Adrenaline.js

Ship only what you use. Eliminate everything else. The ultra-lightweight Electron alternative.

Adrenaline.js is an ultra-lightweight, high-performance desktop application framework for Node.js developers. By using native OS system webviews (WebKit on macOS/Linux, WebView2 on Windows) instead of bundling an entire Chromium browser, Adrenaline delivers blazing-fast desktop applications with tiny bundle sizes and minimal memory footprint.

"Why not Tauri? Tauri is brilliant, but writing backend logic shouldn't require learning Rust and fighting the borrow checker. Adrenaline gives you the same lightweight native webviews using 100% Node.js and the full npm ecosystem you already know."

⚡ Key Features

• Tiny Bundle & Footprint (5-10 MB vs 150 MB+): Native system webviews remove Chromium bloat, drastically reducing application installer size and RAM usage.
• Zero Rust / Go Barrier: Written 100% for Node.js & JavaScript developers. Use your favorite npm packages without learning a new language or toolchain.
• Drop-in Electron-like API: Work with familiar APIs like app, BrowserWindow, and ipcMain out of the box with zero learning curve.
• Full TypeScript & Dual ESM/CJS Support: First-class TypeScript type declarations (index.d.ts) with seamless CommonJS (require) and ES Module (import) exports.
• Bidirectional IPC: High-speed asynchronous inter-process communication between Node.js backend processes and webview frontends.
• Built-in CLI & Scaffolder: Instant project scaffolding and execution with npx adrenaline-js init and adrenaline dev.

🚀 Quickstart Guide

Scaffold and launch a new project in seconds:

# 1. Create a new Adrenaline.js project
npm install adrenaline-js
# or scaffold a new project:
npx adrenaline-js init my-app

# 2. Navigate to your project folder
cd my-app

# 3. Install dependencies
npm install

# 4. Launch your desktop app!
npx adrenaline dev

📊 Comparison: Adrenaline vs Electron vs Tauri

| Feature | Adrenaline.js ⚡ | Electron ⚛️ | Tauri 🦀 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Language / Runtime | Node.js / JavaScript | Node.js / JavaScript | Rust / Web view | | App Bundle Size | ~5 – 10 MB | ~150 MB+ | ~5 – 10 MB | | Memory Footprint | Ultra-Low (~30 MB) | High (150 MB+) | Ultra-Low (~30 MB) | | Backend Language | JavaScript / Node.js | JavaScript / Node.js | Rust | | Learning Curve | Zero (Electron-like API) | Easy | High (Requires Rust) | | npm Ecosystem | Full Native Support | Full Native Support | Limited (Requires Rust bridges) | | Rendering Engine | System Native Webview | Bundled Chromium | System Native Webview |

💻 Code Example

Main Process (main.js)

const { app, BrowserWindow, ipcMain } = require('adrenaline-js');
const path = require('path');

app.whenReady().then(() => {
    const win = new BrowserWindow({
        width: 800,
        height: 600,
        title: 'My Adrenaline App'
    });

    win.loadFile(path.join(__dirname, 'index.html'));

    ipcMain.on('ping', (event, data) => {
        console.log('Received ping from renderer:', data);
        win.webContents.send('pong', { reply: 'Pong from Node.js!' });
    });
});

Renderer Process (index.html)

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My Adrenaline App</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello Adrenaline.js!</h1>
    <button onclick="sendPing()">Ping Main Process</button>

    <script>
        function sendPing() {
            window.adrenaline.send('ping', { time: Date.now() });
        }

        window.adrenaline.on('pong', (data) => {
            alert(data.reply);
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

🛠️ CLI Commands

Adrenaline comes with a fast CLI tool for development:

• adrenaline init <project-name> / adrenaline create <project-name>: Scaffold a modern starter project.
• adrenaline dev / adrenaline start: Run the desktop app in current directory.
• adrenaline --version / -v: Display CLI version.
• adrenaline --help / -h: Display help options.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.