Neutralino.js Template With Vite.js and Vue.js

A modern starter template combining Neutralino.js, Vite, and Vue 3 with TypeScript support.

Technologies

• Neutralino.js - Lightweight desktop app framework, alternative to Electron
• Vite - Next-generation frontend tooling with instant HMR
• Vue 3 - Progressive JavaScript framework with Composition API

Requirements

• Node.js 18+ - (required for Vite 6)
• npm or yarn - (package manager)

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jonasfroeller/vue.vite.neutralinojs.template.git
cd vue.vite.neutralinojs.template

# Install dependencies
yarn

# Update Neutralino binaries
npx neu update

# Customize your app
# - Update `name` and `description` in `package.json`
# - Update `applicationId`, `modes.window.title`, and `cli.binaryName` in `neutralino.config.json`
# - Update `<title>` in `index.html`
# - Replace `public/favicon.ico` and icons

Development

# Development with Hot Module Replacement (HMR)
# - Starts Vite dev server + Neutralino window
# - Fast updates without reloading
yarn dev:hmr

# Build and run in Neutralino window (no HMR)
# - Simpler, closer to production behavior
yarn dev

Production Build

# TypeScript check + Vite build + Neutralino build
yarn build

Your app binaries will be in the dist/ folder.

Project Structure

├── src/                    # Source code
│   ├── main.ts             # App entry point
│   ├── App.vue             # Root component
│   └── env.d.ts            # TypeScript declarations
├── public/                 # Static assets
├── index.html              # HTML entry
├── vite.config.ts          # Vite configuration
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript config
├── neutralino.config.json  # Neutralino config
└── package.json            # Package config

Why Neutralino?

Blazing fast compared to alternatives:

	Neutralino	Tauri	Electron
Min. binary size	~2-3 MB	~5-10 MB	~150 MB+
Startup time	Instant	Fast	Slow
Compile step	None (JS only)	Rust compilation	None
Runtime	System webview	System webview	Bundled Chromium

Advantages:

• No bundled runtime – uses Edge WebView2 on Windows
• Zero compile step – just JS bundling, no Rust/Go
• Instant startup – native webview loads directly
• True cross-platform builds – builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux from any OS (no cross-compilation needed!)

Trade-offs:

• Less native API coverage than Tauri
• Smaller ecosystem/community

Version Info

• Vue 3.5.x
• Vite 7.x
• TypeScript 5.9
• Neutralino 6.4.x