Electrino

Electrino provides a lightweight desktop runtime for applications built with web technologies by leveraging the system’s native browser engine instead of bundling a separate Chromium instance. It implements a minimal subset of Electron’s API—such as app, BrowserWindow, ipcMain, Tray, and nativeImage—allowing developers to package small utilities and menu‑bar tools with a dramatically reduced binary size. For example, a basic “Hello World” program occupies roughly 167 kB with Electrino, compared with over 100 MB when built with Electron.

The runtime targets developers who need a compact desktop container for web‑based interfaces and are willing to work within a limited API surface. It is currently stable on macOS and Windows 10, with plans to expand support based on real‑world usage patterns. Contributions are welcomed, especially for adding features like WebView integration, require() handling, and Node.js backend support.

Electrino is positioned as an alternative for small‑scale desktop apps where full Electron capabilities are unnecessary, offering a smaller footprint while still providing essential window management and inter‑process communication functions.