wc-exe

WebContainer Executor - Headless build tool for frontend projects.

Security software real-time file scanning causes extreme I/O delays during npm install. wc-exe bypasses this by running builds inside a browser's WebContainer where files exist only in memory.

Requirements

- Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
- Chrome or Chromium browser (for Puppeteer)

Installation

``bash
npm install -g wc-exe


or


pnpm add -g wc-exe
`

Usage

$3

Build your project using WebContainer:

`bash


In your project directory

wc-exe

With options

wc-exe build --source ./src --output ./dist
wc-exe build --no-install # Skip npm install
wc-exe build --verbose # Show detailed logs
`

$3

Start a development server with hot reload:

`bash
wc-exe dev

With custom port


wc-exe dev --port 3000
`

Features:

- Proxies WebContainer dev server to localhost
- Watches local files and syncs changes
- Supports HMR (Hot Module Replacement)

$3

Install dependencies without building:

`bash
wc-exe install
`

How It Works

`
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Local Environment (with security software) │
│ │
│ 1. Hono Server (dynamic port) │
│ └─ COEP/COOP headers for WebContainer │
│ │
│ 2. Puppeteer (Headless Chrome) │
│ └─ Runs WebContainer in browser │
│ │
│ 3. WebContainer (in browser memory) │
│ ├─ Mount source files │
│ ├─ npm install (bypasses file scanning!) │
│ ├─ npm run build │
│ └─ Extract dist/ output │
│ │
│ 4. Only dist/ folder written to local filesystem │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
`

CLI Options

`
wc-exe [command] [options]

Commands:
build Build the project (default)
dev Start development server
install Install dependencies only

Build Options:
-s, --source Source directory (default: ".")
-o, --output Output directory (default: "./dist")
-d, --dist-dir Dist directory in WebContainer (default: "/dist")
-t, --timeout Timeout for npm commands (default: 600000)
--no-timeout Disable timeout for npm commands
--no-install Skip npm install
--verbose Show detailed logs

Dev Options:
-p, --port Preview port (default: 5173)
--open Open browser automatically

Install Options:
--cache Use cached node_modules
`

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| CHROME_PATH | Custom path to Chrome/Chromium executable |

Example:

`bash
CHROME_PATH=/usr/bin/chromium wc-exe build
``