@isthatuzii/create-nano-app

What is nano.exe?

nano.exe is a framework written in rust that allows you to create native desktop applications with a rust backend and a solidjs frontend. It is inspired by Tauri but has minimal bloat and is sub 250 crates, whereas Tauri V2 is over 400 crates, the npm install is very small as well. This is mainly because the computers at my work are very slow and using nano is much faster than Tauri.

This Framework is incredibly bare bones but is capable of creating production quality applications.

CLI for building native desktop apps with the Nano Framework — SolidJS frontends + Rust backends. Major update: v2.0.0 — adds an IPC system inspired by Tauri. Call Rust backend functions from the frontend using invoke().

⚠️ License notice (short): This repository is released under CC BY-ND 4.0. You may copy and redistribute unmodified material with attribution. You may NOT distribute modified versions. If you want to modify or redistribute derivatives, you must obtain prior written permission: [email protected]. This is not an OSI-approved open-source license — expect less community contribution out of the box.

Highlights — v2.0.0

• New IPC system — call registered Rust functions via invoke() (see src/api/invoke.ts)
• Minimal frontend boilerplate for backend RPC
• Faster developer experience for SolidJS + Rust native apps

Quick start

# With npm
npm create @isthatuzii/nano-app@latest my-app

# With yarn
yarn create @isthatuzii/nano-app my-app

# With pnpm
pnpm create @isthatuzii/nano-app my-app

# With bun
bun create @isthatuzii/nano-app my-app

# Direct npx
npx @isthatuzii/create-nano-app@latest my-app

Example — invoking backend functions

Import and call invoke from your frontend:

import api, { invoke } from "./api/api";

// Call any registered function in the Rust backend
const result = await invoke("function_name", { arg1: value1, arg2: value2 });

Registered backend functions live in src-nano/nano_registery.rs.

Features

• Native desktop applications with a Rust backend
• Hot reload (Vite + cargo-watch)
• Portable single-executable builds with embedded assets
• Modern JavaScript (ES2020+) + Vite build system
• VS Code workspace + recommended extensions (Rust, Solid tooling)
• Optional HTTP API with Axum
• Post-creation health checks and diagnostics

Supported UI frameworks

• SolidJS (default)

Project layout (example)

my-app/
├── src-nano/               # Rust backend
│   ├── main.rs
│   ├── nano_registery.rs   # IPC / RPC registry
│   └── modules/
├── src/                    # Frontend source
├── src/api/                # frontend invoke/api helpers
├── nano.config.json
├── Cargo.toml
└── package.json

Development commands

# start development with hot reload
npm run nano:hot

# build and run locally
npm run nano

# produce portable release
npm run nano:release

Requirements

• Rust (install via https://rustup.rs) — latest stable recommended
• Node.js 18+
• One of: npm / yarn / pnpm / bun

Documentation & Support

• Framework docs: https://nano-framework.dev
• Issues & bug reports: https://github.com/imperium-industries/create-nano-app/issues
• Contact / permission requests: [email protected]
• Company: https://imperiuminteractive.com

Contributing / Modifications

Short and blunt: this project is intentionally locked down by license. You may use and redistribute unmodified copies provided you give clear attribution to Imperium Industries / Microcode Labs / Imperium Interactive and include this README and license. You may not distribute modified or derivative versions under CC BY-ND 4.0.

If you want to contribute changes or redistribute a modified version, do not open a PR expecting it to be merged without prior agreement — first email [email protected] to request written permission and discuss contribution terms. If you prefer an open, collaborative community workflow, tell us — we can discuss switching to a different license (e.g., permissive + CLA), but that is a policy choice intentionally left to the maintainers.

Changelog (short)

• v2.0.0 — IPC system + frontend invoke() RPC; reduced frontend boilerplate.

Credits

Built by Imperium Interactive — powered by Microcode Labs Developed by [email protected] under Imperium Industries’ open-source tooling subsidiary, Microcode Labs.

LICENSE

This project uses Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). For the canonical license text and legal details, see the included LICENSE file or visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/