Why Tauri Could Replace Electron for Faster, Smaller Desktop Apps

Why Say Goodbye to Electron?

With the emergence of the hybrid framework Tauri, many developers are reconsidering the use of Electron for desktop GUI applications.

Tauri combines a Rust‑based backend with a React (or other) frontend to deliver a truly native, browser‑free experience.

Electron Overview

Electron enables developers with web skills to create cross‑platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. By embedding Chromium and Node.js, a single codebase can run on Windows, macOS, and Linux without requiring native development experience.

However, Electron‑generated binaries are often large; even a modest codebase can produce binaries around 60 MB.

Tauri Overview

Tauri is a toolkit that lets developers use existing front‑end frameworks to build native desktop apps. Its core is written in Rust, and its CLI leverages Node.js, offering a truly multi‑language approach.

It provides a command‑line scaffolding tool that generates the necessary Rust files for the chosen front‑end framework, enabling seamless integration between UI and backend.

Getting Started with Tauri

To try Tauri, ensure Rust is installed and, on Windows or Linux, install the required system dependencies. Then run a simple command to set up the project.

Install Rust.

Install platform‑specific dependencies (Windows/Linux).

Run the Tauri project initialization command.

After placing your front‑end source files alongside the Rust backend, you can use Tauri’s IPC mechanisms without needing a separate preload script.

#![cfg_attr(
  all(not(debug_assertions), target_os = "windows"),
  windows_subsystem = "windows"
)]

use reqwest;
use std::io::Read;

#[tauri::command]
fn get_data(address: String, endpoint: String) -> String {
  let request_url = format!("http://{}/{}", address, endpoint);
  let mut res = reqwest::blocking::get(&request_url).expect("REQUEST FAILED");
  let mut body = String::new();
  res.read_to_string(&mut body).expect("Couldn't read into buffer");
  return body;
}

fn main() {
  tauri::Builder::default()
    .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![get_data])
    .run(tauri::generate_context!())
    .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

In the front‑end, you can call the Rust function via Tauri’s API:

import { invoke } from '@tauri-apps/api/tauri';

Conclusion

Tauri’s Rust‑based backend produces binaries that are a fraction of the size of Electron‑based apps, making it an attractive alternative for web developers seeking native performance. While there is a learning curve, the benefits of smaller, faster desktop applications suggest Tauri could eventually overtake Electron as the dominant GUI framework.