Skip to main content
This guide will walk you through building OpenComic from source on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

​
Requirements

Before building OpenComic, ensure you have the following installed:

Git

For cloning the repository

Node.js

Version 14 or higher recommended

npm

Comes with Node.js

​
Development setup

​
Clone and install

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/ollm/OpenComic.git
cd OpenComic
2

Install dependencies

npm install
This will install all required packages and run post-install scripts.
3

Start development mode

npm start
This launches OpenComic in development mode with the Electron framework.
The first run may take longer as it compiles TypeScript files and generates necessary resources.

​
Development scripts

ScriptPurpose
npm startLaunch OpenComic in development mode
npm run watchWatch for TypeScript changes and recompile
npm testRun tests and ESLint
npm run eslintRun ESLint on source files

​
Building for production

​
Update from main branch

Before building, ensure you have the latest code: 
npm pull origin master
npm install

​
Build commands

Use the following commands to build for specific platforms: 
# Standard installer
npm run build-nsis

# Portable version
npm run build-portable

# Folder portable version
npm run build-folder-portable

# Windows ARM64
npm run build-win-arm

# All Windows builds
npm run build-win

​
Build output

All build artifacts are created in the dist/ directory: 
OpenComic/
├── dist/
│   ├── OpenComic.Setup.1.6.6.exe          # Windows installer
│   ├── OpenComic-1.6.6.dmg                # macOS disk image
│   ├── opencomic_1.6.6_amd64.deb          # Debian package
│   ├── opencomic-1.6.6.x86_64.rpm         # RPM package
│   ├── OpenComic-1.6.6.AppImage           # Linux AppImage
│   └── ...

​
Troubleshooting build issues

This error typically occurs with native dependencies. To fix:
cd ./build/node-zstd-native-dependencies
npm install --force
cd ../..
npm install
Then retry your build command.
Ensure you have build tools installed:Windows:
npm install --global windows-build-tools
macOS:
xcode-select --install
Linux:
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install build-essential

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install @development-tools

# Arch
sudo pacman -S base-devel
If you encounter errors with Sharp or other native modules:
npm rebuild
# or
npm install --force
Clear Electron cache and reinstall:
rm -rf node_modules
npm cache clean --force
npm install
Ensure TypeScript is compiled before building:
npm run prebuild

​
Build customization

​
Electron Builder configuration

Build settings are configured in package.json under the build section: 
{
  "build": {
    "appId": "org.opencomic.app",
    "productName": "OpenComic",
    "asar": true,
    ...
  }
}

​
Changing app metadata

Edit package.json to change:
  • Application name: name and productName
  • Version: version
  • Description: description
  • Author: author
  • License: license

​
Custom build scripts

You can create custom build scripts by adding them to the scripts section in package.json: 
{
  "scripts": {
    "build-custom": "npm run prebuild && electron-builder --linux deb rpm"
  }
}

​
Platform-specific notes

  • Portable builds: Create self-contained executables that don’t require installation
  • Folder portable: Includes app data folder alongside executable for true portability
  • Code signing: Required for production releases to avoid Windows SmartScreen warnings
  • Notarization: Required for distribution outside the Mac App Store
  • Universal builds: Use --universal flag to create Intel + Apple Silicon builds
  • Certificates: Requires Apple Developer account and certificates
  • Configure notarization in ./build/notarize.env
  • Snap: Requires snapcraft installed: sudo snap install snapcraft --classic
  • Flatpak: May require additional flatpak-builder dependencies
  • AppImage: Most portable option, works on most distributions
  • Repository builds: Available on AUR for Arch Linux users

​
Contributing builds

If you’re building OpenComic for contribution:
  1. Fork the repository on GitHub
  2. Create a feature branch for your changes
  3. Test your build thoroughly
  4. Submit a pull request with detailed description
See CONTRIBUTING.md for more details.

​
Continuous Integration

OpenComic uses GitHub Actions for automated builds. See .github/workflows/ for CI configuration.

​
Additional resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us