Nucleus Server

A configurable and versatile update server for all your Electron apps

Features

• Multiple applications
• Multiple channels for each application
• Companion publisher for electron-forge to greatly simplify release publishing
• Backed by a static file store so minimal server costs
• One command to run so insanely simple to set up
• Platform Support:
  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Linux - RedHat
  • Linux - Debian

Electron Version Requirements

Please note that using Nucleus requires that you use Electron >=2.0.0.

Setup

Docker

You'll need to set up your own docker image using a Dockefile like below.

FROM atlassian/nucleus
 
COPY config.js /opt/service/config.js

Then running your built docker image will run nucleus on port 8080.

Manual

git clone [e-mail]:atlassian/nucleus.git nucleus-server
cd nucleus-server
cp config.template.js config.js
yarn
yarn dev

This will launch Nucleus running on your local machine with a local file store and a SQLite database.

Configuration

All the config options are thoroughly documented and explained in the config.template.js file in this repository.

Uploading Releases

Release uploading is explained inside Nucleus itself, for more advanced information check out the Uploading Docs.

More Information

Please see the following documents for more information on Nucleus and how it works.

• Internal Endpoints
• Uploading Releases
• Architecture

FAQ

Why does this use a static file store, why not use a traditional update server?

$$$, static file stores quite simply cost less to run than arrays of update servers

Can I use CloudFront to speed up my downloads?

Yes, check out the CloudFront section of the S3 config inside config.template.js.

How do I switch to this from Update Server X?

Switching update servers in an Electron app is quite simple

1. Modify your autoUpdater code to point to this server (follow the instructions on your app page inside Nucleus)
2. Release a new update for your application on your existing update server with this change
3. Release all future updates on Nucleus :)

Is this really awesome?

Pretty sure it is :D

How do I set this up in a production environment?

You can use the published version of this module nucleus-server which has an exported CLI command (nucleus). You then run the command with the first argument being a path to your config file. E.g.

NODE_ENV=production nucleus path/to/config.js

Please ensure you add redis session config and a proper (not local) authentication method when running in a production environment.

To enable logging you need to set DEBUG=nucleus*.

System Requirements

• Node >= 8
• Yarn
• Linux
  • createrepo
  • rpmsign
  • dpkg-scanpackages
  • dpkg-scansources
  • gpg
  • apt-ftparchive
• macOS / Windows
  • docker
  • gpg

Contributors

Pull requests, issues and comments welcome. For pull requests:

• Add tests for new features and bug fixes
• Follow the existing style
• Separate unrelated changes into multiple pull requests

See the existing issues for things to start contributing.

For bigger changes, make sure you start a discussion first by creating an issue and explaining the intended change.

Atlassian requires contributors to sign a Contributor License Agreement, known as a CLA. This serves as a record stating that the contributor is entitled to contribute the code/documentation/translation to the project and is willing to have it used in distributions and derivative works (or is willing to transfer ownership).

Prior to accepting your contributions we ask that you please follow the appropriate link below to digitally sign the CLA. The Corporate CLA is for those who are contributing as a member of an organization and the individual CLA is for those contributing as an individual.

• CLA for corporate contributors
• CLA for individuals

Team

Samuel Attard

License

Apache 2.0 © Atlassian Pty Ltd