Overview:

React NodeGui is a framework for building performant, native, and cross-platform desktop applications using React and Qt5. It boasts a low CPU and memory footprint, styling with CSS, support for Flexbox layout, complete Nodejs API support, and much more. While suitable for smaller projects, complex projects may still benefit from using electron for now.

Features:

• Cross platform compatibility: Works on major Linux flavors, Windows, and MacOS.
• Low CPU and memory footprint: CPU usage stays at 0% on idle, with memory usage under 20mb for a hello world program.
• Styling with CSS: Includes full support for Flexbox layout.
• Complete Nodejs API support: Runs on Node v12.x and is easily upgradable.
• Native widget event listener support: Supports all events available from Qt/NodeJs.
• Commercial applications usage: Can be used for commercial applications.
• Devtools support: Good support for react-devtools and node debugger.
• Good documentation and website: Comprehensive documentation and support for contributors.
• Dark mode support: Strong support for dark mode thanks to Qt.
• Typescript support: First-class Typescript support, also compatible with regular JS projects.

Installation:

To install React NodeGui, you can follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/nodegui/nodegui.git
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Build the project: npm run build
4. Set up custom Qt installation directory: QT_INSTALL_DIR=/path/to/qt npm install
5. Update documentation: npm run docs
6. Deploy changes: cd website && GIT_USER=<your_git_username> yarn deploy

Summary:

React NodeGui is a powerful tool for building desktop applications with React, offering a range of features aimed at performance, cross-platform compatibility, and ease of development. While it may not be suited for complex projects at this time, its low resource consumption, comprehensive documentation, and strong community support make it a viable alternative to traditional solutions like electron.