Announcing Packer for NodeGUI and React NodeGUI

Packer is an npm module enabling developers to package applications built with NodeGUI or React NodeGUI into standalone executables. The tool works across Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Repository: https://github.com/nodegui/packer

This is an initial MVP release. Platform-specific outputs:

• macOS - generates a .dmg file
• Linux - produces an AppImage (comparable to macOS .app)
• Windows - outputs a folder containing the executable and necessary DLLs

Cross-platform builds are not supported in this initial release; run packer in the target OS environment.

Usage

Install as a dev dependency:

npm install --save-dev @nodegui/packer

Initialize the project:

npx nodegui-packer --init MyApp

This creates a deploy directory template for customization with icons, metadata, and native features.

Package the application:

npx nodegui-packer --pack <path to dist>

This processes the dist folder and generates standalone executables in the build directory.

Technical Implementation

Packer leverages Qt's official deployment tools:

• Mac: macdeployqt
• Windows: windeployqt
• Linux: linuxdeployqt

Requirements

• Qode v1.0.4+ (NodeGUI v0.1.7+)

Planned Enhancements

1. Cross-platform build support
2. Improved documentation
3. Reduced unnecessary dynamic libraries
4. Smaller qode binary size

Community contributions are welcome!