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This guide covers running Container Kit in development mode with hot reload for rapid iteration.

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Prerequisites

Before starting development, ensure you have:
  • Node.js and pnpm installed
  • Rust and Tauri CLI configured
  • macOS 26.0 or later (for running the app)
  • Apple Container CLI downloaded

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Initial Setup

1

Install dependencies

Install all project dependencies using pnpm:
pnpm install
2

Download Apple Container CLI

Download the required Apple Container CLI binaries:
pnpm script:download-apple-container
This script downloads and extracts the Apple Container CLI from GitHub releases to src-tauri/binaries/sidecar/apple-container/.
3

Generate database migrations

Generate SQL migrations and Rust bindings:
pnpm db:generate
This command:
  • Runs drizzle-kit generate to create SQL migration files
  • Executes generate-migrations.ts to create Rust bindings in src-tauri/migrations/

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Running Development Server

Start the development server with hot reload: 
pnpm tauri dev
This command:
  1. Runs vite dev to start the frontend development server on http://localhost:1420
  2. Launches the Tauri application with hot reload enabled
  3. Watches for file changes and automatically reloads

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Alternative Development Commands

Run only the Vite development server: 
pnpm dev

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Development Workflow

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Making Schema Changes

When you update the database schema:
1

Update schema file

Edit your schema in src/lib/db/schema.ts
2

Generate migrations

pnpm db:generate
3

Restart dev server

Restart the Tauri dev server to apply migrations:
pnpm tauri dev

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Code Quality Checks

Run type checking during development: 
# One-time type check
pnpm check

# Continuous type checking
pnpm check:watch
Format and lint your code: 
# Format code with Prettier
pnpm format

# Check code formatting
pnpm lint

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Development Build (Test)

Create a development build for testing without full production optimizations: 
pnpm tauri build
This creates a local build in src-tauri/target/debug/ for testing purposes.

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Troubleshooting

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Build Issues

If you encounter build errors, try cleaning and rebuilding: 
# Remove build artifacts
rm -rf node_modules .svelte-kit build

# Reinstall dependencies
pnpm install

# Rebuild
pnpm tauri dev

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Database Issues

If migrations aren’t applying correctly: 
# Regenerate migrations
pnpm db:generate

# Remove local database and restart
rm -f local.db
pnpm tauri dev

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Tauri Configuration Check

Verify your Tauri setup: 
pnpm tauri info
This displays your system configuration, Rust version, and Tauri environment details.

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Environment Variables

For development, create a .env file in the project root: 
DATABASE_URL=file:local.db
Signing and notarization variables are not required for development builds.

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Project Structure

Key directories during development: 
ContainerKit/
├── src/                    # Frontend source code
│   └── lib/
│       └── db/
│           └── schema.ts   # Database schema
├── src-tauri/
│   ├── src/                # Rust backend code
│   ├── migrations/         # Generated SQL migrations
│   ├── binaries/          # Apple Container CLI
│   └── tauri.conf.json    # Tauri configuration
├── scripts/               # Build and setup scripts
└── package.json          # npm scripts and dependencies

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Next Steps

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