Configuring Tauri Apps

Tauri Configuration Files

Tauri v2 applications use three primary configuration files to manage application behavior, dependencies, and build processes.

Configuration File Overview

tauri.conf.json

The main configuration file located in src-tauri/. Defines application metadata, window behavior, bundling options, and plugin settings.

Supported Formats

• JSON (default): tauri.conf.json
• JSON5: tauri.conf.json5 (requires config-json5 Cargo feature)
• TOML: Tauri.toml (requires config-toml Cargo feature)

Complete Configuration Structure

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.tauri.app/config/2",
  "productName": "MyApp",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "identifier": "com.company.myapp",
  "mainBinaryName": "my-app",
  "build": {
    "devUrl": "http://localhost:3000",
    "frontendDist": "../dist",
    "beforeDevCommand": "npm run dev",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "npm run build",
    "features": ["custom-feature"],
    "removeUnusedCommands": true
  },
  "app": {
    "withGlobalTauri": false,
    "macOSPrivateApi": false,
    "windows": [
      {
        "title": "My Application",
        "width": 1200,
        "height": 800,
        "minWidth": 800,
        "minHeight": 600,
        "resizable": true,
        "fullscreen": false,
        "center": true,
        "visible": true,
        "decorations": true,
        "transparent": false,
        "alwaysOnTop": false,
        "focus": true,
        "url": "index.html"
      }
    ],
    "security": {
      "capabilities": [],
      "assetProtocol": {
        "enable": true,
        "scope": ["$APPDATA/**"]
      },
      "pattern": { "use": "brownfield" },
      "freezePrototype": false
    },
    "trayIcon": {
      "id": "main-tray",
      "iconPath": "icons/tray.png",
      "iconAsTemplate": true
    }
  },
  "bundle": {
    "active": true,
    "targets": "all",
    "icon": ["icons/32x32.png", "icons/128x128.png", "icons/icon.icns", "icons/icon.ico"],
    "resources": ["assets/**/*"],
    "copyright": "Copyright 2024",
    "category": "Utility",
    "shortDescription": "A short app description",
    "longDescription": "A longer description",
    "licenseFile": "../LICENSE",
    "windows": {
      "certificateThumbprint": null,
      "timestampUrl": "http://timestamp.digicert.com",
      "nsis": { "license": "../LICENSE", "installerIcon": "icons/icon.ico", "installMode": "currentUser" }
    },
    "macOS": {
      "minimumSystemVersion": "10.13",
      "signingIdentity": null,
      "dmg": { "appPosition": { "x": 180, "y": 170 }, "applicationFolderPosition": { "x": 480, "y": 170 } }
    },
    "linux": {
      "appimage": { "bundleMediaFramework": false },
      "deb": { "depends": ["libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0"] },
      "rpm": { "depends": ["webkit2gtk4.1"] }
    },
    "android": { "minSdkVersion": 24 },
    "iOS": { "minimumSystemVersion": "13.0" }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "updater": {
      "pubkey": "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY",
      "endpoints": ["https://releases.example.com/{{target}}/{{arch}}/{{current_version}}"]
    }
  }
}

Root-Level Fields

Build Configuration Fields

Window Configuration Options

Security Configuration

Bundle Targets by Platform

Platform-Specific Configuration

Create platform-specific files that override base configuration using JSON Merge Patch (RFC 7396).

Example src-tauri/tauri.windows.conf.json:

{
  "app": {
    "windows": [{ "title": "My App - Windows Edition" }]
  },
  "bundle": {
    "windows": { "nsis": { "installMode": "perMachine" } }
  }
}

Example src-tauri/tauri.macos.conf.json:

{
  "app": { "macOSPrivateApi": true },
  "bundle": {
    "macOS": { "minimumSystemVersion": "11.0", "entitlements": "entitlements.plist" }
  }
}

CLI Configuration Override

# Development with custom config
tauri dev --config src-tauri/tauri.dev.conf.json

# Build with beta configuration
tauri build --config src-tauri/tauri.beta.conf.json

# Inline configuration override
tauri build --config '{"bundle":{"identifier":"com.company.myapp.beta"}}'

Cargo.toml Configuration

Located in src-tauri/Cargo.toml, manages Rust dependencies.

[package]
name = "my-app"
version = "1.0.0"
edition = "2021"

[build-dependencies]
tauri-build = { version = "2.0", features = [] }

[dependencies]
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
serde_json = "1.0"
tauri = { version = "2.0", features = [] }
tauri-plugin-shell = "2.0"
tauri-plugin-opener = "2.0"

[features]
default = ["custom-protocol"]
custom-protocol = ["tauri/custom-protocol"]

Common Tauri Features

[dependencies]
tauri = { version = "2.0", features = [
  "config-json5",      # Enable JSON5 config format
  "config-toml",       # Enable TOML config format
  "devtools",          # Enable WebView devtools
  "macos-private-api", # Enable macOS private APIs
  "tray-icon",         # Enable system tray support
  "image-png",         # PNG image support
  "image-ico",         # ICO image support
  "protocol-asset"     # Custom asset protocol
] }

Version Management

tauri = { version = "2.0" }       # Semver-compatible (recommended)
tauri = { version = "=2.0.0" }    # Exact version
tauri = { version = "~2.0.0" }    # Patch updates only

package.json Integration

{
  "name": "my-tauri-app",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "vite",
    "build": "vite build",
    "tauri": "tauri"
  },
  "dependencies": { "@tauri-apps/api": "^2.0.0" },
  "devDependencies": { "@tauri-apps/cli": "^2.0.0" }
}

Environment-Specific Configurations

Development (src-tauri/tauri.dev.conf.json)

{
  "build": { "devUrl": "http://localhost:5173" },
  "app": {
    "withGlobalTauri": true,
    "windows": [{ "title": "My App [DEV]" }]
  }
}

Production (src-tauri/tauri.prod.conf.json)

{
  "build": { "frontendDist": "../dist", "removeUnusedCommands": true },
  "bundle": { "active": true, "targets": "all" }
}

Beta (src-tauri/tauri.beta.conf.json)

{
  "identifier": "com.company.myapp.beta",
  "productName": "MyApp Beta",
  "plugins": {
    "updater": {
      "endpoints": ["https://beta-releases.example.com/{{target}}/{{arch}}/{{current_version}}"]
    }
  }
}

TOML Configuration Format

When using Tauri.toml, configuration uses kebab-case:

[build]
dev-url = "http://localhost:3000"
before-dev-command = "npm run dev"
before-build-command = "npm run build"

[app]
with-global-tauri = false

[[app.windows]]
title = "My Application"
width = 1200
height = 800
resizable = true
center = true

[app.security]
freeze-prototype = false

[app.security.asset-protocol]
enable = true
scope = ["$APPDATA/**"]

[bundle]
active = true
targets = "all"
icon = ["icons/32x32.png", "icons/128x128.png", "icons/icon.icns", "icons/icon.ico"]

[plugins.updater]
pubkey = "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"
endpoints = ["https://releases.example.com/{{target}}/{{arch}}/{{current_version}}"]

Common Configuration Patterns

Multi-Window Application

{
  "app": {
    "windows": [
      { "label": "main", "title": "Main Window", "width": 1200, "height": 800, "url": "index.html" },
      { "label": "settings", "title": "Settings", "width": 600, "height": 400, "url": "settings.html", "visible": false }
    ]
  }
}

System Tray Application

{
  "app": {
    "trayIcon": { "id": "main-tray", "iconPath": "icons/tray.png", "iconAsTemplate": true },
    "windows": [{ "visible": false }]
  }
}

Plugin Configuration

{
  "plugins": {
    "updater": {
      "pubkey": "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY",
      "endpoints": ["https://releases.example.com/{{target}}/{{arch}}/{{current_version}}"],
      "windows": { "installMode": "passive" }
    },
    "shell": {
      "open": true,
      "scope": [{ "name": "open-url", "cmd": "open", "args": [{ "validator": "\\S+" }] }]
    },
    "deep-link": {
      "mobile": ["myapp"],
      "desktop": { "schemes": ["myapp"] }
    }
  }
}

Lock Files

Commit lock files for reproducible builds:

Configuration Validation

Use the JSON schema for editor autocompletion:

{ "$schema": "https://schema.tauri.app/config/2" }

Run tauri info to verify configuration and environment setup.