Tauri Impl Project Setup

tauri-impl-project-setup

Quick Reference

Scaffolding Commands

Project Structure

my-tauri-app/
├── src/                        # Frontend source (varies by framework)
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── main.ts
│   └── styles.css
├── src-tauri/                  # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib.rs              # App logic (mobile entry point)
│   │   └── main.rs             # Desktop entry point (calls lib.rs)
│   ├── capabilities/           # Permission capability files
│   │   └── default.json        # Default window capabilities
│   ├── permissions/            # Custom command permissions (optional)
│   ├── icons/                  # Application icons (all sizes)
│   ├── gen/                    # Generated files (schemas, etc.)
│   │   └── schemas/
│   ├── Cargo.toml              # Rust dependencies
│   ├── Cargo.lock              # Deterministic build lock
│   ├── tauri.conf.json         # Main configuration
│   ├── build.rs                # Cargo build script
│   └── .taurignore             # Exclude files from watch
├── package.json                # Frontend dependencies
├── tsconfig.json               # TypeScript config
└── vite.config.ts              # Bundler config (if Vite)

Key Config Files

Critical Warnings

ALWAYS commit src-tauri/Cargo.lock to source control -- it ensures deterministic builds across environments.

ALWAYS add src-tauri/target/ to .gitignore -- build artifacts should NEVER be committed.

NEVER put app logic in main.rs only -- ALWAYS use the lib.rs + main.rs split pattern for mobile compatibility.

NEVER forget to set a unique identifier in tauri.conf.json -- duplicate identifiers cause conflicts with other apps on the system.

ALWAYS set beforeDevCommand and beforeBuildCommand in tauri.conf.json -- without them, the frontend dev server will not start and builds will lack compiled assets.

NEVER skip adding core:default permissions in your capability file -- basic window and event operations will fail silently.

Essential Patterns

Pattern 1: Creating a New Project

# Interactive scaffolding (recommended)
npm create tauri-app@latest

# This prompts for:
# - Project name
# - Package manager (npm, yarn, pnpm, bun, cargo)
# - Frontend language (TypeScript, JavaScript, Rust)
# - Frontend framework (React, Vue, Svelte, SolidJS, vanilla, etc.)

After scaffolding:

cd my-tauri-app
npm install          # Install frontend dependencies
npm run tauri dev    # Start development mode

Pattern 2: The lib.rs + main.rs Split

This is the REQUIRED pattern for mobile support. Even for desktop-only apps, use this pattern to future-proof your codebase.

src-tauri/src/lib.rs -- Contains all app logic:

#[tauri::command]
fn greet(name: String) -> String {
    format!("Hello, {}!", name)
}

#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![greet])
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

src-tauri/src/main.rs -- Desktop entry point (thin wrapper):

// Prevents additional console window on Windows in release
#![cfg_attr(not(debug_assertions), windows_subsystem = "windows")]

fn main() {
    my_tauri_app_lib::run();
}

WHY this split matters: On mobile platforms (iOS/Android), there is no main() function. The #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)] macro generates the platform-specific entry point on lib.rs. Without this split, your app cannot compile for mobile.

Pattern 3: Minimal tauri.conf.json

{
  "$schema": "./gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
  "identifier": "com.example.myapp",
  "build": {
    "devUrl": "http://localhost:5173",
    "frontendDist": "../dist",
    "beforeDevCommand": "npm run dev",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "npm run build"
  },
  "app": {
    "windows": [
      {
        "title": "My App",
        "width": 800,
        "height": 600
      }
    ]
  },
  "bundle": {
    "active": true,
    "icon": [
      "icons/32x32.png",
      "icons/128x128.png",
      "icons/128x128@2x.png",
      "icons/icon.icns",
      "icons/icon.ico"
    ]
  }
}

Pattern 4: Default Capability File

src-tauri/capabilities/default.json:

{
  "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
  "identifier": "default",
  "description": "Default permissions for the main window",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "permissions": [
    "core:default",
    "core:window:default",
    "core:webview:default"
  ]
}

This grants the main window access to core features. Without this, even basic window operations fail.

Pattern 5: Frontend Framework Integration

All frameworks follow the same integration pattern: the frontend runs its dev server, and Tauri proxies to it.

Vite (React/Vue/Svelte/SolidJS):

{
  "build": {
    "devUrl": "http://localhost:5173",
    "frontendDist": "../dist",
    "beforeDevCommand": "npm run dev",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "npm run build"
  }
}

Next.js (SSG mode):

{
  "build": {
    "devUrl": "http://localhost:3000",
    "frontendDist": "../out",
    "beforeDevCommand": "npm run dev",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "npm run build && npm run export"
  }
}

No framework (vanilla):

{
  "build": {
    "frontendDist": "../src"
  }
}

When using vanilla HTML/CSS/JS without a dev server, omit devUrl and beforeDevCommand. Tauri serves the files directly.

Pattern 6: Key Dependencies

package.json:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "@tauri-apps/cli": "^2"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "@tauri-apps/api": "^2"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "vite",
    "build": "vite build",
    "tauri": "tauri"
  }
}

src-tauri/Cargo.toml:

[package]
name = "my-tauri-app"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"

[lib]
name = "my_tauri_app_lib"
crate-type = ["staticlib", "cdylib", "rlib"]

[build-dependencies]
tauri-build = { version = "2", features = [] }

[dependencies]
tauri = { version = "2", features = [] }
tauri-plugin-opener = "2"
serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
serde_json = "1"

The crate-type array is required for mobile builds: staticlib for iOS, cdylib for Android, rlib for desktop.

Pattern 7: Development Commands

# Start development (hot-reload frontend + Rust backend)
npm run tauri dev

# Build for production
npm run tauri build

# Generate icons from a source image
npm run tauri icon /path/to/app-icon.png

# Generate TypeScript bindings
npm run tauri completions

Pattern 8: Adding Plugins

# Install plugin (both Rust crate and npm package)
npm run tauri plugin add fs

# This does three things:
# 1. Adds tauri-plugin-fs to src-tauri/Cargo.toml
# 2. Adds @tauri-apps/plugin-fs to package.json
# 3. Registers the plugin in lib.rs

After installation, ALWAYS add the plugin's permissions to your capability file:

{
  "permissions": [
    "core:default",
    "fs:default"
  ]
}

Source Control Best Practices

.gitignore

# Frontend build artifacts
dist/
node_modules/

# Rust build artifacts
src-tauri/target/

# Generated schemas (regenerated on build)
src-tauri/gen/

# OS-specific
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/

Files to ALWAYS Commit

Files to NEVER Commit

Configuration Deep Dive

Build Section

Window Configuration (app.windows[])

Top-Level Configuration

Reference Links

• references/methods.md -- CLI commands, Cargo.toml options, and tauri.conf.json schema
• references/examples.md -- Complete project setup examples for different frameworks
• references/anti-patterns.md -- Common setup mistakes and how to avoid them

Official Sources

• https://v2.tauri.app/start/create-project/
• https://v2.tauri.app/develop/
• https://v2.tauri.app/reference/config/