forge

The forge crate is the command-line interface (CLI) for Forge. It provides commands for creating, developing, building, and distributing Forge applications.

Overview

The CLI is the primary entry point for Forge users. It handles:

• Development mode - Run apps with hot reload
• Production builds - Bundle assets for distribution
• Platform packaging - Create native installers
• Code signing - Sign packages for distribution
• Icon management - Validate and generate app icons

Getting Started

Copy an example to start a new project:

# Copy an example
cp -r examples/react-app my-app
cd my-app

# Available examples
# - examples/example-deno-app   Minimal TypeScript
# - examples/react-app          React with TypeScript
# - examples/nextjs-app         Next.js-style patterns
# - examples/svelte-app         Svelte with TypeScript

Commands

forge dev

Run an app in development mode with hot reload:

forge dev <app-dir>

Features:

• Live reload on file changes
• Development-friendly CSP settings
• Console output in terminal

forge build

Build web assets for production:

forge build <app-dir>

Process:

1. Detect framework (React, Vue, Svelte, Minimal)
2. Bundle with esbuild via Deno
3. Transform SFC files (Vue/Svelte)
4. Output to dist/ directory

forge bundle

Create platform-specific distributable packages:

forge bundle <app-dir>

Output formats:

• macOS: .app bundle + .dmg disk image
• Windows: .msix package
• Linux: .AppImage or .tar.gz

forge sign

Sign a bundled artifact for distribution:

forge sign [--identity <IDENTITY>] <artifact>

Supports:

• macOS code signing with Developer ID
• Windows code signing with certificates
• Notarization for macOS

forge icon

Manage app icons:

forge icon create <path>     # Create placeholder icon
forge icon validate <app-dir> # Validate icon requirements

Icon requirements:

• Format: PNG with transparency (RGBA)
• Size: 1024x1024 pixels (minimum 512x512)
• Shape: Square (1:1 aspect ratio)

Key Types

Framework

Detected framework type for build configuration:

enum Framework {
    Minimal,
    React,
    Vue,
    Svelte,
}

File Structure

crates/forge/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs         # CLI entry point and commands
│   └── bundler/        # Platform bundling logic
│       ├── mod.rs      # Bundler module
│       ├── codesign.rs # Code signing
│       └── icon.rs     # Icon processing
└── build.rs            # Build script

Dependencies

Dependency	Purpose
anyhow	Error handling
serde, toml	Manifest parsing
image	Icon processing
zip	MSIX package creation
walkdir	Directory traversal
which	Binary discovery
dirs	User directories

Related

• forge-host - Runtime binary launched by forge dev
• Getting Started - User guide for CLI usage