OpenAsar: a drop-in replacement for Discord's app.asar
Open-source alternative of Discord desktop's app.asar
At a glance
- What is it?
- OpenAsar swaps Discord desktop's bundled app.asar for a small open-source build. It is aimed at users who want faster startup and OpenAsar's own config options, and it is not a client mod in the Vencord or BetterDiscord sense.
- Who is it for?
- OpenAsar suits users who want a smaller, configurable app.asar and are comfortable replacing a single file inside the Discord install directory. It is the wrong choice if you expect plugin-style client mods, since OpenAsar is not one.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes, with strict conditions. AGPL-3.0 is a network copyleft licence: if people use a modified version over a network, for example as a hosted service, you must offer them its source code under the same licence.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository last received commits 69 days ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly JavaScript, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on October 1, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
What OpenAsar replaces and who it is for
OpenAsar is described in its README as "an open-source alternative of Discord desktop's app.asar". That single sentence defines the whole scope. Discord's desktop client ships an app.asar archive that holds the application code. OpenAsar is a different build of that archive, written in JavaScript and released under AGPL-3.0. You are not installing a plugin manager or a mod loader. You are replacing one file in an existing Discord installation.
The audience follows from that. If your complaint is that Discord's desktop client starts slowly, or that you want a few configuration switches the stock client does not expose, OpenAsar targets exactly that. The README lists startup speed, general responsiveness, splash theming, and a config window as the reasons to switch. It also states that OpenAsar removes Discord's built-in tracking for crashes and errors in the asar, with the explicit caveat that this applies to the asar and not to the app itself. That parenthetical matters: anyone reading "No Tracking" as a blanket privacy guarantee is reading more into the line than the project wrote.
If instead you want themes, plugins, or per-feature patches, OpenAsar is not the layer you are looking for. It is a base replacement, and the README points to the FAQ for further detail rather than promising extensibility.
How the drop-in swap actually works
The mechanism is deliberately unglamorous. Discord's desktop distribution contains app.asar. OpenAsar provides a substitute for that file. The README calls it "Drop-in: Replace one file and it's installed, that's it (same with uninstall)". Installation and removal are the same operation in opposite directions, which is the main architectural claim in the project.
Because the replacement is a build of the same archive format, the surrounding Electron shell, the updater, and the rest of the install directory are untouched. OpenAsar does not patch Discord at runtime and does not inject code into a running process. It is present from the moment the client starts, which is consistent with the startup-time claim in the README.
The repository layout reflects a build-and-package project rather than a runtime library. The top level contains src/, scripts/, .github/, README.md, faq.md and LICENSE. The .github/ directory holds the workflow that produces the nightly builds, and the releases list shows a nightly dated 2026-07-24 alongside an older skunkworks build from 2026-04-18 and an acrylic-1 release from 2022. There is no package published to a registry here; the artifact is the asar itself.
Size is the other structural point. The README states OpenAsar is under 1% of Discord's original size, giving the comparison as 9mb to roughly 50kb. A smaller archive is easier to read end to end, which is a real argument for an alternative to a bundled blob, though the README does not quantify how much of the startup gain comes from size versus from what was removed.
Installing OpenAsar and opening the config window
The README does not inline installation steps. It links to a wiki page titled Install Guide at github.com/GooseMod/OpenAsar/wiki/Install-Guide, and that is the authoritative source for the exact path on your platform. The repository itself only ships the built asar and the scripts that produce it, so the file you download and where it goes are defined by the wiki, not by this README.
What the README does document is configuration. After installation, the config window is opened from inside Discord, not from a separate binary or a terminal command. The README says to click the "OpenAsar..." version info at the bottom of the settings sidebar.
The README does not enumerate the individual config keys. It says only that OpenAsar "Adds many config options for Discord and OpenAsar enhancements (see config section)", and the config section it points to consists of the instructions for opening that window. There is no table of keys, no example config file, and no documented defaults in the README. Treat the in-app window as the interface and the README as a pointer to it.
One consequence is worth stating plainly: because the install is a file replacement, the version of Discord you are running determines which app.asar you are overwriting. The README does not describe what happens when a Discord update restores the original archive, and it does not document a rollback procedure. The wiki is where that would live.
Where OpenAsar stops being the right tool
The clearest limitation is categorical. OpenAsar replaces the app.asar; it does not add a plugin system. The README's feature list contains no plugin or theme-loading capability. Splash theming is listed, and it is described as working "with most themes for any client mod", which positions OpenAsar as something that coexists with client mods rather than being one. If your goal is installing community plugins, OpenAsar alone will not get you there.
The tracking claim is narrower than the heading suggests. The README's own parenthetical says the removal covers crashes and errors in the asar, "not app itself". So a user who switches to OpenAsar expecting the client to stop reporting telemetry generally has not read that line carefully.
The performance claims are also unquantified beyond the startup figure. The README says OpenAsar "can make your client feel snappier (scrolling, switching channels, etc)". That is a subjective description, not a measurement, and the project does not publish a methodology for it. The startup claim of roughly 2x, up to about 4x with an experimental config, comes with no stated hardware, Discord version, or test conditions.
Finally, the release cadence is uneven. The nightly channel has a build dated 2026-07-24, skunkworks dates to 2026-04-18, and acrylic-1 goes back to 2022. Anyone who needs a predictable, versioned release with a support window should look at that spread before committing. The last push to the repository was on 2026-07-24.
OpenAsar compared with Vencord and BetterDiscord
The comparison people reach for is OpenAsar versus Vencord, and the difference is one of layer, not of features. Vencord and BetterDiscord are client mods: they add plugins, themes and patches on top of the running client. OpenAsar is the base archive underneath. The README's splash-theming line, which says it works "with most themes for any client mod", only makes sense under that reading. OpenAsar does not compete with a mod loader; it can sit beneath one.
That changes what you evaluate. With a client mod, the questions are which plugins exist and how patches survive Discord updates. With OpenAsar, the questions are whether the replacement archive starts faster, whether it is small enough to audit, and whether you are willing to swap a file that Discord's own updater may overwrite.
Against stock Discord, the trade is straightforward. You give up the vendor's bundled archive and take on responsibility for keeping the replacement current. In exchange you get a build you can read, a config window the README describes, and the startup behaviour it claims. The README does not claim feature parity with the stock client, and it does not list what was removed to reach roughly 50kb, so the size advantage is asserted rather than itemised.
If your actual requirement is a plugin ecosystem, Vencord or BetterDiscord is the correct category and OpenAsar is not an alternative to either. If your requirement is a lighter, inspectable app.asar, OpenAsar is the only thing in this comparison that addresses it.
Maintenance, licensing and upgrade cost
OpenAsar is licensed AGPL-3.0, shown in the README badge and present as LICENSE at the repository root. AGPL-3.0 is a strong copyleft licence with a network-use clause. The practical implication for anyone considering a fork or a redistribution is that the source obligations are stricter than under a permissive licence, and the network clause can reach modified versions offered over a network. This is a description of the licence family, not legal advice; if you plan to redistribute a modified build, read the licence text itself.
The upgrade cost is the part the README leaves open. Because the install is a file replacement inside Discord's own directory, a Discord update that restores the original app.asar would undo the change. The README does not describe that interaction, and it does not document rollback. The project does maintain a nightly workflow, visible as the Nightly Status badge and the nightly release dated 2026-07-24, so there is a channel to follow. The last push to the repository was on 2026-07-24.
For a single user on one machine, the ongoing cost is checking that release channel and re-applying the file after Discord updates. For a team, the cost is the same multiplied by every machine, with no documented configuration-management path in the README. The config window is per-installation and opened from inside the client, which does not lend itself to scripted deployment as described.
Editorial conclusion
OpenAsar suits users who want a smaller, configurable app.asar and are comfortable replacing a single file inside the Discord install directory. It is the wrong choice if you expect plugin-style client mods, since OpenAsar is not one. Before installing, read the wiki Install Guide and confirm your Discord build matches the file it tells you to replace; the README does not document rollback, so keep the original app.asar.
Frequently asked questions
What is OpenAsar for Discord?
It is an open-source alternative to Discord desktop's app.asar, the archive that holds the client's application code. You replace that one file in your Discord installation, and the README describes the result as a drop-in with the same operation used to uninstall.
How do I install OpenAsar?
The README does not inline the steps; it links to a wiki page called Install Guide at github.com/GooseMod/OpenAsar/wiki/Install-Guide. That page, not the README, defines the file and the location for your platform.
How do I use OpenAsar and change its settings?
After installing, open Discord's settings and click the "OpenAsar..." version info at the bottom of the settings sidebar, which opens the config window. The README points to a config section for this but does not list the individual keys.
Is OpenAsar legit?
It is an open-source project under AGPL-3.0, with its source and build scripts in the repository and a nightly workflow producing builds. The README states it removes Discord's built-in tracking for crashes and errors in the asar, and adds that this does not cover the app itself.
What is OpenAsar Vencord, and how does OpenAsar differ from BetterDiscord?
OpenAsar is not a client mod. The README describes OpenAsar as a replacement for app.asar, and says its splash theming works with most themes for any client mod, which places it beneath tools like Vencord or BetterDiscord rather than alongside them.
Is there an open-source Discord app?
OpenAsar is an open-source alternative to Discord desktop's app.asar, licensed AGPL-3.0, with source in the repository. It replaces the client's bundled archive rather than being a separate Discord client.
Official sources
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