Oro Runtime

Build desktop and mobile apps with the web technologies you know.

Oro brings HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to native applications on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. Your interface runs in the platform's WebView, backed by a C++ runtime that exposes native capabilities through JavaScript modules. The oroc CLI takes you from your first window to building, packaging, and updating your app.

Website · API reference · Examples · Contributing

Oro Runtime v0.2.1 is available on npm and as release archives. The project is in active development in the 0.x series: incompatible public API changes require a minor release, while compatible fixes use a patch release. See the changelog when upgrading.

Recent work includes:

• Native platform services. Backend discovery through oro:platform, authentication-bound keys, password-provider selection, foreground and deferred native work, UnifiedPush, and launcher integration on Android and Linux.
• Android declarative workflows. Bundled HTTPS read, checkpoint, and notification workflows without application native sources. These workflows and historical protected-import executors currently have Android backends only; they do not run arbitrary background JavaScript.
• Developer tooling and distribution. Project-aware language-server integration, a VS Code client, read-only SDK support, and expanded package installation and consumer-build checks. Version 0.2.1 hardens offline npm package verification and Android editor qualification.

Feature availability varies by platform. Use oro:platform and each feature's support/status probes before offering native operations. The native platform inventory distinguishes implemented, missing, and restricted backends; runtime limitations cover TLS, USB/HID/Bluetooth, AI, and device-validation gaps.

• Web interfaces, native capabilities. Work with windows, files, networking, secure storage, and workers through oro:* imports. Extend the runtime with native code when your application needs more.
• Data and compute on the device. Build with SQLite, peer-to-peer connections through Iroh, and local model inference. Keep application logic close to the user's data.
• A shared toolchain across platforms. Create projects, inspect configuration, build apps, and prepare releases with one CLI and an explicit oro.toml configuration.
• Discoverable by people and agents. Generated TypeScript declarations, searchable CLI help, installed manuals, and an MCP server make the runtime accessible from your editor, terminal, and automation tools.

Install the CLI with Node.js 22 or newer:

npm install --global @oro-computer/runtime
oroc --version

Installing from npm selects the matching native package for your host. For a specific release, append its version, for example @oro-computer/[email protected].

With oroc installed, create and launch your first app:

oroc init my-app
cd my-app
oroc build --run .

Edit your app's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and configure its build in oro.toml. Use oroc help <query> to find your next step—for example, oroc help updates or oroc help ios signing. Native builds require the toolchain and SDKs for the target platform.

Inside an Oro app, import native functionality as ES modules. For example, query a SQLite database directly from JavaScript:

import { open } from 'oro:sqlite'

const db = open(':memory:')
db.exec('CREATE TABLE notes (body TEXT)')
db.exec('INSERT INTO notes (body) VALUES (?)', {
  params: ['Hello from Oro'],
})

const { rows } = db.exec('SELECT body FROM notes')
console.log(rows[0].body)
db.close()

Explore oro:application, oro:fs/promises, oro:secure-storage, and the full API reference. The runtime ships TypeScript declarations for editor completion and type checking.

Published packages cover the following development hosts and bundled SDK targets:

Target mobile builds with oroc build --platform=android . or oroc build --platform=ios . using the appropriate host and SDKs. Platform APIs and device support vary; see current capabilities and limitations.

CI covers desktop hosts, Android Emulator, and iOS Simulator flows. Simulator and emulator coverage does not establish physical-device or hardware-service support.

Oro provides a language-server wrapper for JavaScript/ TypeScript, Android Kotlin, C/C++/Objective-C, and Swift, plus a VS Code client. Use the directory containing oro.toml as the editor's project root and install the language-server backends you need separately. Windows C-family language-server integration remains unavailable; JavaScript/ TypeScript editing and native compilation-model export are supported there.

Connect an MCP client to your app workspace to search runtime documentation, inspect configuration, and invoke build and run tools:

oroc mcp --stdio

The CLI also supports structured JSON output on applicable subcommands and separate log files for automation. See the MCP guide for client setup, HTTP transport, and embedded application servers.

Source development requires Node.js 22+, pnpm 11, Python 3, a C++20 compiler, and the native SDKs for your targets. From the repository root, install the JavaScript dependencies:

corepack enable
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

For a desktop-only runtime, use Bash on Linux or macOS:

NO_ANDROID=1 NO_IOS=1 ./bin/install.sh

Or PowerShell on Windows:

$env:NO_ANDROID = "1"
$env:NO_IOS = "1"
.\bin\install.ps1 -yesdeps

NO_ANDROID and NO_IOS are independent presence switches: any non-empty value—including 0 or false—disables only the named mobile target family. Leave a variable unset to include that target. Read the source-build guide for platform details and Contributing for local linking, debug builds, and validation.

Questions or a reproducible bug? Start with Support. Contributions are welcome; see Contributing and the Code of Conduct. Report vulnerabilities through Security.

Oro Runtime is licensed under Apache 2.0. See NOTICE and third-party notices for attribution.