Compiling a standalone executable using modern JavaScript/TypeScript runtimes

[guest271314]

Source: https://gist.github.com/guest271314/9b1adad3db3deba64e118f844a77bad6

Compiling a standalone executable using modern JavaScript/TypeScript runtimes

We have the same code working using node, deno, and bun.

E.g.,

bun run index.js

deno run -A --unstable-byonm index.js

node --experimental-default-type=module index.js

which each produce a Signed Web Bundle and that is an Isolated Web App.

We have a node_modules folder that node, deno and bun each utilize for
module source.

For deno we pass --unstable-byonm flag to use the node_modules
folder.

For node we use the --experimental-default-type=module flag to use Ecmascript
modules with .js extension.

OS: Linux x86.

References:

• Bun: Executables
• Deno: Compiling Executables
• Node.js Single executable applications

That's it. Let's see how simple or complicated it is to compile a JavaScript
application to a single executable containing your source code and the given
JavaScript runtime.

What does bun have to say on the first run?

bun build ./index.js --compile --outfile=bun_exe
  [35ms]  bundle  38 modules
 [115ms] compile  bun_exe

./bun_exe
isolated-app://<ISOLATED_WEB_APP_ID>/

signed.swbn, 8450 bytes.

bun build --compile works on first run.

Let's try Deno next.

deno compile -A --unstable-byonm ./index.js --output=deno_exe
Check file:///home/user/index.js
error: Uncaught Error: Could not find a matching package for 'npm:@types/node' in '/home/user/package.json'. You must specify this as a package.json dependency when the node_modules folder is not managed by Deno.
    at ext:deno_tsc/99_main_compiler.js:644:32
    at Array.map (<anonymous>)
    at Object.resolveTypeReferenceDirectives (ext:deno_tsc/99_main_compiler.js:633:33)
    at actualResolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:119495:154)
    at resolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:119871:22)
    at resolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesReusingOldState (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:120033:16)
    at processTypeReferenceDirectives (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121349:158)
    at findSourceFileWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121245:11)
    at findSourceFile (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121115:22)
    at ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121064:24

Why would deno, a TypeScript runtime need npm:@types/node?

Whatever, alright, we'll install npm:@types/node.

bun add @types/node
bun add v1.0.22 (b400b36c)

 installed @types/[email protected]

 2 packages installed [36.00ms]

bun install
bun install v1.0.22 (b400b36c)

Checked 10 installs across 11 packages (no changes) [29.00ms]

Let's try Deno again, and make sure --output=deno_exe is not expected to be index.js

deno compile -A --unstable-byonm --unstable --output deno_exe ./index.js
Check file:///home/user/index.js
error: Uncaught Error: Could not find a matching package for 'npm:@types/node' in '/home/xubuntu/localscripts/webbundle/package.json'. You must specify this as a package.json dependency when the node_modules folder is not managed by Deno.
    at ext:deno_tsc/99_main_compiler.js:644:32
    at Array.map (<anonymous>)
    at Object.resolveTypeReferenceDirectives (ext:deno_tsc/99_main_compiler.js:633:33)
    at actualResolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:119495:154)
    at resolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:119871:22)
    at resolveTypeReferenceDirectiveNamesReusingOldState (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:120033:16)
    at processTypeReferenceDirectives (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121349:158)
    at findSourceFileWorker (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121245:11)
    at findSourceFile (ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121115:22)
    at ext:deno_tsc/00_typescript.js:121064:24

deno compile -A --unstable-byonm --unstable --output deno_exe ./index.js
Check file:///home/user/index.js
Compile file:///home/user/index.js to deno_exe

Alright! Deno created the self-contained executable!

Let's run the output executable file

./deno_exe
error: Parsing version constraints in the application-level package.json is more strict at the moment.

Not implemented scheme 'https'

Foiled again.

My estimation is that the error has to do with an entry in package.json is
pointing to a .git extension on GitHub. I have not confirmed that is the case, yet.

Next up, Node.js.

There's a bit to unpack and re-read in the Node.js version. Some key points which
essentially prevent us from proceeding as-is

The single executable application feature currently only supports running a single embedded script using the CommonJS module system.

I'm using Ecmascript Modules, not CommonJS. We should try anyway.

echo '{ "main": "index.js", "output": "sea-prep.blob" }' > sea-config.json 

bun x postject node_exe NODE_SEA_BLOB sea-prep.blob --sentinel-fuse NODE_SEA_FUSE_fce680ab2cc467b6e072b8b5df1996b2 
Error: Can't read resource file

Results:

• bun sucessfully compiled the standalone executable.

• deno compiled the standalong executable, after installing @types/node (which
  also installs undici-types), however, the standalone executable throws and error.

• node only supports CommonJS. We tried anyway where we know the source is
  Ecmascript Modules. bun x equivalent of npx postject hello NODE_SEA_BLOB sea-prep.blob \ --sentinel-fuse NODE_SEA_FUSE_fce680ab2cc467b6e072b8b5df1996b2 per the Node.js Single Executable Application documentation throws an error.

These are the empirical results I'm sharing experimenting and testing compiling
a standalone executable that achieves the same result when run
in the given JavaScript runtime using the same source code.