Platform Overview
Perry compiles TypeScript to native executables for 10 platform families from the same source code.
Supported Platforms
| Platform | Target Flag | UI Toolkit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS | (default) | AppKit | Full support (127/127 FFI functions) |
| iOS | --target ios / --target ios-simulator | UIKit | Full support (127/127) |
| visionOS | --target visionos / --target visionos-simulator | UIKit (2D windows) | Core support (2D only) |
| tvOS | --target tvos / --target tvos-simulator | UIKit | Full support (focus engine + game controllers) |
| watchOS | --target watchos / --target watchos-simulator | SwiftUI (data-driven) | Core support (15 widgets) |
| Android | --target android | JNI/Android SDK | Full support (112/112) |
| Wear OS | --target wearos | JNI/Android SDK (shared) | Android backend on a watch |
| Windows | --target windows | Win32 | Full support (112/112) |
| Linux | --target linux | GTK4 | Full support (112/112) |
| Web / WebAssembly | --target web (alias --target wasm) | DOM/CSS via WASM bridge | Full support (168 widgets) |
Cross-Compilation
# Default: compile for current platform
perry app.ts -o app
# Compile for a specific target
perry app.ts -o app --target ios-simulator
perry app.ts -o app --target visionos-simulator
perry app.ts -o app --target tvos-simulator
perry app.ts -o app --target watchos-simulator
perry app.ts -o app --target web # alias: --target wasm
perry app.ts -o app --target windows
perry app.ts -o app --target linux
perry app.ts -o app --target android
perry app.ts -o app --target wearos # Wear OS — Android on a watch
Platform Detection
Use the __platform__ compile-time constant to branch by platform:
declare const __platform__: number
// Platform constants:
// 0 = macOS
// 1 = iOS
// 2 = Android
// 3 = Windows
// 4 = Linux
// 5 = Web (browser, --target web / --target wasm)
// 6 = tvOS
// 7 = watchOS
// 8 = visionOS
if (__platform__ === 0) {
console.log("Running on macOS")
} else if (__platform__ === 1) {
console.log("Running on iOS")
} else if (__platform__ === 3) {
console.log("Running on Windows")
}
__platform__ is resolved at compile time. The compiler constant-folds comparisons and eliminates dead branches, so platform-specific code has zero runtime cost.
Platform Feature Matrix
| Feature | macOS | iOS | visionOS | tvOS | watchOS | Android | Windows | Linux | Web (WASM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLI programs | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | Yes | Yes | — |
| Native UI (DOM on web) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Game engines | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Via FFI |
| File system | Yes | Sandboxed | Sandboxed | Sandboxed | — | Sandboxed | Yes | Yes | File System Access API |
| Networking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | fetch / WebSocket |
| System APIs | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Minimal | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Widgets (WidgetKit) | — | Yes | — | — | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| Threading | Native | Native | Native | Native | Native | Native | Native | Native | Web Workers |