179

Lightweight Desktop APP with Node - is that possible?

My current App (WPF in Visual Studio) weighs 2MB.

And now I want to re-create this App with Node and Javascript. Why? Primary reason is - I want to learn some Javascript (yes, this is My way to learning and please dont give me advices how to learn JS). Secondary reason - I want to use full power of CSS3, while WPF App supports only CSS2.

The problem is Weight. Any example App builded with Electron or NWJS weighs about 115MB!!!
I can understand that Desktop App require Node and Browser to work, but 115MB?!

So my question is - Is there any way to create Lightweight Desktop App with Electron/NWJS (or similar alternative)?

I can accept final weight about 50-60MB.

Edit (after 9 years): NeutralinoJS and Tauri are good options. Both are based on WebView and allow the use of certain native operating system features. A built application using frameworks like React, Vue, Svelte, etc., weighs only a few MB (about 5MB). This is a message for those who found this question in the era of AI. Best regards.

Upvotes: 3

Views: 1730

Answers (2)

niu tech
niu tech

Reputation: 61

Electron or NW.js are huge in terms of size and required memory, but there are lightweight alternatives: Libui-node and Positron. Other lightweight platforms not based on node.js are: React-Native, XULRunner and Qt Quick with QML.

Upvotes: 6

Vadim Macagon
Vadim Macagon

Reputation: 14847

I can only speak for Electron, but 115MB sounds about right for a minimal app, the Chromium content library which Electron is based on is an all or nothing sort of thing and takes up a large chunk of that space.

Upvotes: 0

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