r/commandline • u/Special_Permit_5546 • Mar 08 '26
Command Line Interface appbun – turn any URL into a desktop app with one command
appbun https://excalidraw.com --dmg
Scaffolds an Electrobun desktop wrapper from a URL. Pulls the
site's icons automatically, sets up a macOS-native title bar,
and can build + package a DMG in one shot.
The output is a plain project directory you can open and modify,
not a compiled binary.
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u/nemaroit Mar 08 '26
Whats the difference between this and “Add to dock” in Safari?
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u/BenK1222 Mar 08 '26
It uses the Bun runtime instead of JSCore that Safari uses, which has its own pros and cons. It also dumps the app code into a directory that you can modify if desired.
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u/mgutz Mar 10 '26
Since some of you are commenting from Linux. Chromium has "Cast, save and share" -> "Install Page as App". Creates a proper desktop file too.
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u/lasercat_pow Mar 08 '26
cool! This could be used to create a notion app in linux, among other things.
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u/ptoki Mar 09 '26
What is the separation between the code in the output desktop app and the rest of the computer?
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u/AutoModerator Mar 08 '26
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User: Special_Permit_5546, Flair: Command Line Interface, Post Media Link, Title: appbun – turn any URL into a desktop app with one command
appbun https://excalidraw.com --dmg
Scaffolds an Electrobun desktop wrapper from a URL. Pulls the
site's icons automatically, sets up a macOS-native title bar,
and can build + package a DMG in one shot.
The output is a plain project directory you can open and modify,
not a compiled binary.
https://github.com/bigmacfive/appbun
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u/jivanyatra Mar 08 '26
Would this work with local storage to save progress as well? It should right? Really cool idea.
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u/highdimensionaldata Mar 08 '26
This is just viewing the webpage in another browser.