Desktop Builds - World Monitor

World Monitor desktop apps are built with Tauri v2, providing native performance with a bundled Node.js sidecar for offline API support.

Architecture

The desktop app consists of:

Tauri Core - Rust-based native window and system integration
Web Frontend - Vite-built React/TypeScript app
Node.js Sidecar - Bundled Node.js runtime for local API server
Static Resources - Data files, API handlers, and configuration

Prerequisites

Install Rust

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Verify installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Install System Dependencies

macOS

# Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

# Optional: Code signing tools
brew install gnu-tar

Windows

# Install Visual Studio Build Tools 2022
# https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/

# WebView2 is bundled automatically

Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  build-essential \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libxdo-dev \
  libssl-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install -y webkit2gtk4.1-devel \
  openssl-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libappindicator-gtk3-devel \
  librsvg2-devel

Install Node.js Dependencies

npm ci

Development

Run Desktop App in Dev Mode

npm run desktop:dev

This command:

Syncs version numbers across package.json and tauri.conf.json
Builds the sidecar sebuf gateway
Starts Vite dev server
Launches Tauri with hot reload

Dev Mode with Devtools

The dev script includes devtools by default:

package.json

{
  "desktop:dev": "npm run version:sync && cross-env VITE_DESKTOP_RUNTIME=1 tauri dev -f devtools"
}

This enables:

Web Inspector (right-click → Inspect)
Console logging
Network monitoring

Build Configuration

Main Configuration

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.tauri.app/config/2",
  "productName": "World Monitor",
  "mainBinaryName": "world-monitor",
  "version": "2.5.21",
  "identifier": "app.worldmonitor.desktop",
  "build": {
    "beforeDevCommand": "npm run build:sidecar-sebuf && npm run dev",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "npm run build:desktop",
    "frontendDist": "../dist",
    "devUrl": "http://localhost:3000"
  }
}

Variant Configurations

Tech Monitor uses a merged configuration:

src-tauri/tauri.tech.conf.json

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.tauri.app/config/2",
  "productName": "Tech Monitor",
  "mainBinaryName": "tech-monitor",
  "identifier": "app.worldmonitor.tech.desktop",
  "app": {
    "windows": [
      {
        "title": "Tech Monitor"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Bundle Configuration

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json

{
  "bundle": {
    "active": true,
    "targets": ["app", "dmg", "nsis", "msi", "appimage"],
    "category": "Productivity",
    "icon": [
      "icons/32x32.png",
      "icons/128x128.png",
      "icons/[email protected]",
      "icons/icon.icns",
      "icons/icon.ico"
    ],
    "resources": [
      "../api",
      "sidecar/local-api-server.mjs",
      "sidecar/package.json",
      "sidecar/node",
      "../data",
      "../src/config"
    ]
  }
}

Bundled Resources

../api/ - Serverless API handlers
sidecar/local-api-server.mjs - Local API server
sidecar/node/ - Bundled Node.js runtime
../data/ - Static datasets (GeoJSON, CSV, etc.)
../src/config/ - Configuration files

Building

Build for Current Platform

World Monitor
Tech Monitor
Finance Monitor

npm run desktop:build:full

npm run desktop:build:tech

npm run desktop:build:finance

Build Commands Explained

The build command chain:

package.json

{
  "desktop:build:full": "npm run version:sync && cross-env VITE_VARIANT=full VITE_DESKTOP_RUNTIME=1 tauri build",
  "desktop:build:tech": "npm run version:sync && cross-env VITE_VARIANT=tech VITE_DESKTOP_RUNTIME=1 tauri build --config src-tauri/tauri.tech.conf.json"
}

Version Sync

node scripts/sync-desktop-version.mjs

Ensures package.json version matches Tauri config.

Frontend Build

cross-env VITE_VARIANT=full VITE_DESKTOP_RUNTIME=1 npm run build:desktop

Builds optimized frontend with desktop CSP and variant metadata.

Sidecar Build

node scripts/build-sidecar-sebuf.mjs

Bundles the Sebuf RPC gateway into a single ESM file:

await build({
  entryPoints: ['api/[domain]/v1/[rpc].ts'],
  outfile: 'api/[domain]/v1/[rpc].js',
  bundle: true,
  format: 'esm',
  platform: 'node',
  target: 'node18',
  treeShaking: true,
});

Tauri Build

tauri build

Compiles Rust binary and packages app with bundled resources.

Packaging

Package Script

The desktop-package.mjs script handles multi-platform packaging:

node scripts/desktop-package.mjs --os <macos|windows|linux> --variant <full|tech> [--sign]

Package Commands

npm run desktop:package:macos:full

Node.js Runtime Bundling

The package script automatically downloads and bundles the Node.js runtime:

scripts/download-node.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
NODE_VERSION="${NODE_VERSION:-22.14.0}"
DEST_DIR="src-tauri/sidecar/node"

# Auto-detect or use explicit target
TARGET="x86_64-apple-darwin"  # or aarch64-apple-darwin, x86_64-pc-windows-msvc, etc.

# Download from nodejs.org
curl -fsSL "https://nodejs.org/dist/v${NODE_VERSION}/${ARCHIVE_NAME}" -o "${ARCHIVE_NAME}"

# Verify SHA256 checksum
shasum -a 256 "${ARCHIVE_NAME}"

# Extract node binary
tar -xzf "${ARCHIVE_NAME}"
cp "node-v${NODE_VERSION}-darwin-x64/bin/node" "${DEST_DIR}/node"

Bundle Targets

macOS
Windows
Linux

app - .app bundle
dmg - Disk image installer

Located in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

nsis - .exe installer (recommended)
msi - Windows Installer package

Located in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

appimage - Portable .AppImage
deb - Debian package
rpm - RPM package

Located in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Code Signing

macOS Signing

Export Signing Certificate

Export your Developer ID Application certificate from Keychain Access as a .p12 file.

Set Environment Variables

export TAURI_BUNDLE_MACOS_SIGNING_IDENTITY="Developer ID Application: Your Name (TEAM_ID)"
export TAURI_BUNDLE_MACOS_PROVIDER_SHORT_NAME="TEAM_ID"

Run Signed Build

npm run desktop:package:macos:full:sign

Notarize (Optional)

For distribution outside the Mac App Store:

xcrun notarytool submit \
  src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/World\ Monitor_*.dmg \
  --apple-id "[email protected]" \
  --password "app-specific-password" \
  --team-id "TEAM_ID" \
  --wait

# Staple notarization ticket
xcrun stapler staple src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/World\ Monitor_*.dmg

Windows Signing

Option 1: Certificate Thumbprint (Recommended)

export TAURI_BUNDLE_WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_THUMBPRINT="ABC123..."
npm run desktop:package:windows:full:sign

Option 2: PFX File

export TAURI_BUNDLE_WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE="path/to/cert.pfx"
export TAURI_BUNDLE_WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD="your-password"
npm run desktop:package:windows:full:sign

Linux Signing

Linux builds don’t require code signing, but you can sign AppImages:

gpg --detach-sign --armor World_Monitor_*.AppImage

Distribution

Manual Distribution

Build signed packages for each platform
Upload to your website or file host
Provide download links with SHA256 checksums

GitHub Releases

Automate releases with GitHub Actions:

.github/workflows/release.yml

name: Release Desktop
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  release:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-latest]
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm run desktop:build:full
      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          files: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/**/*

Update Mechanism

Tauri supports auto-updates with the updater plugin. Configure in tauri.conf.json:

{
  "plugins": {
    "updater": {
      "active": true,
      "endpoints": [
        "https://releases.worldmonitor.app/{{target}}/{{current_version}}"
      ],
      "dialog": true,
      "pubkey": "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Build Fails on macOS

Error: xcrun: error: unable to find utility "metal" Solution: Install Xcode Command Line Tools:

xcode-select --install

Windows Build Fails

Error: error: linking with 'link.exe' failed Solution: Install Visual Studio Build Tools 2022 with C++ workload.

Linux Missing Dependencies

Error: webkit2gtk-4.1 not found Solution: Install WebKit dependencies:

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev

Sidecar Fails to Start

Error: Failed to spawn sidecar Solution:

Verify Node.js binary exists: src-tauri/sidecar/node/node
Check execute permissions: chmod +x src-tauri/sidecar/node/node
Rebuild sidecar: npm run build:sidecar-sebuf

App Won’t Open on macOS

Error: "World Monitor" is damaged and can't be opened Solution: Remove quarantine attribute:

xattr -cr /Applications/World\ Monitor.app

Or notarize the app (see Code Signing).

Get Started

Core Features

Data & Intelligence

Variants

Configuration

Development

Deployment

​Architecture

​Prerequisites

​Development

​Run Desktop App in Dev Mode

​Dev Mode with Devtools

​Build Configuration

​Main Configuration

​Variant Configurations

​Bundle Configuration

​Bundled Resources

​Building

​Build for Current Platform

​Build Commands Explained

​Packaging

​Package Script

​Package Commands

​Node.js Runtime Bundling

​Bundle Targets

​Code Signing

​macOS Signing

​Windows Signing

​Linux Signing

​Distribution

​Manual Distribution

​GitHub Releases

​Update Mechanism

​Troubleshooting

​Build Fails on macOS

​Windows Build Fails

​Linux Missing Dependencies

​Sidecar Fails to Start

​App Won’t Open on macOS

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Architecture

Prerequisites

Development

Run Desktop App in Dev Mode

Dev Mode with Devtools

Build Configuration

Main Configuration

Variant Configurations

Bundle Configuration

Bundled Resources

Building

Build for Current Platform

Build Commands Explained

Packaging

Package Script

Package Commands

Node.js Runtime Bundling

Bundle Targets

Code Signing

macOS Signing

Windows Signing

Linux Signing

Distribution

Manual Distribution

GitHub Releases

Update Mechanism

Troubleshooting

Build Fails on macOS

Windows Build Fails

Linux Missing Dependencies

Sidecar Fails to Start

App Won’t Open on macOS