Show HN: Proton – A pure Go GUI library with zero CGO and API immunity
I’ve been working on Proton, a lightweight GUI library for Go designed to offer a native desktop development experience without the usual headaches of external toolchains.
It is built on top of Gio, but it completely wraps the underlying rendering engine. The public API exposes no raw Gio types, which means your application code is insulated from any upstream breaking changes or internal rewrites.
Key features:
Zero CGO: You can cross-compile to Windows and macOS flawlessly from any machine without fighting external compiler toolchains.
Immediate Mode: Your draw function runs every frame. No state trees, no XML, and no setState boilerplate.
Batteries Included: Built-in support for 40+ themes, custom hex/RGB colors, layout helpers (GrowRow, ResizeSplit), tables, overlays, and keyboard shortcuts.
Cross-Platform: The exact same codebase runs on Windows, macOS, and Android.
It is currently under active development (v0.2.x). I'd love to hear your thoughts on the API design and approach.
GitHub: https://github.com/CzaxStudio/proton Documentation: https://protonlib.pages.dev