---
name: wails
summary: "Wails is a Go framework for building cross-platform desktop applications that combine a Go backend with a web-based frontend rendered in the operating system's native webview. It lets developers expose Go methods to JavaScript and package the result as a lightweight native binary without bundling a full browser like Electron."
language: Go
license: MIT
repo: https://github.com/wailsapp/wails
source: https://opensources.dev/resource/wails
health: 100
---

# wails

Wails is a Go framework for building cross-platform desktop applications that combine a Go backend with a web-based frontend rendered in the operating system's native webview. It lets developers expose Go methods to JavaScript and package the result as a lightweight native binary without bundling a full browser like Electron.

# Wails v3 Documentation

[![Built with Starlight](https://astro.badg.es/v2/built-with-starlight/tiny.svg)](https://starlight.astro.build)

## Prerequisites

- [D2 Diagram Library](https://d2lang.com/). You can download the binary manually from [Github releases](https://github.com/terrastruct/d2/releases) or use the following

```tsx
# Use install script:
curl -fsSL https://d2lang.com/install.sh | sh -s --

# Install from source with Go
go install oss.terrastruct.com/d2@latest
```

World-class documentation for Wails v3, redesigned following Netflix documentation principles.

## 📚 Documentation Redesign (2025-10-01)

This documentation has been completely redesigned to follow the **Netflix approach** to developer documentation:

- **Problem-first framing** - Start with why, not what
- **Progressive disclosure** - Multiple entry points for different skill levels
- **Real production examples** - No toy code
- **Story-Code-Context pattern** - Why → How → When
- **Scannable content** - Clear structure, visual aids

**Status:** Foundation complete (~20%), ready for content migration

See [IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md](./IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md) for full details.

## 🚀 Project Structure

Inside of your Astro + Starlight project, you'll see the following folders and
files:

```sh
.
├── public/
├── src/
│   ├── assets/
│   ├── content/
│   │   ├── docs/
│   │   └── config.ts
│   └── env.d.ts
├── astro.config.mjs
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json
```

Starlight looks for `.md` or `.mdx` files in the `src/content/docs/` directory.
Each file is exposed as a route based on its file name.

Images can be added to `src/assets/` and embedded in Markdown with a relative
link.

Static assets, like favicons, can be placed in the `public/` directory.

## 🧞 Commands

All commands are run from the root of the project, from a terminal:

CommandAction`npm install`Installs dependencies`npm run dev`Starts local dev server at `localhost:4321``npm run build`Build your production site to `./dist/``npm run preview`Preview your build locally, before deploying`npm run astro ...`Run CLI commands like `astro add`, `astro check``npm run astro -- --help`Get help using the Astro CLI

## 👀 Want to learn more?

Check out [Starlight’s docs](https://starlight.astro.build/), read
[the Astro documentation](https://docs.astro.build), or jump into the
[Astro Discord server](https://astro.build/chat).