{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.2.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^4.2.1",
    "vite": "^5.0.0"
  }
}

System Dependencies

Python 3.8+

Positron requires Python 3.8 or higher

Node.js 16+

Required for React development with Vite
npm or yarn package manager

WebView Runtime

Edge WebView2 Runtime

Usually pre-installed on Windows 10/11
Download if needed: https://developer.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/webview2/

System WebKit

Built into macOS, no installation needed

GTK and WebKit2GTK

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install python3-gi python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-gtk-3.0 gir1.2-webkit2-4.0

# Fedora
sudo dnf install python3-gobject gtk3 webkit2gtk3

# Arch
sudo pacman -S python-gobject gtk3 webkit2gtk

Installation Methods

Method 1: Using requirements.txt (Recommended)

git clone https://github.com/tomlin7/positron.git
cd positron
pip install -r requirements.txt

Method 2: Using setup.py

git clone https://github.com/tomlin7/positron.git
cd positron
pip install -e .

The -e flag installs in "editable" mode for development.

Method 3: From PyPI (Future)

Once published:

pip install positron-framework

Dependency Tree

positron-framework
└── pywebview (>=6.0)
    ├── bottle (built-in HTTP server)
    ├── proxy_tools (proxy handling)
    └── Platform-specific:
        ├── Windows: pythonnet (WebView2 COM)
        ├── macOS: pyobjc (WebKit bridge - optional)
        └── Linux: PyGObject (GTK/WebKit)

pywebview provides full HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript support through native browser engines, giving you complete React compatibility out of the box!

Verifying Installation

Test that all imports work:

# Test Positron imports
from positron import App, BrowserWindow
from positron.ipc import ipc_main
from positron.renderer import DevServer

print("✓ Positron imports successful!")

# Test pywebview import
import webview
print("✓ pywebview import successful!")

Run the test:

python -c "from positron import App, BrowserWindow; from positron.ipc import ipc_main; print('✓ All imports OK')"

Troubleshooting

ImportError: No module named 'webview'

Solution:

pip install pywebview

Linux: ImportError: gi module not found

Solution: Install GTK and WebKit dependencies

sudo apt-get install python3-gi python3-gi-cairo gir1.2-gtk-3.0 gir1.2-webkit2-4.0

React app won't start

Solution:

cd examples/react-app
npm install  # Install Node.js dependencies first

Port already in use

If port 5173 is already in use:

Change port in vite.config.js:

export default defineConfig({
  server: {
    port: 5174,  // Change port
  }
})

Update DevServer in main.py:

dev_server = DevServer(
    cwd=str(Path(__file__).parent),
    port=5174  # Match new port
)

Minimum Versions

Package	Minimum Version	Recommended
Python	3.8	3.11+
pywebview	6.0	Latest
Node.js	16.0.0	18+ LTS
React	18.0.0	Latest
Vite	5.0.0	Latest

Platform Support

Positron works on all platforms with webview support:

✅ Windows 10/11 - Edge WebView2
✅ macOS 10.14+ - System WebKit
✅ Linux - GTK WebKit (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.)

Browser Engines Used

Platform	Engine	Version
Windows 10/11	Chromium (EdgeHTML)	Latest WebView2
macOS	WebKit	System version
Linux	WebKit2GTK	2.x

License Compatibility

All dependencies are compatible with MIT license:

pywebview: BSD License
React: MIT License
Vite: MIT License
Positron: MIT License

Dependencies

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