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Tauri Basic Commands

Essential commands for Tauri development workflow.

Development Commands​

Start Development Server​

npm run tauri dev
# or alternatively
cargo tauri dev

Starts the development server with hot reload enabled. This command:

  • Builds the frontend in development mode
  • Launches the Tauri app window
  • Enables hot reload for both frontend and backend changes
  • Shows console logs and error messages

Note: npm run tauri dev and cargo tauri dev do the same thing, but npm version uses the locally installed Tauri CLI while cargo version uses globally installed Tauri CLI.

Build for Production​

npm run tauri build
# or alternatively
cargo tauri build

Creates a production-ready build of your Tauri app:

  • Optimizes frontend assets
  • Compiles Rust backend for target platform
  • Creates platform-specific installer/executable
  • Output location: src-tauri/target/release/

Build for Development (Debug)​

npm run tauri build --debug

Creates a debug build with:

  • Debug symbols included
  • Faster compilation time
  • Larger file size
  • Better error messages

Setup and Initialization​

Create New Tauri Project​

# Using npm
npm create tauri-app@latest

# Using yarn
yarn create tauri-app

# Using pnpm
pnpm create tauri-app@latest

Add Tauri to Existing Project​

npm install --save-dev @tauri-apps/cli
npm run tauri init

Platform-Specific Builds​

Build for Specific Target​

# Windows
npm run tauri build --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

# macOS Intel
npm run tauri build --target x86_64-apple-darwin

# macOS Apple Silicon
npm run tauri build --target aarch64-apple-darwin

# Linux
npm run tauri build --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Error Checking and Debugging​

Check Tauri Info​

npm run tauri info
# or alternatively
cargo tauri info

Displays:

  • Tauri version
  • Operating system details
  • Rust version and toolchain
  • Node.js version
  • Frontend framework details
  • WebView version

Validate Configuration​

npm run tauri dev --verbose

Shows detailed logs for debugging configuration issues.

Check Rust Code​

# Check Rust code for compilation errors
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

# Check with verbose output
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --verbose

# Check specific features
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --features "your-feature"

Check Rust Setup​

rustc --version
cargo --version

TypeScript Error Checking​

# Check TypeScript errors (if using TypeScript)
npx tsc --noEmit

# Check with specific config
npx tsc --noEmit --project tsconfig.json

# Watch mode for continuous checking
npx tsc --noEmit --watch

Linting and Code Quality​

# ESLint for JavaScript/TypeScript
npm run lint
# or
npx eslint src/

# Fix auto-fixable issues
npm run lint:fix
# or
npx eslint src/ --fix

# Prettier for code formatting
npm run format
# or
npx prettier --write src/

# Check formatting without fixing
npx prettier --check src/

# Rust formatting and linting
cargo fmt --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

# Rust clippy with strict lints
cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml -- -D warnings

Verify Prerequisites​

# Check if Rust is installed
rustup --version

# Update Rust toolchain
rustup update

# Install required targets
rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-msvc  # Windows
rustup target add x86_64-apple-darwin     # macOS Intel
rustup target add aarch64-apple-darwin    # macOS M1/M2

Pre-Build Checks​

Complete Code Validation​

# Run all checks before building
# 1. Check TypeScript
npx tsc --noEmit

# 2. Check frontend linting
npm run lint

# 3. Check Rust code
cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

# 4. Check Rust linting
cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml -- -D warnings

# 5. Check formatting
npx prettier --check src/
cargo fmt --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --check

Quick Health Check​

# One-liner for basic validation (add to package.json scripts)
npm run check:all

# Example package.json script:
# "check:all": "tsc --noEmit && eslint src/ && cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml"

Common Troubleshooting Commands​

Clear Build Cache​

# Clear Tauri cache
rm -rf src-tauri/target

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Rebuild everything
npm install
npm run tauri build

Fix WebView Issues​

# Update WebView2 (Windows)
# Download from Microsoft WebView2 page

# macOS/Linux - usually handled automatically
npm run tauri dev --verbose

Permission Issues (macOS)​

# Allow unsigned builds for development
sudo spctl --master-disable

# Re-enable after development
sudo spctl --master-enable

Development Workflow​

Typical Development Cycle​

# 1. Start development
npm run tauri dev

# 2. Make changes to frontend/backend
# 3. Hot reload automatically updates

# 4. Test production build
npm run tauri build --debug

# 5. Final production build
npm run tauri build

Frontend Development​

# Frontend only (useful for UI development)
npm run dev

# Then separately run Tauri
npm run tauri dev

Useful Flags​

Development Flags​

# Verbose output
npm run tauri dev --verbose

# Specific port
npm run tauri dev -- --port 3001

# Different config
npm run tauri dev --config tauri.dev.conf.json

Build Flags​

# Debug build
npm run tauri build --debug

# Specific bundles
npm run tauri build --bundles deb,appimage  # Linux
npm run tauri build --bundles dmg,app       # macOS
npm run tauri build --bundles msi,nsis      # Windows

Quick Reference​

CommandPurpose
npm run tauri devStart development server
npm run tauri buildProduction build
npm run tauri infoSystem information
npm run tauri initInitialize Tauri in existing project
rustup updateUpdate Rust toolchain
cargo cleanClear Rust build cache

Next Steps​

  • Check out Folder Structure to understand project organization
  • Learn about Tauri configuration in tauri.conf.json
  • Explore Tauri API documentation for frontend-backend communication