webarcade 0.6.2

CLI for WebArcade - Create and build native desktop app plugins
webarcade-0.6.2 is not a library.

webarcade-cli

CLI for WebArcade - Create and build native desktop app plugins.

Installation

cargo install webarcade

Quick Start

# Initialize a new project

webarcade init my-app

cd my-app


# Create a new plugin

webarcade new my-plugin


# Build the plugin

webarcade build my-plugin


# Run the app

webarcade run


# Package the app

webarcade package

Commands

Command Description
webarcade init <name> Initialize a new WebArcade project
webarcade new <plugin> Create a new plugin
webarcade build <plugin> Build a plugin
webarcade build --all Build all plugins
webarcade list List available plugins
webarcade run Build and run the app
webarcade app Build production app with installer
webarcade package Package app for distribution (interactive)
webarcade install <user/repo> Install a plugin from GitHub
webarcade update Update the CLI to latest version

Build Progress Display

When building plugins, the CLI shows a clean, professional progress display:

  ▶  Building Plugins
  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────

  ✓ hello-world      ● systemMonitor    ○ themes

  → systemMonitor: Compiling DLL...

  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━────────────────────── 66% (2/3)

Features:

  • Real-time status for each plugin (○ pending, ● building, ✓ complete, ✗ failed)
  • Current build step displayed (Bundling frontend, Compiling DLL, etc.)
  • Progress bar with percentage
  • Clean summary on completion

Updating the CLI

Check for updates and install the latest version:

webarcade update

This will:

  • Show your current version
  • Check crates.io for the latest version
  • Prompt to install if an update is available

Build Optimizations

The CLI includes smart build caching to speed up development:

Incremental Plugin Builds

Plugins are only rebuilt when their source files change. The CLI tracks file hashes and skips unchanged plugins:

# Only rebuilds plugins that have changed

webarcade build --all


# Force rebuild all plugins (ignore cache)

webarcade build --all -f

Build Flags

Flag Description
-f, --force Force rebuild, ignoring cache

Package Flags

Flag Description
--locked Embed plugins in binary (locked mode)
--no-rebuild Only rebuild changed plugins (use cache)
--skip-binary Skip frontend/binary rebuild (use existing)
--skip-prompts Use current config without prompts

Common Workflows

# Full rebuild and package

webarcade package --locked


# Only 1 plugin changed, rebuild just that plugin

webarcade package --no-rebuild --locked


# Plugin changed, binary unchanged (unlocked mode only)

webarcade package --no-rebuild --skip-binary


# Quick repackage with no rebuilds

webarcade package --no-rebuild --skip-binary --skip-prompts

Automatic Process Management

The CLI automatically terminates running app processes before building to prevent "file in use" errors. This happens automatically when you run:

  • webarcade build
  • webarcade app
  • webarcade package

Build Cache

Plugin build state is stored in build/.build_cache.json. The cache tracks:

  • SHA-256 hash of all source files (.rs, .jsx, .js, .ts, .tsx, .json, .toml, .css, .scss)
  • Build timestamp

Changes that trigger a rebuild:

  • Any source file content change
  • Adding/removing/renaming files
  • Missing output file (.dll, .js)
  • Using --force flag

Changes that don't trigger a rebuild:

  • Lock file changes (package-lock.json, Cargo.lock)
  • node_modules/ or target/ changes
  • File timestamp changes without content changes

License

MIT