nativetron

An application framework where TypeScript is compiled ahead of time: to native machine code for desktop, and to WebAssembly for the browser. The system webview renders; compiled code drives it through a batched operation protocol.

It compiles a subset of TypeScript through scriptc. Existing React, Angular or Vue applications will not build.

Requirements

macOS arm64, Xcode command line tools, Node 24+, and a built scriptc checkout at ../../scriptc. Browser builds also need zig; wasm-opt is used if installed.

Build

./build.sh                          # desktop: build/main and build/renderer
./build/main

cd web && ./build-web.sh            # browser: .scriptc/renderer.{wasm,mjs}
python3 -m http.server -d web 8000  # open /index.html

Contract and failure-path checks:

node abi/generate.mjs --check
node abi/event-contract.test.mjs
node host/dom-host.test.mjs
node ipc/codec.test.mjs
node security/transport.test.mjs
node stress/lifecycle.test.mjs
node packaging/package.test.mjs

abi/events.json is the sole event contract. abi/generate.mjs emits the host projection and allowlist, default/primary/rich callback tiers, native message codec, typed guest decoders and callback boundaries, Wasm export signatures, profiles, and ABI documentation. Plain clicks cross the browser boundary with only a numeric slot; primary-value and rich events use their generated wider exports.

Build a release bundle:

node packaging/release.mjs --output dist

Writing a component

Components are functions returning El. Signals track dependencies, so dyn re-runs when a value it reads changes and emits only that text update.

import { el, txt, dyn, on, mountTo } from "../framework/ui.js";
import { signal } from "../framework/reactive.js";

const count = signal(0);

function Counter(): El {
  return el("section", [
    on(el("button", [txt("Increment")]), "click", () => count.set(count.get() + 1)),
    el("p", [dyn(() => `count: ${count.get()}`)]),
  ]);
}

mountTo(el("main", [Counter()]));

each(tag, build) renders a keyed list and diffs it on change. Removing a component or keyed item disposes its reactive subscriptions, effect cleanup, listeners, and refs.

Layout

path	contents
framework/	components, signals, reconciler
abi/	the DOM Host ABI specification
host/	DOM host runtime used by both lanes
native/	C++ webview wrapper exposing a C ABI
desktop/	generated desktop capability contract
stress/	lifecycle, crash, idle-memory, and orphan-cleanup tests
packaging/	app-bundle, signing, notarization, install, and release tools
app/, web/	desktop and browser entry points
bench/	benchmarks against React and Electron

See ARCHITECTURE.md for how the pieces fit together, compat/COMPATIBILITY.md for the compiled React/Node surface, and desktop/COMPATIBILITY.md for native desktop capabilities.