Building Lightweight and Secure Desktop & Mobile Apps with Tauri and React

Introduction

Developers often turn to Electron for cross-platform desktop apps, but its heavy resource usage and large app sizes can be drawbacks. Enter Tauri, a modern alternative that enables you to build lightweight, secure, and high-performance applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android using web technologies like React.

In this blog, we’ll explore how to build cross-platform desktop and mobile applications with Tauri + React, including deployment strategies.

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Why Choose Tauri for Desktop & Mobile Apps?

Tauri vs. Electron (Desktop)

Tauri for Mobile (iOS & Android)

Since Tauri v2, support for iOS & Android is in development, making it a powerful alternative to frameworks like React Native or Flutter. With Tauri, you can write your app once and deploy it on both desktop and mobile with minimal changes.

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Setting Up a Tauri + React Project

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• Node.js (for React)

• Rust & Cargo (for Tauri)

• Xcode (macOS only) for iOS builds

• Android SDK & NDK for Android builds

Step 1: Create a React App

Initialize a React project with Vite:

npm create vite@latest tauri-react-app --template react
cd tauri-react-app
npm install
npm run dev

Step 2: Install Tauri

Install the Tauri CLI globally:

cargo install tauri-cli

Then, initialize Tauri in your project:

npm create tauri-app

Follow the setup prompts.

Step 3: Configure Tauri for Desktop

Modify src-tauri/tauri.conf.json as needed. The default setup should work for most apps.

Run your app locally:

npm run tauri dev

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Building and Deploying Your Tauri App

1. Deploying for Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

To build a production-ready desktop app, run:

npm run tauri build

This generates:

• .exe (Windows)

• .app (macOS)

• .deb or .AppImage (Linux)

Distribution Options:

✅ GitHub Releases – Automate deployment using CI/CD
✅ App Stores – Submit to Microsoft Store & Mac App Store
✅ Tauri Updater – Enable auto-updates

2. Deploying for Mobile (iOS & Android)

Step 1: Enable Mobile Support in Tauri

Tauri v2 introduces mobile support for iOS & Android. Install mobile dependencies:

cargo install tauri-mobile

Step 2: Setup iOS Build

On macOS, install Xcode and set up your project:

tauri mobile init ios
tauri mobile build ios

Step 3: Setup Android Build

For Android, install the Android SDK & NDK, then run:

tauri mobile init android
tauri mobile build android

Step 4: Deploying to App Stores

✅ Google Play Store – Generate an .apk or .aab file for submission
✅ Apple App Store – Use Xcode to archive and submit your app

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Conclusion

With Tauri + React, you can build cross-platform applications that are:
✔️ Lightweight – Smaller app sizes compared to Electron
✔️ Secure – Rust backend reduces vulnerabilities
✔️ Fast & Efficient – Uses system web views instead of bundling Chromium
✔️ Truly Cross-Platform – Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android

Next Steps

🚀 Want a detailed guide on Tauri mobile deployment? Let me know in the comments!

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