Reduce Windows installer size

[idofrizler]

Goal

Reduce the Windows installer (.exe) size.

Priority

P4 - Optimization - 4-6 hours

Investigation Steps

1. Analyze Current Bundle

• Check what is in the output directory
• Build without packaging to inspect: npx electron-builder --dir
• Analyze node_modules with depcheck and cost-of-modules

2. Common Size Culprits

• Unused dependencies
• Development dependencies bundled
• Large assets (fonts, images)
• Source maps included
• Unminified code

Implementation Details

Remove Unused Dependencies

Run depcheck and remove any unused deps from package.json.

Optimize electron-builder Config

Use asar: true, compression: maximum, and exclude test files, maps, and markdown.

Use ASAR Unpacking Selectively

Only unpack native modules that need it (like node-pty).

Consider UPX Compression

For executable compression (may affect startup time).

Files to Modify

• package.json (remove unused deps, electron-builder config)
• electron.vite.config.ts (optimize build)

Acceptance Criteria

• Document current size
• Reduce by at least 20%
• No functionality lost
• Startup time not significantly affected