Apptron 0.7: Offline Sites, Console Embeds, and Much More
Published: (March 9, 2026 at 08:28 PM EDT)
5 min read
Source: Dev.to
Source: Dev.to
Apptron has become the center of all my projects. It’s where everything is being put together and is itself a new kind of software platform. If you haven’t been following closely, you may have missed it. Below are the release notes for our latest release.
This is our biggest release yet!
Lots of fixes and UX improvements, plus a handful of new little features.
Highlights
/web/dlmount – a new write‑only filesystem that triggers a browser download for any file written to it.opencommand – edit files outside of/project. Usingopenon a directory adds it as a new root in the file explorer.- Embed snippet improvements – you can now choose between Editor Mode (the classic editor UI, now without the Apptron top‑bar) and Console Mode (terminal‑only embed, perfect for interactive CLI playgrounds or running arbitrary Wasm/Linux on any web page).
Environment Customisation
-
Place a
.apptron/envrc(or simply.envrc) file in your project to run commands right before you get a prompt – think of it as a project‑level.profile. -
The default “Welcome to Apptron” banner still appears before
.envrcruns, but you can replace it by adding a.banneror.apptron/bannerfile. An empty file disables the banner entirely. -
Two useful environment variables are now exposed:
Variable Values Description ENV_MODEedit/consoleIndicates whether the embed is in editor or console mode. ENV_EMBED(set) Present when the environment is loaded as an embed.
Offline‑Ready Static Sites
- Static sites are served from the
/publicmount. - If you have a
/public/index.html, we now inject a dynamic service worker that caches all assets in/publicin the background. After visiting the homepage once, the entire site remains accessible offline. - Note: The current “refresh‑ahead” strategy requires a double reload to see changes. Please try it out and let us know about any issues.
Demo video: (link omitted in original text)
Performance & Build Improvements
- Network gateway upgrade – moved to Cloudflare Containers standard‑4, delivering a 4× throughput boost (faster file downloads and package installations).
- Copy‑on‑write filesystem integration – environment changes via
envbuildare now layered on top of the base system. This gives:- Automatic base‑system updates for custom environments.
- Up to 2× faster large builds.
New Features & Enhancements
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
add new project welcome readme (#221) | New README for fresh projects. |
add default service worker to cache public site assets for offline | Enables offline support for static sites. |
add custom 404 support to public sites | Custom 404 pages for /public. |
add Embed Mode option to get new console embed | Choose between editor and console embeds. |
add open command for non‑project files (#230) | Edit files outside /project. |
add support for .apptron files as dotfiles in project root | Recognise .apptron/* as configuration files. |
add .apptron/banner or .banner to customise shell banner | Override the default welcome banner. |
add support for ?topbar=0 to hide topbar | Hide the Apptron top‑bar in embeds. |
add sponsor dialog from account dropdown (#247, #225) | Quick access to sponsorship info. |
add feedback form dialog from topbar (#247, #224) | Easy way to submit feedback. |
add bundle caching that clears on login (#163) | Improves bundle load times. |
add publish helper command (#227) | Simplifies publishing workflows. |
add loopback network device | Enables loopback networking in VMs. |
add /web/dl filesystem for triggering downloads | Write‑only mount for download‑triggered files. |
add ENV_MODE environment variable (edit or console) | Detect embed mode. |
add kernel modules for audio support in VM | Audio capabilities inside VMs. |
add confirmation dialog on project delete (#262, #267) | Prevent accidental deletions. |
add toast notification on project delete (#238) | Visual feedback after deletion. |
add loading indicators to buttons (#244, #203, #234, #202) | Better UX during async actions. |
add help text in publish tab of share dialog (#195, #249) | Guidance for publishing. |
add improved copy button in share dialog (#242) | Easier sharing of links. |
use copy‑on‑write for custom environments (#217) – 2× envbuild speedup, cuts seconds from page load. | |
improve network throughput (#159) – 4× speedup. | |
change starting directory to /project | Consistent default location. |
refactor share dialog architecture (#245, #222) | Cleaner codebase. |
Bug Fixes
- Fixed project file truncation/corruption (#232, #157).
- Resolved first‑time publish failure (#231).
- Fixed inability to publish project root (#244, #233).
- Fixed broken markdown preview (#229).
- Fixed off‑screen login component in smaller windows (#269, #268).
- Fixed broken UI in share dialog (#266).
- Fixed broken dropdown dismissal behavior (#240, #214).
- Fixed broken Apptron logo link (#228).
- Fixed short project name limit (#208).
- Fixed login failure when session expires (#210, #243).
- Fixed broken state after changing project settings (#167).
- Fixed dangerous username change in account dialog (#239, #246).
Full Changelog
Try It Out!
As usual, we’d love you to test the new release and file any issues you encounter. A huge thanks to our GitHub Sponsors—they are now our only source of funding. Consider sponsoring us to help keep Apptron thriving!