An asar is a format for [Electron](https://electronjs.org), commonly used for the first part of apps as `app.asar`. Discord's `app.asar` includes various parts like:
- Updater
- Bootstrapping main part of the app
- Some crash and error reporting
- Splash screen
*OpenAsar* is an open-source alternative / rewrite / etc of Discord's `app.asar` which hopes to bring the various features outlined in the readme.
The main speed increase (default options) is mostly accidental / coincidental (not intended) as it is mostly a side effect of rewriting it.
### How is this so small?
Compared to Discord's original, OpenAsar is <2%ofthesize.ThisisbecausewhenrewritingweremoveNPMdependencieswithourowncustomcodeformoreperformanceandefficiency.Thesearereplacedwithcustompolyfills(compatiblereplacements).
Quickstart skips a few Discord features like the splash screen and waiting for updates in favour of speed. It is currently experimental and not fully recommended for normal use.
If OpenAsar wasn't that much faster (in term of startup time) you likely already have a good PC. OpenAsar speeds up most for lower-end PCs, especially those without an SSD. You will likely still notice a subtle (~1.2x) difference.
No, and depends on your definition. By original if you mean all of this is rewritten, not containing any original Discord code - not yet but we hope for v2.0. If you mean original by design, etc. - no, as we have to follow Discord APIs to maintain compatibility.