Introduction

Velox is a modern UI framework for Rust that turns single-file .vx components into fast, native desktop applications — rendered by Skia, driven by reactive signals, and shipped as a single native binary.

Write a component once in a familiar, HTML-like template syntax with an inline <script setup> block, and Velox compiles it into Rust. During development you get a dev-server loop that classifies each edit by SFC block — style, template, or script — and rebuilds and relaunches the native window, with an HMR control channel on 127.0.0.1:31313; for release you get a self-contained executable with no runtime, no browser, and no JavaScript engine.

<template>
  <div class="app">
    <h1>Count: {{ count }}</h1>
    <button @click="increment">Add one</button>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup>
use velox_core::ergonomics::Ref;

pub struct State {
    count: Ref<i32>,
}

impl State {
    pub fn new() -> Self {
        Self { count: velox_core::r#ref!(0) }
    }

    pub fn count(&self) -> i32 {
        self.count.get()
    }

    pub fn increment(&self) {
        self.count.set(self.count.get() + 1);
    }
}
</script>

Why Velox

• Single-file components — templates, styles, and logic live together in one .vx file. The Velox compiler parses them and generates idiomatic Rust you can read, debug, and ship.
• Reactive by default — fine-grained signals and effects power state management. Change a signal, and your view recomputes; no manual wiring. Velox’s render loop is immediate-mode, and :key today is a plain string attribute with no identity or reconciliation semantics — see Reconciler for the honest picture, including the :key reorder caveat.
• Skia rendering — the same graphics engine behind Chrome and Flutter draws every frame, with a flexbox layout engine and a fixed viewport contract that keeps your UI responsive at any window size, DPI, or scale factor.
• A real dev loop — save a .vx file and the dev server classifies the edit by SFC block (style, template, or script), rebuilds, and relaunches the native window; an HMR control channel on 127.0.0.1:31313 coordinates the running app. Module-level hot reload is not implemented yet — today every save is a full rebuild and restart.

Who it’s for

Velox is for Rust developers who want to build desktop UIs without reaching for a browser shell, and for teams coming from Vue or React who want the single-file component workflow with native performance. If you can write HTML and Rust, you can build a Velox app.

Next steps

Head to Getting Started to install the CLI and build your first component, then follow the Dashboard tutorial for a guided tour.

Velox is built and maintained by FAHIM AHMED · fahimaloy@tutamail.com · github.com/fahimaloy/velox