servicebusexplorer

Building and Distributing the Desktop App

This guide covers building the Azure Service Bus Explorer desktop application for distribution.

Prerequisites

All Platforms

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Rust (install from https://rustup.rs/)

Platform-Specific

macOS:

xcode-select --install

Windows:

• Install Microsoft C++ Build Tools
• Or install Visual Studio with C++ workload

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  libappindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev \
  patchelf

Local Builds

Quick Build (Current Platform)

npm run tauri:build

This builds for your current platform and outputs the installer in:

• Windows: src-tauri/target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/bundle/msi/
• macOS: src-tauri/target/[arch]/release/bundle/dmg/
• Linux: src-tauri/target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release/bundle/

Cross-Platform Builds

You can build for other platforms from your current machine:

Windows (64-bit):

npm run tauri:build -- --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

macOS Intel:

npm run tauri:build -- --target x86_64-apple-darwin

macOS Apple Silicon:

npm run tauri:build -- --target aarch64-apple-darwin

Linux (64-bit):

npm run tauri:build -- --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Note: Cross-platform builds require additional setup:

• Windows → macOS/Linux: Not easily possible, use CI/CD
• macOS → Windows/Linux: Requires Wine (for Windows) or Docker (for Linux)
• Linux → Windows/macOS: Not easily possible, use CI/CD

Automated Builds with GitHub Actions

The repository includes GitHub Actions workflows for automated cross-platform builds.

Option 1: Full Release Workflow

File: .github/workflows/build-desktop.yml

Features:

• Builds for all platforms automatically
• Creates GitHub Releases with installers
• Triggers on version tags

Usage:

1. Create and push a version tag:

   git tag v1.0.0
   git push origin v1.0.0
   

2. The workflow will:
   • Build for Windows, macOS (Intel & ARM), and Linux
   • Create a draft GitHub Release
   • Attach all platform installers
   • Generate release notes
3. Review and publish the release on GitHub

Option 2: Simple Build Workflow

File: .github/workflows/build-desktop-simple.yml

Features:

• Builds artifacts without creating releases
• Useful for testing or manual release creation
• Can be triggered manually or on push

Usage:

1. Go to GitHub Actions → Build Desktop App (Simple)
2. Click “Run workflow”
3. Select branch and run
4. Download artifacts from the workflow run

Build Outputs

Windows

• Format: MSI installer
• Location: src-tauri/target/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/release/bundle/msi/*.msi
• Size: ~15-20 MB
• Installation: Double-click the .msi file

macOS

• Format: DMG disk image
• Location: src-tauri/target/[arch]/release/bundle/dmg/*.dmg
• Size: ~20-25 MB
• Installation:
  1. Open the .dmg file
  2. Drag the app to Applications
  3. May need to allow in System Preferences → Security

Note: For distribution outside the App Store, you’ll need:

• Apple Developer account ($99/year)
• Code signing certificate
• Notarization (for macOS 10.15+)

Linux

• Format: DEB package (Debian/Ubuntu)
• Location: src-tauri/target/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/release/bundle/deb/*.deb
• Size: ~15-20 MB
• Installation:

  sudo dpkg -i *.deb
  sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix dependencies if needed
  

Code Signing (macOS)

For production macOS builds, configure code signing in GitHub Actions:

1. Export your certificate:

   # Export from Keychain Access
   # File → Export Items → Save as .p12
   

2. Add GitHub Secrets:
   • Go to Repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
   • Add:
     • APPLE_CERTIFICATE: Base64 encoded .p12 file

       base64 -i certificate.p12 | pbcopy
       

     • APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: Your certificate password
     • APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY: Your signing identity

       security find-identity -v -p codesigning
       

     • APPLE_TEAM_ID: Your Apple Team ID (from Apple Developer portal)
3. Update workflow to use these secrets (see Tauri documentation)

Troubleshooting

Build Fails on macOS

Error: “No such module ‘AppKit’”

• Solution: Install Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install

Error: Code signing issues

• Solution: Ensure you have a valid Apple Developer certificate

Build Fails on Windows

Error: “link.exe not found”

• Solution: Install Microsoft C++ Build Tools or Visual Studio

Error: “rustup not found”

• Solution: Install Rust from https://rustup.rs/

Build Fails on Linux

Error: “Package ‘webkit2gtk-4.0’ not found”

• Solution: Install required dependencies (see Prerequisites)

Error: “Permission denied”

• Solution: Ensure you have write permissions in the project directory

General Issues

Build is slow:

• First build compiles Rust dependencies (can take 10-20 minutes)
• Subsequent builds are much faster (1-2 minutes)

Out of memory:

• Rust compilation can use significant RAM
• Ensure at least 4GB available
• Close other applications

Build artifacts not found:

• Check the correct target directory for your platform
• Ensure build completed successfully (check for errors)

Distribution

GitHub Releases

1. Use the automated workflow to create releases
2. Or manually:
   • Build locally for each platform
   • Create a new release on GitHub
   • Upload installers as release assets

Other Distribution Methods

• macOS: App Store (requires Apple Developer account)
• Windows: Microsoft Store (requires developer account)
• Linux: Package repositories (Snap, Flatpak, AppImage)

Version Management

Update version in:

1. package.json - npm version
2. src-tauri/Cargo.toml - Rust package version
3. src-tauri/tauri.conf.json - App version

Use semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.1.0)

Resources

• Tauri Building Documentation
• Tauri GitHub Actions
• Rust Cross-Compilation

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