BlueJS - Compile JavaScript to 1.2MB native binaries (no V8)
The Problem: We’ve normalized shipping 150MB Electron apps and 50MB runtimes just to open a simple window or read a file. I got tired of the bloat, so I built BlueJS as a side project.
BlueJS isn't a wrapper; it's an Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) compiler that translates a strict subset of JavaScript directly to C++, links it, and strips the engine out entirely.
The Specs:
- Binary Size: 1.2 MB standalone (no runtime/V8 needed).
- Startup: ~5ms (compared to ~90ms for Node).
- Memory: 3.8 MB peak RSS.
- Native UI: Built-in support for OS windows and dialogs (GTK/WebView2) without Chromium.
How it works: It uses a "Hybrid Mode." Performance-critical code and UI are compiled AOT. For npm compatibility, it uses an embedded QuickJS "island" that handles pure-JS packages. The bluejs.dev site itself is actually served by a single 1.4MB Blue binary.
Try it out: The compiler is in a closed beta, but on top of the Windows/Linux binaries I set up a GitHub Codespace sandbox so anyone can verify these benchmarks and inspect the generated C++ in a safe, cloud environment:
Try the Playground: https://github.com/bluejs-team/Bluejs-playground
I’ll be hanging out in the comments to answer any questions and to get feedback!