TP

Thomas Pedot

mardi 7 avril 2026

Tauri v2 + Vite: Building a GitLab Client with Rust, TypeScript, and Push Events

TauriRustViteTypeScriptGitLab APIF-Droid
Tauri v2 + Vite: Building a GitLab Client with Rust, TypeScript, and Push Events

GitAlchemy runs on a Rust backend with a React/TypeScript frontend, built on Tauri v2 and bundled with Vite. This article covers the integration benefits, how push events from GitLab are displayed in the app, and the F-Droid distribution setup.

Why Tauri + Vite

The traditional mobile development path — React Native or Flutter — means writing two codebases for Android and iOS. Tauri v2 changes this: one Rust codebase, one TypeScript frontend, four platforms (Linux, macOS, Windows, Android).

Vite pairs naturally with Tauri:

JSON
1// package.json
2{
3  "scripts": {
4    "dev": "vite",
5    "build": "tsc && vite build",
6    "preview": "vite preview",
7    "tauri": "tauri"
8  }
9}

During development, vite serves the frontend at localhost:5173 while tauri dev runs the Rust backend and opens the app window. Changes to TypeScript files hot-reload instantly — no recompilation of the Rust binary. This is dramatically faster than the old Tauri v1 + webpack setup.

The build process is equally clean: vite build produces static assets, tauri build packages them into the native binary. No webpack configuration, no custom bundler plugins.

Rust + TypeScript: The IPC Layer

GitAlchemy uses tauri-specta to generate TypeScript bindings from Rust command signatures:

RUST
1#[tauri::command]
2async fn get_merge_request(
3    project: String,
4    mr_iid: i32,
5    state: State<'_, AppState>,
6) -> Result<MergeRequest, String> {
7    state
8        .gitlab
9        .get(&format!("projects/{}/merge_requests/{}", project, mr_iid))
10        .await
11        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())
12}

This command becomes a typed TypeScript function:

TYPESCRIPT
1import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
2
3const mr = await invoke<MergeRequest>("get_merge_request", {
4  project: "mygroup/myproject",
5  mr_iid: 42,
6});

The MergeRequest type is auto-generated — no manual type writing, no drift between Rust and TypeScript. When the Rust signature changes, TypeScript compilation fails until the frontend is updated. This is exactly what you want: compile-time guarantees that your frontend calls match the backend.

For the full architecture, see the main GitAlchemy build article.

Push Events in GitLab

GitLab tracks events in an activity feed — pushes, merges, issue updates, comments. For a GitLab client, showing push events is essential: developers want to know when code lands in their projects.

GitLab's events API returns:

JSON
1{
2  "action_name": "pushed",
3  "target_type": "Push",
4  "author": {
5    "name": "John Doe",
6    "avatar_url": "https://gitlab.com/avatar.jpg"
7  },
8  "created_at": "2026-05-08T14:30:00Z",
9  "push_data": {
10    "commit_title": "feat: add background polling",
11    "commit_count": 3,
12    "ref_type": "branch",
13    "ref": "main"
14  }
15}

GitAlchemy displays push events in the MR detail view under an "Events" tab:

TYPESCRIPT
1function MergeRequestEvents({ events }: { events: Event[] }) {
2  const pushEvents = events.filter(e => e.action_name === "pushed");
3
4  return (
5    <div className="space-y-3">
6      {pushEvents.map(event => (
7        <EventCard
8          key={event.id}
9          avatar={event.author.avatar_url}
10          title={event.push_data.commit_title}
11          subtitle={`${event.push_data.commit_count} commit(s) to ${event.push_data.ref}`}
12          timestamp={event.created_at}
13        />
14      ))}
15    </div>
16  );
17}

The UI shows who pushed, how many commits, and which branch — essential context for code review on mobile.

F-Droid Distribution

GitAlchemy is available on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.thomas.pedot.gitlalchemy/

F-Droid requires:

  • Signed APK — built with tauri build --debug or release mode
  • Metadata file — describes the app, version, and update check URL
  • Reproducible builds — F-Droid verifies the build matches source

The metadata in fdroid/metadata/com.thomas.pedot.gitlalchemy.yml:

YAML
1Categories:
2  - Development
3  - Git
4License: Proprietary
5Summary: Native GitLab client for Android
6Description: |
7  GitAlchemy is a native GitLab client for Android and iOS.
8  Manage projects, issues, merge requests, and todos from your mobile device.

F-Droid's update check points to GitLab's release artifacts — when a new version is tagged, F-Droid automatically picks it up and notifies users.

Unlike Google Play, F-Droid has no review queue — updates appear within hours. The trade-off is no in-app billing (F-Droid is donation-supported only).

Summary

Tauri v2 + Vite provides a fast dev loop and clean build process. The Rust/TypeScript IPC via tauri-specta ensures type safety across the boundary. Push events from GitLab are displayed in the MR detail view. And F-Droid distribution reaches users who prefer open-source app stores.

This setup — one codebase, four platforms, reliable background sync via WorkManager — is the foundation GitAlchemy runs on.

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