Static Web and PWA

Use this edition when the host serves application assets only and users keep projects in local folders or browser workspaces. It requires no Node process after the build is deployed.

Build

npm ci
npm run web:build-static

The command builds the Web application and this documentation site. The deployable tree is written to dist-web/, with documentation under dist-web/docs/. Release builds minify the browser bundles and add content hashes to application URLs. Unchanged versioned files can therefore remain in the browser cache across page loads without being downloaded again.

Serve the output over HTTP for local verification:

npm run web:serve-static

Opening index.html directly with a file: URL is not supported because module workers, service workers, and browser resource policies require an HTTP origin.

GitHub Pages

The repository workflow .github/workflows/pages.yml is manually dispatched. It installs exact dependencies, runs web:build-static with the repository Pages base path, uploads dist-web, and deploys the artifact through GitHub Pages.

Enable GitHub Pages with GitHub Actions as the source, then run Deploy SnapTeX Web from the Actions tab.

Other static hosts

Upload the contents of dist-web/ without changing their relative layout. Configure the host to:

• serve index.html at the deployment root;
• preserve service-worker.js, manifest.webmanifest, .nojekyll, and compressed TikZ assets;
• use correct MIME types for JavaScript modules, WebAssembly, gzip files, and web manifests;
• serve over HTTPS outside localhost.

PWA and updates

The service worker still prepares the complete application for offline use, including KaTeX, PDF.js, TikZJax, the demo, and their runtime files. The toolbar reports Preparing offline use... during the first installation and Offline ready only after all required groups have been cached.

Assets are divided into core, KaTeX, PDF.js, TikZ, and demo caches. Each group has its own content version, so an update reuses unchanged groups and downloads only changed groups. Navigation returns the cached application shell immediately; revalidation of the fixed Service Worker URL installs changed resource groups in the background. API and authentication routes are never intercepted.

The fixed service-worker.js and HTML URLs use revalidation rather than permanent caching. Versioned JavaScript, CSS, icons, and other linked resources use long-lived immutable caching. Hosts should preserve query strings and support ETag or equivalent conditional requests; the bundled SnapTeX Server provides this behavior directly.

Static limitations

Open Server displays guidance instead of calling unavailable APIs. The static edition cannot store projects on the hosting server. Use direct local folders, IndexedDB workspaces, or deploy the server edition.

Verify the deployment

1. Open the deployed root and confirm the welcome page identifies the static edition.
2. Open the demo and render text, math, one image, and one TikZ block.
3. Import a small folder, save a change, reload the page, and reopen the workspace.
4. Install the PWA, load it once, disconnect the network, and confirm the shell plus an imported workspace still open.
5. Select Open Server and confirm it shows deployment guidance rather than sending an API request.