Building Native Apps with Tauri
While most modern desktop and mobile apps leverage web technologies, the frameworks powering them differ vastly. When we began building Popcorn Time more than 10 years ago, Electron didn't exist. We relied on NW.js (then Node Webkit), the only option at the time for shipping desktop apps with web tech. It functioned, but optimization was challenging due to its heavy and inefficient nature.
Electron eventually emerged and dominated the landscape, powering big names like Slack, Discord, and VS Code. However, its convenience comes at a cost: large installers, significant memory consumption, and a reputation for bloat. The core issue? Each Electron app bundles its own entire instance of Chromium. Running five Electron apps means running five separate browsers, leading to duplicated resources and wasted overhead.
Built from the ground up in Rust, Tauri was designed specifically to address Electron's shortcomings. It's lean, secure by default, and prioritizes efficiency, aiming to make desktop applications smaller, faster, and more resource-friendly.
Having contributed to Tauri over the past few years, I've witnessed firsthand the potential of rethinking desktop app architecture. Here's a breakdown of how Tauri compares to Electron and why I'm convinced it represents the future of cross-platform desktop development.
Performance and size
Tauri apps are powered by the system’s native webview (WebView2 on Windows, WKWebView on macOS, WebKitGTK on Linux).
There’s no bundled browser. Backend is written in Rust, installer sizes as small as 3MB, and significantly lower memory and CPU usage.
Security
Security is a core principle. Tauri doesn’t expose direct access to system APIs by default. Everything is handled through secure commands, with tight control over what the frontend can call. Rust’s memory safety adds another layer of protection that’s simply not possible with JavaScript.
Native API's
Tauri is highly customizable. You can build native features directly in Rust or leverage plugins. I personally worked on features like system trays, native menus, and the auto-updater, all cross-platform.
Native integrations are lightweight and stable.
Ecosystem
Tauri is newer, but growing fast. The core team and contributors are focused on stability, extensibility, and developer experience.
The community is active, it's not just a framework but a platform focused on developer freedom and user respect.
Final Thoughts
As someone who’s helped shape Tauri from its early days, I’ve seen how much can be done with a small, fast binary and a solid Rust backend.
Desktop apps don’t need to be bloated. Tauri proves it.