AeThex-OS/docs/TAURI_SETUP.md

Tauri Desktop App Setup

AeThex-OS has been configured to run as a native desktop application using Tauri (Rust + WebView).

Prerequisites

1. Install Rust

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

2. Install System Dependencies

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

macOS:

# Xcode Command Line Tools should be installed
xcode-select --install

Windows:

• Install Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools
• Install WebView2

Project Structure

AeThex-OS/
├── client/          # React frontend
├── server/          # Node.js backend
├── src-tauri/       # Tauri Rust backend
│   ├── src/        # Rust source code
│   ├── icons/      # App icons
│   ├── Cargo.toml  # Rust dependencies
│   └── tauri.conf.json  # Tauri configuration
└── dist/public/    # Built frontend (used by Tauri)

Development

Run Desktop App in Development Mode

npm run tauri:dev

This will:

1. Start the Vite dev server (client)
2. Launch the Tauri window with hot-reload

Run Web Version (Original)

# Terminal 1: Start backend
npm run dev

# Terminal 2: Start frontend
npm run dev:client

Building

Build Desktop App

npm run tauri:build

The built app will be in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/:

• Linux: .deb, .appimage
• macOS: .dmg, .app
• Windows: .msi, .exe

Build Web Version

npm run build

Configuration

Tauri Configuration (src-tauri/tauri.conf.json)

Key settings:

• Window size: 1280x800 (configurable)
• Dev URL: http://localhost:5000 (Vite dev server)
• Build output: dist/public (Vite build output)
• App identifier: com.aethex.os

Available Scripts

• npm run tauri:dev - Run desktop app in dev mode
• npm run tauri:build - Build desktop app
• npm run tauri - Access Tauri CLI directly

Features Enabled

✅ Hot Module Replacement (HMR) in dev mode
✅ System tray support
✅ Native window controls
✅ Multi-platform builds
✅ Auto-updater ready

Architecture

Hybrid Architecture

AeThex-OS uses a hybrid architecture:

1. Frontend (Client): React + Vite - runs in the webview
2. Backend (Server): Node.js + Express - can run locally or remotely
3. Desktop (Tauri): Rust - provides native APIs and window management

Communication Flow

User Interface (React)
       ↕
Tauri WebView APIs
       ↕
Rust Backend (Tauri)
       ↕
System APIs (File, Window, etc.)

For server communication, the app still uses HTTP/WebSocket to your Node.js backend.

Adding Tauri Features

Example: Add File System Access

1. Enable plugin in Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
tauri-plugin-fs = "2"

2. Register in src-tauri/src/main.rs:

fn main() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .plugin(tauri_plugin_fs::init())
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

3. Use in frontend:

import { readTextFile } from '@tauri-apps/plugin-fs';

const contents = await readTextFile('file.txt');

Tauri Plugins Available

• tauri-plugin-fs - File system access
• tauri-plugin-shell - Run shell commands
• tauri-plugin-dialog - Native dialogs
• tauri-plugin-notification - System notifications
• tauri-plugin-http - HTTP client
• tauri-plugin-sql - Local database
• tauri-plugin-store - Key-value storage

Security

Tauri apps are more secure than Electron because:

• Uses system webview (smaller bundle)
• Rust backend (memory safe)
• No Node.js in renderer (reduced attack surface)
• CSP policies enforced

Troubleshooting

Linux: Missing dependencies

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev

macOS: Code signing issues

# For development
codesign --force --deep --sign - src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/AeThex-OS.app

Windows: WebView2 not found

Download and install from: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2/

Port conflicts

Change dev port in src-tauri/tauri.conf.json:

"devUrl": "http://localhost:5000"

Distribution

Linux

• .deb - Debian/Ubuntu packages
• .AppImage - Universal Linux binary

macOS

• .app - Application bundle
• .dmg - Disk image installer

Windows

• .msi - Windows installer
• .exe - Portable executable

Next Steps

1. ✅ Tauri configured
2. 🔄 Test development mode: npm run tauri:dev
3. 🔄 Customize app icons in src-tauri/icons/
4. 🔄 Build for distribution: npm run tauri:build
5. 🔄 Add Tauri-specific features (system tray, notifications, etc.)

Resources

• Tauri Documentation
• Tauri Plugins
• Tauri API Reference
• Tauri Examples