Wails v3.1.0 Released With CGO-Free Builds and Wake Build System

Wails v3.1.0 launches as the first weekly feature release, introducing experimental CGO-free builds for macOS and Linux alongside an expanded build system named Wake. Wails enables desktop app development using a Go backend combined with a web frontend running in the OS WebView.

The CGO-free build option relies on purego, allowing compilation without a C compiler on macOS and Linux, though native runtime libraries remain necessary on target machines and CGo stays the default mode.

Wake brings application configuration, companion CLI tools, targets, packaging, and signing into a single wails.yaml file, accompanied by a guided setup wizard, live reload, incremental builds, and parallel packaging. Task remains available for projects requiring its flexibility.

Alongside these features, the update contains 100 fixes, 21 performance improvements, and four security hardening changes spanning the framework and tooling. Specific updates address mixed-DPI window positioning, Linux tray and dark-mode issues, and reduced memory usage during MSIX packaging.

Maintainers credited beesophie from the Wails Discord community, whose Cook build system inspired Wake, and requested feedback on cross-compilation and packaging experiences in real projects.