Java 25 core · System WebView · Open source

Desktop apps with a Java core and a web UI.

JDesk pairs a Java 25 application core with the operating system's own WebView — WebView2, WKWebView, WebKitGTK. The Tauri development model, without Rust, without bundled Chromium.

Build your first app Read the introduction

$ npm create jdesk-app@latest my-app

Requires JDK 25+ and your platform’s system WebView.

nonce→hello→invoke→result

Why JDesk

The small-native trade-off, made for Java teams.

Keep business logic, system integration, lifecycle, and packaging in Java. Build the UI with React, Vue, Svelte, or plain HTML. Ship a small native app.

No bundled Chromium

Render in the WebView already on the machine — WebView2, WKWebView, WebKitGTK. Apps stay small instead of shipping 100+ MB of browser.

No Rust to learn

Small binaries come from a trimmed JVM runtime image via jlink, not a new systems language. If your team knows Java and Gradle, you're ready.

No Node at runtime

The frontend is static files served over the jdesk://app/ scheme. There is no local web server in production, and Node is only a build-time tool.

Compile-time typed IPC

An annotation processor discovers @DesktopCommand methods and generates a typed TypeScript client. No runtime reflection, no glue that drifts.

Secure by default

Every command needs an explicit capability grant. Navigation is locked to the app origin, popups denied, path traversal rejected — enforced in Java.

Native packaging built in

jlink + jpackage produce DMG/PKG, MSI/EXE, and DEB/RPM, each with SHA-256 checksums and a CycloneDX SBOM. Verified on real system WebViews.

One round trip

Call Java from the web. Get a typed record back.

Annotate a method with @DesktopCommand and JDesk generates a typed client for it. The frontend invokes; the handler runs on a virtual thread, off the UI thread; exactly one result crosses back — correlated by request id.

Deny-by-default capability check runs before your code.
Handlers block freely on virtual threads — no async plumbing.
The generated TypeScript client keeps types in sync at compile time.

Defining commands

GreetingService.java

@DesktopCommand("greeting.greet")
@RequiresCapability("greeting:use")
public CompletionStage<Response> greet(Request req, InvocationContext ctx) {
    String name = req.name().isBlank() ? "world" : req.name().strip();
    return completedFuture(new Response("Hello, " + name + "!"));
}

ui/src/main.ts

import { commands } from "./jdesk-ts/commands";

// Fully typed — the argument and result come from your Java records.
const res = await commands.greeting.greet({ name: "Ada" });
result.textContent = res.message; // "Hello, Ada!"

How it compares

Same trade-off as Tauri, in the language you already ship.

JDesk trades Electron's one-identical-engine guarantee for small apps on each platform's native WebView. If pixel-identical rendering everywhere is a hard requirement, Electron is still the safer choice.

Comparison of JDesk, Tauri, and Electron
	JDesk	Tauri	Electron
Backend language	Java (JVM)	Rust	Node.js
Renderer	System WebView	System WebView	Bundled Chromium
Bundle size	Small (jlink runtime)	Smallest	Large (100+ MB)
Runtime dependency	Trimmed JVM (bundled)	None	Bundled Chromium
IPC	Compile-time typed	Typed commands	IPC channels
Best fit	Java / JVM teams	Rust / native teams	Max web-parity

Platform support

Verified on real system WebViews.

Native, packaging, security, and stress tests run on real CI runners and Apple Silicon hardware for every target.

Windows

WebView: WebView2 (Evergreen)
Minimum: Windows 10 1809+

macOS

WebView: WKWebView
Minimum: macOS 13 Ventura+

Linux

WebView: WebKitGTK 4.1
Minimum: Ubuntu 22.04+

Scaffold an app in one command.

Pick a template — basic, React, Vue, Svelte, or a structured multi-module layout — and run it on your OS.

$ npx create-jdesk-app@latest my-app

Installation guide Browse the docs