Developer bundles Node.js server into native desktop app using Tauri and Bun

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A developer built a cross-platform desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux by packaging a 2,000-line Express and WebSocket Node.js server using Tauri and Bun. Tauri was chosen over Electron primarily for its smaller installer size, producing packages of 28–41 MB. Bun's single-command compile feature was used to bundle the server into a self-contained 82 MB executable, eliminating the need for a Node.js runtime on the user's machine. Several technical hurdles were resolved along the way, including fixing virtual path issues with __dirname, handling file downloads, and preventing orphaned server processes after the app was force-quit. The project relies on GitHub Actions with separate OS runners for each target platform, since Tauri does not support cross-compilation across operating systems.

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