Executing Javascript Outside Of The Browser, Cross Platform

I'm thinking of building a basic tool. In the process of building this basic tool, I was hoping to learn a new skill. I was hoping to write the tool using pure JavaScript. The tool

Solution 1:

A couple of possibilities come to mind.

• node-webkit:

node-webkit is an app runtime based on Chromium and node.js. You can write native apps in HTML and Javascript with node-webkit. It also lets you to call Node.js modules directly from DOM and enables a new way of writing native applications with all Web technologies.

• appjs:

AppJS is an SDK to develop desktop applications using Node.js melded with Chromium.

• Chrome Packaged Apps (without the nodejs part):

Packaged apps deliver an experience as capable as a native app, but as safe as a web page. Just like web apps, packaged apps are written in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. But packaged apps look and behave like native apps, and they have native-like capabilities that are much more powerful than those available to web apps.

• node-chrome: (light weight integration with chrome - you control/write everything)

This module demonstrates how well Node.js and Google Chrome (as two autonomous binaries) can cooperate wihtout much programatic interfacing. Node-chrome is the absolute least amount of glue needed to create a desktop experience with Node.js. The module will run on platforms that Chrome and Node.js run on.

• Build/Package your nodejs code yourself: Have it launch the users default/preferred browser pointing back at the nodejs service.

IMO: node-webkit is pretty interesting in that packaging (in a basic app scenario) is as simple as cat'ing a zip of your apps resources onto an executable. Distribute the right executable for the right environment and you are done.

Solution 2:

Check out AppJS it is an SDK to develop desktop applications using Node.js. It also has tools for exposing native C++ bindings to your JavaScript. For the fronted you can use whatever front end framework you like such as bootstrap.