WhatsApp Desk (Rust)
Ultra-lightweight multi-platform desktop WhatsApp client built with Rust and Tauri v2 — slashing RAM from 1.5GB to ~18MB with zero-GC runtime.
Official WhatsApp Desktop consumes 750MB–1.5GB RAM through bundled Chromium and Node.js (Electron), drains laptop battery, and lacks basic workplace privacy or power-user controls.
Creator & Systems Engineer: Rust backend, Tauri v2 configuration, native OS integration, and cross-platform release pipeline.
Zero-GC native runtime via Rust & Tauri v2
Leveraged native operating system WebViews (Apple WebKit on macOS, Edge WebView2 on Windows, WebKitGTK on Linux) instead of bundling an entire browser. Memory consumption dropped by over 90% with zero garbage collection spikes.
Encrypted blob stream interception
Intercepted encrypted media and document download blobs directly within the webview stream, solving stuck document viewer bugs and routing files straight into a persistent user downloads directory.
Deep desktop OS integration
Implemented native macOS Cocoa menus (Cmd+C/V/Z), dynamic unread badge count on the macOS Dock, system tray integration across platforms, and single-instance process mutex.
Workplace privacy & power controls
Built hotkey-toggled privacy blur (Cmd+Shift+P) for sensitive chats in open-office environments, window pinning (Always on Top), and instant mute hotkeys.
- ~18–30MB idle RAM consumption vs 1.5GB on Electron
- 3–5MB installer size vs 900MB official desktop installer
- Signed multi-platform releases on GitHub (v0.2.8): macOS universal/arm64 (.dmg), Windows (.exe/.msi), Linux (.deb/.AppImage/.rpm)
- Sub-0.3s cold start with instant window focus