Electrobun
Framework for building small, fast desktop apps in TypeScript, with updates and a native CLI.
- Stars
- 13k
- Forks
- 379
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Zig
- Last update
- 7 days ago
- Type
- Framework
What it is
Electrobun is a framework for building cross-platform desktop applications, where the app logic is written in TypeScript. It aims to provide the pieces needed to build, update, and ship a desktop app in one workflow, using Bun as the default JavaScript runtime and a native CLI called Hutch. The README says it produces self-extracting bundles and binary-patch updates to keep downloads small.
- Build a desktop app with TypeScript for the main process and webview UI
- Ship small self-extracting app bundles using the system webview
- Send incremental updates using binary patches with a compressed full download as fallback
- Create a desktop app with a native GPU surface using the bundleWGPU option described in the README
Great for
- Developers who already write TypeScript and want to build a desktop app without learning a new UI language
- Teams that want a single workflow covering building, updating, and distributing a desktop app
- Developers interested in small app bundles and small update patches
- Developers who want to use Bun for the main process of a desktop app
Not ideal for
- People who need a mature, long-established desktop framework with years of production history, since the README does not document that track record
- Projects that require a fixed, pinned Chromium on every platform without considering the bundle size trade-off, since bundling Chromium increases file size
- Users who only want to run an existing app rather than build one
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Bun, npm, or the Hutch install script (the README shows bunx, npx, or curl-based install)
Install Hutch on macOS or Linux
curl -fsSL https://hutch.blackboard.sh/hutch/install.sh | shInstall Hutch on Windows PowerShell
& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://hutch.blackboard.sh/hutch/install.ps1)))Open the template picker
hutch electrobun initStart with Bun instead
bunx electrobun init - 2
Run it
- Install Hutch with the command for your operating system, restarting the terminal if hutch is not found
- Run hutch electrobun init and choose a template
- Follow the Quick Start guide on the project website to run the app
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the hutch.config.ts file to choose npm, Bun, pnpm, Yarn, or a custom executable for package operations
- Enable bundleCEF if you want a bundled, pinned Chromium instead of smaller files, as the README describes
- Use the electrobun-webview and electrobun-wgpu HTML elements to combine isolated webviews and GPU surfaces
- Review the Hutch guide for project configuration and version management
Downloads
Strengths
- Lets you write the main process and webviews in TypeScript, with typed RPC between processes according to the README
- Focuses on small bundles and small updates using compression and binary patching
- Offers a single CLI (Hutch) for project setup, toolchains, and version management
Trade-offs
- Some features, such as the Cottontail runtime, are described as experimental
- The README says Electrobun's platform layer uses Zig, Objective-C, and C++, so contributors may need familiarity with those languages to debug deeper issues
- Its documentation lives on an external site; the README itself is truncated and gives limited detail on setup beyond the first steps
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electrobun (this) | 13k | Framework | intermediate | 7 days ago | Developers who already write TypeScript and want to build a desktop app without learning a new UI language |
| electron | 124k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Web developers who want to ship a desktop app using skills they already have |
| wails | 36.9k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Go programmers who want a desktop app with a web-style interface |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.