67 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
67 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
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# ADR-001: Tauri as Desktop Framework
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**Status**: Accepted
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**Date**: 2025-Q3
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**Deciders**: sarman
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---
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## Context
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A cross-platform desktop application is required for IT engineers who need:
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- Fully offline operation (local AI via Ollama)
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- Encrypted local data storage (sensitive incident details)
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- Access to local filesystem (log files)
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- No telemetry or cloud dependency for core functionality
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- Distribution on Linux, macOS, and Windows
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The main alternatives considered were **Electron**, **Flutter**, **Qt**, and a pure **web app**.
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---
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## Decision
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Use **Tauri 2** with a **Rust backend** and **React/TypeScript frontend**.
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---
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## Rationale
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| Criterion | Tauri 2 | Electron | Flutter | Web App |
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|-----------|---------|----------|---------|---------|
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| Binary size | ~8 MB | ~120+ MB | ~40 MB | N/A |
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| Memory footprint | ~50 MB | ~200+ MB | ~100 MB | N/A |
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| OS WebView | Yes (native) | No (bundled Chromium) | No | N/A |
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| Rust backend | Yes (native perf) | No (Node.js) | No (Dart) | No |
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| Filesystem access | Scoped ACL | Unrestricted by default | Limited | CORS-limited |
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| Offline-first | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
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| SQLCipher integration | Via rusqlite | Via better-sqlite3 | Via plugin | No |
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| Existing team skills | Rust + React | Node.js + React | Dart | TypeScript |
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**Tauri's advantages for this use case:**
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1. **Security model**: Capability-based ACL prevents frontend from making arbitrary system calls. The frontend can only call explicitly-declared commands.
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2. **Performance**: Rust backend handles CPU-intensive work (PII regex scanning, PDF generation, SQLCipher operations) without Node.js overhead.
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3. **Binary size**: Uses the OS-native WebView (WebKit on macOS/Linux, WebView2 on Windows) — no bundled browser engine.
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4. **Stronghold plugin**: Built-in encrypted key-value store for credential management.
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5. **IPC type safety**: `generate_handler![]` macro ensures all IPC commands are registered; `invoke()` on the frontend can be fully typed via `tauriCommands.ts`.
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---
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## Consequences
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**Positive:**
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- Small distributable (<20 MB .dmg vs 150+ MB Electron .dmg)
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- Rust's memory safety prevents a class of security bugs
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- Tauri's CSP enforcement and capability ACL provide defense-in-depth
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- Native OS dialogs, file pickers, and notifications
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**Negative:**
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- WebKit/WebView2 inconsistencies require cross-browser testing
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- Rust compile times are longer than Node.js (mitigated by Docker CI caching)
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- Tauri 2 is relatively new — smaller ecosystem than Electron
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- macOS builds require a macOS runner (no cross-compilation)
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**Neutral:**
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- React frontend works identically to a web app — no desktop-specific UI code needed
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- TypeScript IPC wrappers (`tauriCommands.ts`) decouple frontend from Tauri details
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