Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Deno 2.9+ (or latest stable) — needed for deno create and Deno Desktop.
• A desktop OS: Windows, macOS or Linux (the framework uses each platform's native APIs).

Create a project

Create a folder, step into it, and scaffold:

mkdir my-app
cd my-app
deno create jsr:@niyam/deskapp

This downloads the @niyam/deskapp package from JSR and runs its ./create scaffold script. Your whole framework + starter app is copied into the current folder (named after it), a .env is created from .env.example, and everything is ready to run.

TIP

• The jsr: prefix is required — deno create deskapp by itself is not supported.
• Alternatively, scaffold from anywhere with an explicit name: deno run -A jsr:@niyam/deskapp/create my-app (add --force to overwrite an existing folder).

Install dependencies

The project resolves npm packages (Vite, Sass, Drizzle, Vue, ...) through Deno:

cd my-app
deno install

Run it

deno task dev

dev runs codegen (schema + bindings), builds the UI, and opens the desktop app with hot module reload. You should see the main window with the demo dashboard — file operations, API proxy, Playwright button, queue and cron demos — all working against the real backend.

Headless (no window)

Set DESKAPP_UI=false in .env to disable the frontend, then:

deno task serve        # codegen, then: deno run -A --env-file src/main.ts

The app boots as a tray-only background service: no UI, no window. The HTTP server serves a small JSON status at http://127.0.0.1:8000 and the tray keeps the process alive. (Note DESKAPP_UI defaults to true — without .env a plain deno run -A src/main.ts opens the window.)

What you get

my-app/
  .vscode/             editor settings for Deno
  src/
    core/              framework internals (edit freely — it's your framework)
    database/          generated schema + migrations
    icons/             favicon, tray, app icons
    modules/           your modules (app by default)
    storage/           live database and files folder
    ui/                Vue 3 frontend
    window/            window presets / manager / native chrome / dialogs
    main.ts            backend entrypoint
  .env                 created from .env.example
  deno.json            app name, tasks, desktop config, dependencies
  drizzle.config.ts    database setup

Rename your app

The app display name and deep-link scheme come from deno.json:

"desktop": {
  "app": {
    "name": "MyApp",
    "deepLinks": ["myapp"]
  }
}

Change those (and the icon files in src/icons/), and you're done.

Try the CLI

deno task maker                    # list all commands
deno task maker make:module blog   # create a new module with a model + seeder
deno task maker db:migrate         # generate + run migrations

See Maker Commands and Database Commands.

Next

• Architecture
• Environment — env variables
• Configuration — windows, tasks, deno.json