Cross-Platform Case Study

How OllamoMUI delivers a unified AI experience across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Web — with a single backend and platform-tailored frontends.

Platform Breakdown

💻

Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Tauri + React + FastAPI
Features
  • Native file system access for RAG document uploads
  • System tray integration for background operation
  • Auto-updater with differential updates
  • Custom title bar with native window controls
  • Local-first: backend runs as a sidecar process
Challenges
  • Packaging Python backend for each OS
  • Cross-compiling PyInstaller binaries for ARM/Intel
  • Managing auto-update signatures across platforms
📱

Mobile (Android, iOS)

React Native + FastAPI
Features
  • Biometric authentication (Face ID / fingerprint)
  • Push notifications for long-running tasks
  • Offline message queue with sync on reconnect
  • Share sheet integration for quick prompts
  • Haptic feedback on streaming responses
Challenges
  • Gesture conflict between swipe and scroll
  • Keyboard avoidance in chat input
  • Memory pressure on large conversation histories
🌐

Web (PWA)

Next.js + FastAPI
Features
  • Service worker for offline fallback pages
  • Responsive layout: desktop navbar to mobile bottom sheet
  • SSR/SSG for SEO-optimized marketing pages
  • Web Share API for cross-tab prompts
  • Dark mode with system preference detection
Challenges
  • CORS and CSP configuration for mixed origins
  • Streaming API compatibility across browsers
  • Service worker cache invalidation on deploy

Key Metrics

Code Reuse
~85%
Shared TypeScript types, API client, auth logic
Time to Ship v1
6 weeks
One developer, full stack + mobile + desktop
Startup Time
<1.5s
Desktop: Tauri + bundled Python backend
Bundle Size
~45MB
Desktop installer (includes Python runtime)
Mobile APK
~8MB
React Native with Hermes + tree shaking
Web Lighthouse
96
Performance score on desktop Next.js build