# chromelyapps/Chromely

Build Cross Platform HTML Desktop Apps on .NET using native GUI, HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, Owin, AspNetCore (MVC, RazorPages, Blazor)

Repository: https://github.com/chromelyapps/Chromely
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/chromely
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: cefsharp, cefglue, c-sharp, html5, chromium, cef, angular, desktop, react, vue, cross-platform, browser, winapi, dotnet, electron, blazor, owin, asp-net-core, asp-net-core-razor-pages, asp-net-core-mvc
Archived: true
Last push: 2023-01-15T23:12:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3279, "days_push": 1326, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2972, forks 269 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:32.806314+00:00)

## What it is
Chromely is a lightweight .NET/.NET Core framework for building cross-platform HTML5 desktop apps using embedded Chromium (CEF via CefGlue/CefSharp) without WinForms or WPF. It supports SPA frontends like Angular, React, Vue, or Blazor and provides IPC via generic message routing and Ajax/XHR custom scheme handling.

## Use cases
- build cross-platform html5 desktop apps in .net
- electron alternative for c# developers
- wrap an angular or react spa in a native desktop shell
- build blazor desktop apps without winforms or wpf
- embed chromium in a lightweight native window
- communicate between javascript frontend and .NET backend via ajax or message routing

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight Electron alternative in the .NET ecosystem
- you need cross-platform desktop apps on Windows, Linux, and macOS with HTML5 UIs
- you want to avoid WinForms/WPF dependencies
- you already have a Blazor, Angular, React, or Vue frontend

## When to avoid
- starting a new project - the project is officially no longer maintained
- you need WebView2/Edge-based rendering instead of CEF (consider EdgeSharp)
- you need long-term support, security patches, or active community maintenance
- you require deep OS integration typically provided by Electron

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: abandoned
- function: desktop-framework, http-server, middleware, routing
- domain: desktop-applications, web-development, cross-platform, frontend
- platform: cross-platform, windows, dotnet
- tags: cef, chromium, electron-alternative, html5, spa, blazor, cefglue, cefsharp, no-longer-maintained, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- chromelyapps/Chromely (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.806314+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:31:38.120541+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/chromelyapps/Chromely (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.806314+00:00, sha 8810cd568bf2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.