CrabNebula Cloud with Tauri

CrabNebula is an official Tauri partner providing a platform for application distribution that seamlessly integrates with the Tauri updater. The platform offers global CDN distribution, release management, and built-in auto-update support.

Overview

CrabNebula Cloud provides:

Global CDN: Worldwide distribution of installers and updates
Release Channels: Support for multiple release tracks (stable, beta, nightly)
Auto-Updates: Built-in update server compatible with Tauri's updater plugin
Download Metrics: Analytics for tracking application downloads
CI/CD Integration: GitHub Actions support for automated releases

Initial Setup

1. Create CrabNebula Cloud Account

Navigate to CrabNebula Cloud
Sign in using GitHub or GitLab authentication
Create an organization with a unique slug
Create an application within your organization

2. Generate API Key

Navigate to API Keys section in CrabNebula Cloud
Generate a new key with Read/Write permissions
Save this key securely (displayed only once)
Add as
```
CN_API_KEY
```
repository secret in GitHub

Important: Use repository secrets, not environment secrets, as environment secrets may appear in logs.

CLI Installation

Install the CrabNebula CLI to manage releases locally:

bash

# macOS/Linux
curl -L https://cdn.crabnebula.app/install/cn | sh

# Or via cargo
cargo install cn-cli

Release Workflow

The release process follows four steps: draft, upload, publish, fetch.

Manual CLI Commands

bash

# Create a release draft
cn release draft ORG_SLUG/APP_SLUG VERSION

# Upload assets with Tauri framework detection
cn release upload ORG_SLUG/APP_SLUG RELEASE_ID --framework tauri

# Publish the release
cn release publish ORG_SLUG/APP_SLUG RELEASE_ID

# Fetch latest release info
cn release latest ORG_SLUG/APP_SLUG

Upload Command Options

bash

cn release upload ORG_SLUG/APP_SLUG RELEASE_ID \
  --framework tauri \
  --channel stable \
  --update-platform linux-x86_64 \
  --file path/to/binary \
  --signature path/to/signature

Flag	Description
`--framework`	Auto-detect bundles ( `tauri` or `packager` )
`--channel`	Release channel (must match draft channel)
`--update-platform`	Platform identifier for updates
`--file`	Path to binary asset
`--signature`	Path to signature file (required with `--update-platform` )

GitHub Actions Workflow

Create

.github/workflows/release.yml

yaml

name: Release

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  workflow_dispatch:

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

env:
  CN_APPLICATION: "your-org/your-app"

jobs:
  draft:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      version: ${{ steps.read-version.outputs.version }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Read version from tauri.conf.json
        id: read-version
        run: |
          VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' src-tauri/tauri.conf.json)
          echo "version=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Create draft release
        uses: crabnebula-dev/cloud-release@v0
        with:
          command: release draft ${{ env.CN_APPLICATION }} ${{ steps.read-version.outputs.version }} --framework tauri
          api-key: ${{ secrets.CN_API_KEY }}

  build:
    needs: draft
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include:
          - platform: ubuntu-22.04
            args: ""
          - platform: macos-latest
            args: "--target aarch64-apple-darwin"
          - platform: macos-latest
            args: "--target x86_64-apple-darwin"
          - platform: windows-latest
            args: ""
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: lts/*

      - name: Install Rust stable
        uses: dtolnay/rust-action@stable
        with:
          targets: ${{ matrix.platform == 'macos-latest' && 'aarch64-apple-darwin,x86_64-apple-darwin' || '' }}

      - name: Install Linux dependencies
        if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04'
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

      - name: Install frontend dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build Tauri app
        uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY }}
          TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD }}
        with:
          args: ${{ matrix.args }}

      - name: Upload assets to CrabNebula Cloud
        uses: crabnebula-dev/cloud-release@v0
        with:
          command: release upload ${{ env.CN_APPLICATION }} --framework tauri
          api-key: ${{ secrets.CN_API_KEY }}

  publish:
    needs: [draft, build]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Publish release
        uses: crabnebula-dev/cloud-release@v0
        with:
          command: release publish ${{ env.CN_APPLICATION }} ${{ needs.draft.outputs.version }}
          api-key: ${{ secrets.CN_API_KEY }}

Auto-Updates Configuration

1. Generate Signing Keys

bash

cargo tauri signer generate -w ~/.tauri/myapp.key

This creates:

```
~/.tauri/myapp.key
```
- Private key (keep secret)
```
~/.tauri/myapp.key.pub
```
- Public key (add to config)

Add to GitHub repository secrets:

```
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY
```
: Contents of
```
myapp.key
```
```
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD
```
: Your password

2. Configure tauri.conf.json

json

{
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "bundle": {
    "createUpdaterArtifacts": true
  },
  "plugins": {
    "updater": {
      "active": true,
      "endpoints": [
        "https://cdn.crabnebula.app/update/YOUR_ORG/YOUR_APP/{{target}}-{{arch}}/{{current_version}}"
      ],
      "dialog": true,
      "pubkey": "dW50cnVzdGVkIGNvbW1lbnQ6IG1pbmlzaWduIHB1YmxpYyBrZXk..."
    }
  }
}

Important: Keep the

{{target}}

{{arch}}

, and

{{current_version}}

placeholders unchanged. Tauri replaces these dynamically at runtime.

For migrations from Tauri v1, use

"createUpdaterArtifacts": "v1Compatible"

3. Configure Capabilities

Update

/src-tauri/capabilities/main.json

json

{
  "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
  "identifier": "main-capability",
  "description": "Main capability for the application",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "permissions": [
    "core:default",
    "dialog:default",
    "updater:default",
    "process:default",
    "process:allow-restart"
  ]
}

4. Install Dependencies

Add to

src-tauri/Cargo.toml

toml

[dependencies]
tauri-plugin-updater = "2"
tauri-plugin-dialog = "2"
tauri-plugin-process = "2"

Install frontend packages:

bash

npm install @tauri-apps/plugin-updater @tauri-apps/plugin-dialog @tauri-apps/plugin-process

5. Register Plugins (Rust)

Update

src-tauri/src/lib.rs

rust

use tauri::Manager;

#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .plugin(tauri_plugin_updater::Builder::new().build())
        .plugin(tauri_plugin_dialog::init())
        .plugin(tauri_plugin_process::init())
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

6. Implement Update Check (TypeScript)

Create

src/updater.ts

typescript

import { check } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-updater";
import { ask } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-dialog";
import { relaunch } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-process";

export async function checkForAppUpdates(): Promise<void> {
  try {
    const update = await check();

    if (!update?.available) {
      console.log("No update available");
      return;
    }

    const proceed = await ask(
      `Version ${update.version} is available!\n\nRelease notes:\n${update.body}`,
      {
        title: "Update Available",
        kind: "info",
        okLabel: "Update Now",
        cancelLabel: "Later"
      }
    );

    if (proceed) {
      console.log("Downloading and installing update...");
      await update.downloadAndInstall();
      await relaunch();
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Update check failed:", error);
  }
}

Call early in your app lifecycle:

typescript

// React example
import { useEffect } from "react";
import { checkForAppUpdates } from "./updater";

function App() {
  useEffect(() => {
    checkForAppUpdates();
  }, []);

  return <div>Your app content</div>;
}

Release Channels

For multiple distribution channels (beta, stable, nightly):

Option 1: Channel Argument

bash

# Create draft with channel
cn release draft ORG/APP VERSION --channel beta

# Upload must specify same channel
cn release upload ORG/APP RELEASE_ID --framework tauri --channel beta

Option 2: Separate Applications

Create separate applications in CrabNebula Cloud:

```
your-org/your-app
```
(stable)
```
your-org/your-app-beta
```
(beta)

Configure different update endpoints per channel in your app builds.

Environment Variables Summary

Variable	Location	Description
`CN_API_KEY`	GitHub Secrets	CrabNebula Cloud API key
`TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY`	GitHub Secrets	Contents of private signing key
`TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD`	GitHub Secrets	Password for signing key
`CN_APPLICATION`	Workflow env	Organization/application slug

Troubleshooting

Update Check Fails

Verify endpoint URL matches your organization and app slugs
Ensure public key in config matches the generated key
Check that
```
createUpdaterArtifacts
```
is set to
```
true
```
Verify capabilities include required permissions

Build Fails on Upload

Ensure
```
CN_API_KEY
```
is set as repository secret (not environment secret)
Verify the draft was created successfully before upload
Check that signing keys are properly configured

Signature Mismatch

Ensure
```
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY
```
matches the public key in config
Verify the same key pair is used across all builds

For v1 migrations, use

"createUpdaterArtifacts": "v1Compatible"

using-crabnebula-cloud-with-tauri

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

CrabNebula Cloud with Tauri

Overview

Initial Setup

1. Create CrabNebula Cloud Account

2. Generate API Key

CLI Installation

Release Workflow

Manual CLI Commands

Upload Command Options

GitHub Actions Workflow

Auto-Updates Configuration

1. Generate Signing Keys

2. Configure tauri.conf.json

3. Configure Capabilities

4. Install Dependencies

5. Register Plugins (Rust)

6. Implement Update Check (TypeScript)

Release Channels

Option 1: Channel Argument

Option 2: Separate Applications

Environment Variables Summary

Troubleshooting

Update Check Fails

Build Fails on Upload

Signature Mismatch

Resources