astracompiler/cli

README

Astra

🚀 Fast, reliable and easy-to-use js-to-exe compiler.

Docs | npm | GitHub

Why Astra?

Astra is (probably) the best compiler available on npm.

Average exe is ~70-80MB (depends on your code) so it's lighter than most compilers

Using upx you can go down up to ~30MB

It's aiming to compile servers (express, fastify) or CLIs (commander) so it's not replacement of electron.

For now it only compiles windows applications. (I'm working on macOS and linux)

Features

Different than the others - Astra is a new approach to compiling JavaScript/TypeScript applications. It uses a different method than other compilers like pkg or nexe.
Compile newest versions of Node.js - Astra supports the latest Node.js versions.
Fast build time - Powered by esbuild, Astra ensures the fastest possible compilation speed.
Improved support for ECMAScript - Astra supports compiling ESM-based applications, with workarounds for limitations in Node.js SEA.
Delightful DX - With signale, inquirer and chalk, Astra provides a great developer experience.
Standalone Executable - Generates a single .exe or binary file that includes all dependencies.
Make exe your own - Modify metadata (icon, name, version, etc.) of the generated executable.
Future-proof - Made with trusted, constantly evolving tools.

Compared to others

Name	astra	pkg	nexe
Latest supported version	Node 24	Node 18	Node 14
Supports ESM	✅	❌	❌
Built-in metadata edit	✅	❌	❌
Output size	~75MB	~90MB	~90MB
Bundles code	✅	❌	❌
Building Speed	⚡ Fast	⚡⚡ Very Fast	⚡⚡ Very Fast
Stars
Difficulty	🟢 Easy	🟡 Medium	🟡 Medium
Maintained	✅	❌ (Archived)	🟡 Low activity
TypeScript Support	✅	❌ (requires manual building)	❌ (requires manual building)

Contributing

🤝 I welcome pull requests! Every contribution will be reviewed and appreciated - even small fixes.

Getting Started

Install Astra globally using Yarn or npm:

# npm 
npm i -g astra-cli
# yarn (classic)
yarn global add astra-cli
# pnpm
pnpm add -g astra-cli

# for one project only
# npm
npm i --save-dev astra-cli
# yarn
yarn add --dev astra-cli
# pnpm
pnpm add -D astra-cli

Then, compile your JavaScript/TypeScript project:

astra build src/index.js

For more options, run:

astra --help

How it works?

Code is checked and bundled with esbuild,
Then astra is generating blob which will be injected into node.exe binary,
Next astra is editing metadata of your binary (adding icon, copyright),
And finally postject injects blob into final executable.

License

Astra is licensed under the MIT License.

Made with ❤️ by QwertyCodeQC