I built a tool to solve a problem I kept hitting: deploying Clojure apps without requiring Java on the target machine.23:20:00 [3/101]

The usual answer is GraalVM native-image, but in practice it means dealing with reflection configs, library incompatibilities, long build times, and a complex toolchain. For many projects it's more friction than it's worth.

clj-pack takes a different approach: it bundles a minimal JVM runtime (via jlink) with your uberjar into a single executable. The result is a binary that runs anywhere with zero external dependencies and full JVM compatibility — no reflection configs, no unsupported libraries, your app runs exactly as it does in development.

clj-pack build --input ./my-project --output ./dist/my-app ./dist/my-app # no Java needed How it works:

Detects your build system (deps.edn or project.clj)

Compiles the uberjar

Downloads a JDK from Adoptium (cached locally)

Uses jdeps + jlink to create a minimal runtime (~30-50 MB)

Packs everything into a single binary

The binary extracts on first run (cached by content hash), subsequent runs are instant.

Trade-off is honest: binaries are slightly larger than GraalVM output (~30-50 MB vs ~20-40 MB), and first execution has extraction overhead. But you get full compatibility and a simple build process in return.

Written in Rust, supports Linux and macOS (x64/aarch64).

Feedback and contributions welcome

Very nice approach.