How to bundle nextjs as a SEA

[samsamurai301]

---

Goal:

I am trying to create a standalone .exe (Windows executable) bundle of a Next.js application. My goal is to package the entire app, along with the Node.js runtime, into a single executable file that can be run on a Windows machine without requiring Node.js to be installed.

What I've Tried:

I've followed the Next.js standalone export process (output: 'standalone') and attempted to bundle it using the Node.js Self-Extracting Archive (SEA) feature, as described in the [official Node SEA documentation](https://nodejs.org/api/single-executable-applications.html). This process is relatively new and intended to replace older tools like pkg and nexe.

Previously, I was able to generate .exe files using:

• [pkg](https://github.com/vercel/pkg)
• [nexe](https://github.com/nexe/nexe)

However, both of these tools are now either unmaintained or lacking support for modern Node.js features and complex setups like those involving Next.js and ES modules.

Challenges:

• While I can get a working output using next build with output: 'standalone', integrating this with the SEA approach is proving difficult.
• The SEA process requires setting up a bootstrap loader script (loader.js), embedding it into a Node binary, and including the blob containing the app code.
• Next.js apps have complex file structures (e.g., dynamic imports, middleware, server components), which makes packaging and referencing assets non-trivial.
• There’s little guidance available on combining Next.js with SEA to generate an actual Windows .exe file.

What I’m Looking For:

I need a reliable, maintainable method for turning a Next.js application into a Windows executable using:

• Modern tooling (preferably SEA or other actively maintained methods),
• Node.js 18+ compatibility, and
• Support for standalone server builds generated by Next.js.

If anyone has successfully used Node SEA with a Next.js app, or has a working example or boilerplate for generating .exe files from a standalone build, I’d greatly appreciate any guidance or resources you could share.

[cspotcode]

Does deno compile with --include do the trick?

--include tells it to bundle an entire directory of files so they can be referenced as dynamic imports at runtime. Your requirements list "Node.js 18+ compatibility" which is hopefully achieved with deno's node compat, though of course bugs may exist. Their website has a page on "Next.js" which suggests Next.js has been tested and is working.

[BYK]

@samsamurai301 -- I created https://github.com/BYK/fossilize to make using Node SEA easier and I think with some modifications, it can support Next.js projects directly. Right now it supports automatically embedding assets using a manifest.json file from Vite but your app still needs to be aware that it is being packaged and needs to know how to read these files using the node:sea module APIs.

The way I use it currently is this little hack: https://github.com/getsentry/spotlight/blob/b09723c797fc9a537bf2e104a945f5979139781b/packages/spotlight/bin/run.js#L32-L41

Does that help? I'm happy to collaborate on this.

[samsamurai301]

Does deno compile with --include do the trick?

--include tells it to bundle an entire directory of files so they can be referenced as dynamic imports at runtime. Your requirements list "Node.js 18+ compatibility" which is hopefully achieved with deno's node compat, though of course bugs may exist. Their website has a page on "Next.js" which suggests Next.js has been tested and is working.

@cspotcode For this I have to create a complete new project instead of modify in existing one, But for new project where I am needing something like that I will use the approach you wrote, Thanks for the help.

[cspotcode]

@samsamurai301

For this I have to create a complete new project instead of modify in existing one

Not really, no, it can run existing nodejs projects. I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise.