# Rclnodejs 2.0.0 beta — ROS 2 Lyrical (beta) and Node.js 26 support

**URL:** <https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/rclnodejs-2-0-0-beta-ros-2-lyrical-beta-and-node-js-26-support/54559>\
**Category:** ROS General\
**Tags:** web, lyrical, nodejs, rclnodejs, client\
**Created:** [May 6, 2026, 10:06am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/rclnodejs-2-0-0-beta-ros-2-lyrical-beta-and-node-js-26-support/54559 "2026-05-06T10:06:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![minggangw](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.openrobotics.org/minggangw/32/29873_2.png) [@minggangw](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/u/minggangw)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 10:06am UTC](https://discourse.openrobotics.org/t/rclnodejs-2-0-0-beta-ros-2-lyrical-beta-and-node-js-26-support/54559/1 "2026-05-06T10:06:13Z")

</div>

Hi all,

For those new to the project: [**rclnodejs**](https://github.com/RobotWebTools/rclnodejs) is the Node.js client library for ROS 2, maintained under the Robot Web Tools umbrella. It lets you write ROS 2 nodes — publishers, subscribers, services, actions, parameters, lifecycle, etc. — in plain JavaScript or TypeScript, with a native binding to `rcl`/`rmw` so messages stay zero-copy where possible. It’s a good fit for web dashboards, Electron desktop apps, browser bridges, scripting, and rapid prototyping.

I’m happy to announce that [**rclnodejs 2.0.0-beta.0**](https://github.com/RobotWebTools/rclnodejs/releases/tag/2.0.0-beta.0) is out — the first preview of the 2.x line, with first-class support for the upcoming **ROS 2 Lyrical Luth** release on **Ubuntu 26.04** and the latest **Node.js 26**.

## What’s new in 2.0.0-beta.0

- **ROS 2 Lyrical Luth (Ubuntu 26.04)** is supported in addition to existing distros (Humble / Jazzy / Kilted / Rolling).

- **Node.js 26.x** is supported, with Linux x64 and arm64 prebuilds so `npm install` works without a local toolchain.

## New: rosocket — talk to ROS 2 from a browser, no JS library

This release ships a lightweight WebSocket bridge called **rosocket** plus an end-to-end demo. The point: a browser tab can subscribe and publish to topics (and call services) using only the built-in `WebSocket` and `JSON` APIs — no rosbridge or roslibjs needed.

URL convention:

```auto

ws://<host>:<port>/topic/<name>

ws://<host>:<port>/service/<name>

```

Browser-side pub/sub in a few lines:

```js

const BRIDGE = 'ws://localhost:9000';

// Subscribe — every published message arrives as onmessage.

const sub = new WebSocket(`${BRIDGE}/topic/chatter`);

sub.onmessage = (ev) => console.log('recv:', ev.data); // {"data":"hi"}

// Publish — open, send JSON, close.

const pub = new WebSocket(`${BRIDGE}/topic/chatter`);

pub.onopen = () => {

pub.send(JSON.stringify({ data: 'hello from browser' }));

setTimeout(() => pub.close(), 200);

};

```

Live walkthrough:

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/9/0/9033ec61a09f0c6df92dd4498ec2c5ef4cde308b.jpeg "rclnodejs rosocket demo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F0bQTDxUvY)

Code: [demo/rosocket](https://github.com/RobotWebTools/rclnodejs/tree/develop/demo/rosocket).

## Electron desktop visualization demos

For richer UIs, the same library powers cross-platform desktop apps via Electron — HTML/CSS/Three.js/WebGL on the front end, with real ROS 2 nodes running in the Electron main process. The demos cover topics, a car controller, a manipulator, and a turtle TF2 visualizer.

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/ros/original/3X/3/8/38dbf31ec12f4ae57e35e2b122f0fb1904b75f24.jpeg "rclnodejs electron manipulator demo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7DYc2pysdo)

Code: [demo/electron](https://github.com/RobotWebTools/rclnodejs/tree/develop/demo/electron).

Cheers,

Minggang