MōBrowser, a TypeScript-first desktop app framework with typed IPC
Hi HN, For the last ~15 years I've worked on embedding web browsers into Java and .NET desktop apps (JxBrowser, DotNetBrowser). Over time, I watched many teams move from embedding web views into native apps, to building full desktop apps with frameworks like Electron and Tauri. Both are useful, but in practice I kept running into several problems. With Electron, beyond the larger app footprint, I often ran into: - lack of type-safe IPC - no source code protection - weak support for the modern web stack Tauri solves some problems (like app size), but introduces others: - different WebViews…
What it does
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN, For the last ~15 years I've worked on embedding web browsers into Java and .NET desktop apps (JxBrowser, DotNetBrowser). Over time, I watched many teams move from embedding web views into native apps, to building full desktop apps with frameworks like Electron and Tauri. Both are useful, but in practice I kept running into several problems. With Electron, beyond the larger app footprint, I often ran into: - lack of type-safe IPC - no source code protection - weak support for the modern web stack Tauri solves some problems (like app size), but introduces others: - different WebViews across platforms → inconsistent behavior - requires Rust + JS instead of a single stack So we built MōBrowser, a framework for building desktop apps with TypeScript, Node.js, and Chromium. Some of the things we focused on: - typed IPC using Protobuf + code generation (RPC-style communication instead of string channels) - consistent rendering and behavior across different platforms - Node.js runtime - built-in packaging, updates, and scaffolding - source code protection - small delta auto-updates The goal is to let web developers ship desktop apps with a web stack they already know and fewer cross-platform surprises. I'd especially love feedback from people who have built production apps with Electron or Tauri. Happy to answer any questions.
Does the same job
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