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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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"
});

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 with defaults:

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

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"
  },
});

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.

Options

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

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.

China mirror:

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

Singapore mirror:

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

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",
});

• 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.

• 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.

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

• 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

• 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

MIT License.