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https://github.com/imlucas/lone

Turn node.js apps into standalone executables
https://github.com/imlucas/lone

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Turn node.js apps into standalone executables

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# lone [![][travis_img]][travis_url] [![][appv_img]][appv_url] [![][npm_img]][npm_url]



> Turn node.js apps into standalone executables.



```

npm install -g lone && lone ./path-to-app;

your app is ready: ./path-to-app/dist/app_OSX_64

```



## explain



neat trick, but how? a slight twist on how node-webkit does it.



1. get the node source

2. add `lone/_third_party_main.js` to library files in `node.gyp`

3. compile node

4. run `npm install` on `./path-to-app`

5. put everything from `./path-to-app` in a tarball

6. `mkdir -p ./path-to-app/dist && cat out/Release/node app.tar.gz > ./path-to-app/dist/app_OSX_64`

7. when `app_OSX_64`is executed, node calls `_third_party_main.js`

8. read `app_OSX_64` looking for a boundary where node stops and the app tarball begins

9. slice out the app tarball into a buffer that's inflated into a tmp directory and run

10. marinate, rotate, and cover



## Gulp + GitHub Releases



Your source gets published to npm but how do you make your shiny new binaries

available for easy downloading?  Here's a gulp task that will build

your binaries with lone and then upload them to GitHub releases.



First, we'll need some extra dev deps so:



```

npm install --save-dev gulp async github-release gulp-rename keepup

```



Now add a `gulpfile.js` to the root of your project:



```javascript

var gulp = require('gulp'),

  exec = require('child_process').exec,

  async = require('async'),

  release = require('github-release'),

  rename = require('gulp-rename'),

  keepup = require('keepup');



// Delete crap we don't need, which ends up saving several megabytes.

function cleanup(cb){

  var tasks = [],

    blobs = '{test*,doc*,example*,bench*,image*,tool*,lcov-report*}',

    paths = [

      './node_modules/**/' + blobs,

      './node_modules/**/node_modules/**/' + blobs,

      './node_modules/**/node_modules/**/node_modules/**/' + blobs,

      './node_modules/**/node_modules/.bin',

      './node_modules/**/node_modules/**/node_modules/.bin'

    ];



  tasks = paths.map(function(p){

    return function(done){

      exec('rm -rf ' + p, done);

    };

  });

  tasks.push(function(done){exec('npm dedupe', done);});

  async.parallel(tasks, cb);

}



gulp.task('dist', function(cb){

  cleanup(function(){

    console.log('  → creating binaries for distribution');

    keepup('./node_modules/.bin/lone ')

      .on('data', function(buf){process.stdout.write(buf);})

      .on('stderr', function(buf){process.stderr.write(buf);})

      .on('complete', function(){

        var finalName = pkg.name + '_' + platform;

        if(platform === 'windows') finalName += '.exe';



        console.log('  ✔︎ Binary created: ' + path.resolve(

          __dirname + '/../dist/' + finalName));



        console.log('  → uploading release to github');



        gulp.src('./.lone/dist/' + pkg.name)

          .pipe(rename(finalName))

          .pipe(release(pkg))

          .on('end', function(){

            console.log('  ✔︎ Dist complete and uploaded to github');

            cb();

          });

      })

      .on('crash', function(data){

        console.log('  ✘ Binary build failed.  Check logs.  (exit code '+data.code+')');

        cb(new Error('Binary build failed.  Check logs.  (exit code '+data.code+')'));

      });

  });

});

```



Now we just run `gulp dist` on any platform and our app binaries are avilable

on GitHub without having to mess around with windows paths or cygwin.



## License



MIT



## Continuum of making computers do things



3 classes of solutions: cli, "status bar", gui.



Naive model of methods for implementing solutions:



- scripts: perl, bash, python, BAT

- module: publish to pypi, npm, artifactory, etc

- native cli: c*, qt, many-others, way it's always been done

- dynamic cli: `lone`, `go compile`

- dynamic gui: node-webkit, atom-shell, brackets-shell

- native gui: Cocoa, winfx



|      class       |      upsides      |                  downsides                  |

| :--------------- | :---------------- | :------------------------------------------ |

| script           | worksforme        | 30 scripts to start mongod and none correct |

| module           | reusable in web   | need toolchain, language bias, etc          |

| native cli       | what people want. | hard, expensive                             |

| dynamic cli      | what people want. | emerging                                    |

| dynamic gui      | what people want. | emerging                                    |

| native gui       | what people want. | really really hard                          |



## Status Bar Apps



Usually a feature of native gui apps, "status bar" apps (eg cloudup, dropbox, etc)

should have a home of their own rather than glumping into lone's scope.

This statusbar module might use lone under the hood, but definitely needs to

be separate.  [Rumps](https://github.com/jaredks/rumps) is an example python impl.



[BitBar][bitbar] is another exciting new project to solve this need.  When paired with

[@sindresorhus/bitbar][bitbar js], writing these apps could not be much easier.



[bitbar js]: https://github.com/sindresorhus/bitbar 

[bitbar]: https://github.com/matryer/bitbar



[travis_img]: https://secure.travis-ci.org/mongodb-js/lone.png

[travis_url]: https://travis-ci.org/mongodb-js/lone

[npm_img]: https://img.shields.io/npm/v/lone.svg?style=flat-square

[npm_url]: https://www.npmjs.org/package/lone

[appv_img]: https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/github/imlucas/lone

[appv_url]: https://ci.appveyor.com/project/imlucas/lone