nw-builder

Build NW.js applications for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Major Features

• Get, run or build applications.
• Integrate FFmpeg community builds
• Configure executable fields and icons
• Downloading from mirrors
• Node Native Addon support (partial)

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Usage
• Concepts
• API Reference
• Guides
• Contributing
• Roadmap
• FAQ
• License

Install

npm i -D nw-builder

Every NW.js release includes a modified Node.js binary at a specific version. It is recommended to install exactly that version on the host system. Not doing so may download ABI incompatible Node modules. Consult the NW.js versions manifest for what Node.js version to install. It is recommended to use a Node version manager (such as volta, n, nvm, or nvm-windows) to be able to easily install and switch between Node versions.

Usage

This package can be used via a command line interface, be imported as a JavaScript module, or configured via the Node manifest as a JSON object. If options are defined in Node manifest, then they will be used over options defined in CLI or JavaScript API.

CLI interface:

nwbuild --mode=build --glob=false --flavor=sdk --cacheDir=./node_modules/nw /path/to/project

ESM import:

import nwbuild from "nw-builder";

CJS import:

let nwbuild;
import("nwbuild")
  .then((object) => {
    nwbuild = obj;
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error(error);
  });

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  glob: false,
  flavor: "sdk",
  cacheDir: "./node_modules/nw",
  srcDir: "/path/to/project",
});

Node manifest usage:

{
    "nwbuild": {
      "mode": "build",
      "glob": false,
      "flavor": "sdk",
      "cacheDir": "./node_modules/nw",
      "srcDir": "/path/to/project"
    }
}

See nw-builder in action by building the demo application.

1. git clone https://github.com/nwutils/nw-builder
2. Run npm run demo:bld:linux && npm run demo:exe:linux to build and execute a Linux application.
3. Run npm run demo:bld:osx && npm run demo:exe:osx to build and execute a MacOS application.
4. Run npm run demo:bld:win && npm run demo:exe:win to build and execute a Windows application.

From here on we will show nw-builder functionality by using the JavaScript module. Please note that the same functionality applies when using a command line or manifest file.

Concepts

nw-builder can get, run and build NW.js applications. We refer to them as get, run and build modes.

Get Mode

Deprecation warning: From v4.6.4 onward, get mode is deprecated. This logic has been ported over to nwjs/npm-installer repo and will be removed in the next major release.

By default you get the normal build of the latest NW.js release for your specific platform and arch. For more information, please refer to the API reference.

nwbuild({
  mode: "get"
});

Get the community built FFmeg which contains proprietary codecs. This options is disabled by default. Please read the license's constraints before enabling this option.

nwbuild({
  mode: "get",
  ffmpeg: true
});

Get Node headers if you have to rebuild Node addons.

nwbuild({
  mode: "get",
  nativeAddon: "gyp"
});

Run Mode

Deprecation warning: From v4.6.0 onward, run mode is deprecated. This logic has been ported over to nwjs/npm-installer repo and will be removed in the next major release.

const nwProcess = await nwbuild({
  mode: "run",
  srcDir: "./app",
  glob: false,
});

Note: The nwProcess is a Node.js process

Build Mode

Build with defaults:

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
});

Managed Manifest

You can let nw-builder manage your node modules. The managedManifest options accepts a boolean, string or object type. It will then remove devDependencies, autodetect and download dependencies via the relevant packageManager. If none is specified, it uses npm as default.

Setting it to true will parse the first Node manifest it encounters as the NW manifest.

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  managedManifest: true,
});

Setting it to a string implies that you are passing the file path to the NW manifest.

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  managedManifest: "./nw.js",
});

Setting it to a object implies you are directly passing the NW manifest as a JavaScript object.

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  managedManifest: {
    name: "nwdemo",
    main: "index.html"
  },
});

Rebuild Node addons

Currently this feature is quite limited. It only builds node addons which have a binding.gyp file in the srcDir. There are plans to support nan, cmake, ffi and gn and auto rebuild native addons which are installed as node modules.

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  nodeAddon: "gyp",
});

We recommend rebuilding Node addons for NW.js via node-gyp if you are using NW.js v0.83.0 or above.

node-gyp rebuild --target=22.2.0 --nodedir=/path/to/nw/node/headers

NW.js's Node version should match the Node version on the host machine due to ABI differences in V8.

API Reference

Options

| Name | Type | Default | Description | | ---- | ------- | --------- | ----------- | | mode | "get" \| "run" \| "build" | "build" | Choose between get, run or build mode | | version | string \| "latest" \| "stable" | "latest" | Runtime version | | flavor | "normal" \| "sdk" | "normal" | Runtime flavor | | platform | "linux" \| "osx" \| "win" | | Host platform | | arch | "ia32" \| "x64" \| "arm64" | | Host architecture | | downloadUrl | "https://dl.nwjs.io" \| "https://npm.taobao.org/mirrors/nwjs" \| https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/nwjs \| "https://github.com/corwin-of-amber/nw.js/releases/" | "https://dl.nwjs.io" | Download server. Supports file systems too (for example file:///home/localghost/nwjs_mirror) | | manifestUrl | "https://nwjs.io/versions" \| "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nwutils/nw-builder/main/src/util/osx.arm.versions.json" | "https://nwjs.io/versions" | Versions manifest | | cacheDir | string | "./cache" | Directory to cache NW binaries | | cache | boolean | true| If true the existing cache is used. Otherwise it removes and redownloads it. | | ffmpeg | boolean | false| If true the chromium ffmpeg is replaced by community version with proprietary codecs. | | logLevel | "error" \| "warn" \| "info" \| "debug" | "info"| Specify level of logging. | | srcDir | string | "./" | File paths to application code | | argv | string[] | [] | Command line arguments to pass to NW executable in run mode. You can also define these in chromium-args in NW.js manifest. | | glob | boolean | true| If true file globbing is enabled when parsing srcDir. | | outDir | string | "./out" | Directory to store build artifacts | | managedManifest | boolean \| string \| object | false | Managed manifest | | nodeAddon | false \| "gyp" | false | Rebuild Node native addons | | zip | boolean \| "zip" \| "tar" \| "tgz" | false| If true, "zip", "tar" or "tgz" the outDir directory is compressed. | | app | LinuxRc \| WinRc \| OsxRc | Additional options for each platform. (See below.)

app configuration object

This object defines additional properties used for building for a specific platform. For each platform, pass an object with appropriate values:

Windows-specific options (WinRc)

| Name | Type | Default | Description | | ---- | ------- | --------- | ----------- | | icon | string | undefined | The path to the icon file. It should be a .ico file. (WARNING: Please define the icon in the NW.js manifest instead) | | name | string | Value of name in NW.js manifest | The name of the application | | version | string | Value of version in NW.js manifest | The version of the application | | comments | string | undefined | Additional information that should be displayed for diagnostic purposes. | | company | string | Value of author in NW.js manifest | Company that produced the file—for example, Microsoft Corporation or Standard Microsystems Corporation, Inc. This string is required. | | fileDescription | string | Value of description in NW.js manifest | File description to be presented to users. This string may be displayed in a list box when the user is choosing files to install. For example, Keyboard Driver for AT-Style Keyboards. This string is required. | | fileVersion | string | Value of version or value of version in NW.js manifest | Version number of the file. For example, 3.10 or 5.00.RC2. This string is required. | | internalName | string | Value of name in NW.js manifest |Internal name of the file, if one exists—for example, a module name if the file is a dynamic-link library. If the file has no internal name, this string should be the original filename, without extension. This string is required. | | legalCopyright | string | undefined | Copyright notices that apply to the file. This should include the full text of all notices, legal symbols, copyright dates, and so on. This string is optional. | | legalTrademark | string | undefined | Trademarks and registered trademarks that apply to the file. This should include the full text of all notices, legal symbols, trademark numbers, and so on. This string is optional. | | originalFilename | string | Value of name option | Original name of the file, not including a path. This information enables an application to determine whether a file has been renamed by a user. The format of the name depends on the file system for which the file was created. This string is required. | | privateBuild | string | undefined | Information about a private version of the file—for example, Built by TESTER1 on \TESTBED. | | productName | string | name in NW.js manifest | Name of the product with which the file is distributed. This string is required. | | productVersion | string | Value of version in NW.js manifest | Version of the product with which the file is distributed—for example, 3.10 or 5.00.RC2. | | specialBuild | string | undefined | Text that specifies how this version of the file differs from the standard version—for example, Private build for TESTER1 solving mouse problems on M250 and M250E computers. | | languageCode | number | 1033 | Language of the file, defined by Microsoft, see: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/office_standards/ms-oe376/6c085406-a698-4e12-9d4d-c3b0ee3dbc4a |

Linux-specific options (LinuxRc)

| Name | Type | Description | | ---- | ------- | ----------- | | name | string | Name of the application | | genericName | string | Generic name of the application | | noDisplay | boolean | If true the application is not displayed | | comment | string | Tooltip for the entry, for example "View sites on the Internet". | | icon | string | Icon to display in file manager, menus, etc. (WARNING: Please define the icon in the NW.js manifest instead) | | hidden | boolean | TBD | | onlyShowIn | string[] | A list of strings identifying the desktop environments that should display a given desktop entry | | notShowIn | string[] | A list of strings identifying the desktop environments that should not display a given desktop entry | | dBusActivatable | boolean | A boolean value specifying if D-Bus activation is supported for this application | | tryExec | string | Path to an executable file on disk used to determine if the program is actually installed | | exec | string | Program to execute, possibly with arguments. | | path | string | If entry is of type Application, the working directory to run the program in. | | terminal | boolean | Whether the program runs in a terminal window. | | actions | string[] | Identifiers for application actions. | | mimeType | string[] | The MIME type(s) supported by this application. | | categories | string[] | Categories in which the entry should be shown in a menu | | implements | string[] | A list of interfaces that this application implements. | | keywords | string[] | A list of strings which may be used in addition to other metadata to describe this entry. | | startupNotify | boolean | If true, it is KNOWN that the application will send a "remove" message when started with the DESKTOP_STARTUP_ID environment variable set. If false, it is KNOWN that the application does not work with startup notification at all. | | startupWMClass | string | If specified, it is known that the application will map at least one window with the given string as its WM class or WM name hin | | prefersNonDefaultGPU | boolean | If true, the application prefers to be run on a more powerful discrete GPU if available. | | singleMainWindow | string | If true, the application has a single main window, and does not support having an additional one opened. |

MacOS-specific options (OsxRc)

| Name | Type | Description | | ---- | ------- | ----------- | | name | string | The name of the application | | icon | string | The path to the icon file. It should be a .icns file. (WARNING: Please define the icon in the NW.js manifest instead) | | LSApplicationCategoryType | string | The category that best describes your app for the App Store. | | CFBundleIdentifier | string | A unique identifier for a bundle usually in reverse DNS format. | | CFBundleName | string | A user-visible short name for the bundle. | | CFBundleDisplayName | string | The user-visible name for the bundle. | | CFBundleSpokenName | string | A replacement for the app name in text-to-speech operations. | | CFBundleVersion | string | The version of the build that identifies an iteration of the bundle. | | CFBundleShortVersionString | string | The release or version number of the bundle. | | NSHumanReadableCopyright | string | A human-readable copyright notice for the bundle. | | NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription | string | A human-readable description of why the application needs access to the local network. |

Guides

Get unofficial MacOS builds

If you're running older Apple machines, you can download the unofficial builds.

Note: You will have to manually remove quarantine flag.

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/nwjs.app

nwbuild({
  mode: "get",
  platform: "osx",
  arch: "arm64",
  downloadUrl: "https://github.com/corwin-of-amber/nw.js/releases/download",
  manifestUrl: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nwutils/nw-builder/main/src/util/osx.arm.versions.json",
});

Note: Community FFmpeg binaries may not be available for unofficial builds. You will have to rebuild them yourself.

Get binaries via mirrors

China mirror:

nwbuild({
  mode: "get",
  downloadUrl: "https://npm.taobao.org/mirrors/nwjs",
});

Singapore mirror:

nwbuild({
  mode: "get",
  downloadUrl: "https://cnpmjs.org/mirrors/nwjs/",
});

Let nw-builder manage your native addons

Note: this behaviour is buggy and quite limited. This guide is to show what will be possible in the coming minor releases.

nwbuild({
  mode: "build",
  managedManifest: true,
  nativeAddon: "gyp",
});

Contributing

External contributor

• We use Conventional Commits style of commit messages.
• On opening a new PR, the comments will guide you on how to construct the new PR.
• Pull requests are squashed and merged onto the main branch.
• PR title is used as commit's first line, PR description is used as commit body.
• Only commit messages starting with fix, feat and chore are recognised by the Release Please bot.
• Lint your code before commiting your change.
• Add tests whenever possible.

Maintainer guidelines

• Approve pull requests before merging.
• Enforce conventional commits before merging pull requests.
• A commit's first line should be formatted as <type>[optional scope]: <description>.
• A commit's body should have a description of changes in bullet points followed by any links it references or issues it fixes or closes.
• Google's Release Please Action is used to update the changelog, bump the package version and generate GitHub releases.
• NPM Publish Action publishes to npm if there is a version bump.

Roadmap

Bugs

• Managed Manifest is broken. If glob is disabled and srcDir has no package.json, build fails.
• Add back error, info, warn and debug logs

Features

• feat(get): support canary releases
• feat(pkg): add AppImage installer
• feat(pkg): add NSIS installer
• feat(pkg): add DMG installer
• feat(get): add Linux ARM unofficial support
• feat(bld): add source code protection
• feat(pkg): add code signing

Chores

• chore(docs): don't store JSDoc definitions in typedefs - get's hard to understand during development.
• chore: annotate file paths as fs.PathLike instead of string.
• chore(bld): factor out core build step
• chore(bld): factor out linux config
• chore(bld): factor out windows config
• chore(bld): factor out native addon
• chore(bld): factor out compressing
• chore(bld): factor out managed manifest
• chore(bld): move .desktop entry file logic to create-desktop-shortcuts package

FAQ

License

MIT License.