Install pake with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• pake

Project history

Pake began with the goal of turning an existing website into a lightweight desktop application with minimal ceremony. It adopted Rust and Tauri so generated applications could use the platform webview instead of packaging a complete Chromium runtime.

The project expanded from a simple URL wrapper into a configurable cross-platform packager with local-site support, injected styles and scripts, window and tray controls, multi-window behavior, authentication options, multiple Linux package targets, machine-readable results, and declarative JSON builds.

The official project now explicitly positions Pake as a maintained successor for Nativefier-style one-command wrapping while documenting the behavioral differences between Electron's bundled Chromium and Tauri's platform webviews.

Adoption history

Pake developed a broad cross-platform audience around its one-command workflow and ready-made web-app packages. The project supports macOS, Windows, and Linux and distributes its CLI through npm, pnpm, Homebrew, and project releases.

Its official documentation also supports noninteractive use through JSON output, declarative input files, and CI-oriented workflows, extending adoption beyond one-off desktop wrapping.

How it is used

Run `pake URL --name NAME` to build a desktop application, or provide a local HTML file or static-site directory. Options control icons, dimensions, decorations, navigation, injected assets, permissions, installer targets, and installation behavior.

`--config <path>` accepts a user-selected JSON file whose fields mirror CLI options, but Pake does not prescribe a persistent default config-file location. `--json` provides stable machine-readable results for scripts and agents.

Packaged applications retain their own site cookies, storage, and logins. Pake does not document a separate credentials file; HTTP Basic credentials are entered at runtime and retained only for the session.

Why package nerds care

Pake is a package-building tool whose outputs are themselves desktop packages. It appeals to package enthusiasts because it replaces a bundled Chromium runtime with operating-system webviews and exposes signing, installer formats, architecture targets, and CI automation behind one command.

It also illustrates an important packaging tradeoff: system webviews reduce bundled runtime weight but can produce platform-specific behavior, so packaged sites must still be tested on WKWebView, WebView2, and WebKitGTK.

Timeline

• Early project: Pake established a one-command Tauri workflow for wrapping websites.
• 2023: Nativefier was archived, creating a clear migration use case documented by Pake.
• Version 3 era: Pake expanded its cross-platform packaging, automation, webview integration, and declarative build features.

Related projects

• Tauri provides the underlying desktop framework and platform-webview layer. Nativefier is the archived Electron-based predecessor most directly compared in Pake's official documentation.

Sources

• https://github.com/tw93/Pake#readme
• https://github.com/tw93/Pake/blob/main/docs/cli-usage.md
• https://pake.run/
• https://pake.run/blog/nativefier-alternative