Neutralinojs is a cross-platform desktop application framework that enables building native desktop apps using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) without bundling a full browser engine. The core is a C++ binary that embeds a WebSocket server, a static file server, and a native API layer. Applications communicate with the backend via JSON-RPC over WebSocket, allowing access to OS-level features like file system, process management, clipboard, system info, and window control. The framework supports multiple deployment modes: window (native webview), browser, cloud, and chrome. The architecture is modular, with API controllers in `api/` (e.g., `app`, `fs`, `os`, `net`, `storage`, `clipboard`, `computer`) that each expose a set of methods. The server (`server/neuserver`) routes incoming WebSocket messages to the appropriate controller based on a method prefix. Authentication is handled via a token-based system (`auth/authbasic`), and permissions are enforced through allow/block lists (`auth/permission`). Extensions can be loaded as separate processes (`extensions_loader`), communicating via WebSocket with a shared token. The framework relies heavily on vendored third-party libraries: Asio for async I/O, WebSocket++ for WebSocket protocol, mbedTLS for TLS/crypto, and platform-specific libraries for hardware info, file watching, and clipboard. The build system uses CMake with platform-specific toolchains. The project includes a test suite using Mocha and a custom runner that launches the binary and executes JavaScript specs.
Orchestra is a mature, composable WPF application framework for building line-of-business desktop applications on .NET (net8.0-windows through net10.0-windows). It provides a complete shell infrastructure including splash screens, about dialogs, crash recovery, keyboard shortcut customization, changelog viewers, status bars, busy indicators, and recently-used item management. The framework is built on top of Catel (MVVM, IoC, logging) and integrates with Orc.* libraries for theming, controls, and system information. It offers two shell variants: a Ribbon.Fluent shell using Fluent.Ribbon for rich ribbon UIs, and a TaskRunner shell for simpler task-oriented interfaces. The architecture is modular and service-oriented, with all major features exposed via interfaces (e.g., IShellService, IStatusService, IKeyboardMappingsService) and registered through Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection. The core library (Orchestra.Core) contains the foundational services, while shell-specific packages (Orchestra.Shell.Ribbon.Fluent, Orchestra.Shell.TaskRunner) provide concrete implementations. The framework also includes a shared shell library with recovery services, progress bars, and configuration management. Key entry points include the ShellService for application lifecycle orchestration and the ApplicationInitializationServiceBase for custom startup logic. External dependencies include Catel (7.x), Fluent.Ribbon (11.x), ControlzEx, and several Orc.* packages (Orc.Theming, Orc.Controls, Orc.LogViewer, Orc.SystemInfo). The build system is powered by Cake scripts with support for multiple installer formats (InnoSetup, MSIX, Velopack), code signing, and CI/CD integration. The repository also includes example applications demonstrating both shell variants and a comprehensive test suite with public API verification. Data flows are primarily user-driven: application startup triggers splash screen, configuration loading, shell creation, and keyboard mapping initialization. User interactions (closing, keyboard shortcuts, status updates) are handled through service abstractions. The framework manages local user data (configuration backups, changelog snapshots, recently used items) but does not process external datasets or analytics.