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Build

Compile and stage the app for development. Processes frontend HTML/CSS/TS and compiles the backend into build/.

Purpose​

  • Produce up-to-date dev outputs without optimization.
  • Validate the workspace and surface actionable errors.

When To Use​

  • Before running tests locally.
  • In CI to check that code compiles.

CLI​

  • webstir build [--clean] [--runtime <frontend|backend|all>]

Steps​

  1. Validate workspace structure and required inputs.
  2. Compile TypeScript for frontend/backend using tsc --build with the embedded base config.
  3. Bundle JavaScript with esbuild for fast, development-friendly output with source maps.
  4. Process CSS imports and copy assets.
  5. Merge page HTML into src/frontend/app/app.html and write to build/frontend/pages/<page>/index.html.
  6. Copy Images, Fonts, and Media to build/frontend/{images|fonts|media}/**.
  7. Copy app assets to build/frontend/app/.

Outputs​

  • build/frontend/** with readable assets and page HTML (includes build/frontend/{images|fonts|media}/**).
  • build/backend/index.js compiled backend entry.
  • .webstir/backend-manifest.json — inspect it without starting watch via webstir backend-inspect.

Flags​

  • --clean: remove previous build/** before building.
  • --runtime / -r: limit work to frontend, backend, or all (default). The CLI auto-detects which folders exist, but forcing a scope speeds up backend-only loops or frontend-only sandboxes.

Examples:

  • webstir build --runtime backend — skip frontend pipelines when touching APIs or jobs.
  • webstir build --runtime frontend --clean — refresh only the UI surface after deleting build/.

Errors & Exit Codes​

  • Non-zero on TypeScript errors, missing base HTML, or pipeline failures.
  • Logs identify the failing stage and file when possible.