It would be crazy if we could turn any website into a native desktop application, all for a ridiculous size and performance worthy of a native application, right? Well it's not a dream, it's There !
When we talk about desktop applications from the web, Electron is often the first technology that comes to mind but let's be honest, Electron has its limits and is also widely criticized for that: resource-intensive applications and a weight that often raises eyebrows (several hundred MB for a simple app, really?).
This is where There comes on the scene, to offer us a truly attractive alternative. Based on Rust and the framework HardshipPake generates applications approximately 20 times lighter than with Electron. I'm talking to you about applications that weigh around 5 MB so suffice to say that it's a Weight Watchers diet for our computers!
But Pake is not only lightweight, it also has a whole bunch of well-thought-out features:
- Intuitive keyboard shortcuts : Smooth navigation with the usual combinations
- Immersive mode : Ability to hide the title bar for a more immersive experience
- Advanced customization : Many options to adapt the application to your needs
Here are the main keyboard shortcuts for navigating apps:
And a little more practical, simply double-click on the title bar to switch to full screen mode. On Mac, you can also use gestures to navigate between pages and move the window using the title bar.
Now to start playing with Pake and making your own applications, nothing could be simpler. Here's how to do it:
npm install -g pake-cli pake https://example.com --name MonApp --hide-title-bar For developers who want to go further, Pake offers a complete development environment. Here are the prerequisites:
To launch a project in development:
npm i npm run dev npm run build And the customization is mainly done via the file pake.json which allows you to define:
- Window size
- Full screen mode
- The ability to resize
- Displaying the title bar
- And many other options…
You can also inject custom CSS and JavaScript to further tailor your app's behavior.
What makes Pake particularly interesting is its minimalist but super effective approach. The tool does exactly what is expected of it, with no frills. In addition, the documentation is clear, the community is active, and the updates are regular.
For businesses, I find it a great solution for quickly transforming existing web applications into desktop applications, without having to rewrite code or carry the weight of Electron.
Several popular applications have already been successfully packaged:
- YouTube Music
- ChatGPT
- Korben.info !!!
- And many others…
Each application retains all its web functionalities while benefiting from the advantages of a native application: better system integration, keyboard shortcuts, etc.
Pake represents a significant advance in the field of web-based desktop applications. Its lightness, performance and ease of use make it a valuable tool for developers looking for an alternative to Electron.
In short, don't hesitate to contribute to the project if you have ideas for improvement. The community is welcoming and the code is open source.
Thanks to Letsar for this excellent discovery!
Discover Pake on GitHub
