Table of Contents
Table of Contents
It’s 2023, and with the rise of mobile apps, the era of desktop applications seems to be declining – but that is not the case, especially with the power and flexibility of Electron JS. When creating desktop applications, the most common choice is Electron.js.
Today, in this post, we will describe everything you need to know about Electron JS technology. It is still the most popular framework for usage by websites such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, WhatsApp, Twitch, and others. Let’s begin with the definition of Electron JS and its purpose.
To break it down, Electron.js is a web framework that makes it possible to create desktop applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In reality, Electron is an open-source framework well-suited to deliver cross-platform web applications on several platforms like Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Electron streamlines the creation of desktop applications using a web framework, and apps built with Electron have seen explosive popularity in recent years. Previously, conventional desktop applications were considered obsolete, and their UI components lacked charisma. But Electron introduced a new age for building desktop applications.
Since its first release in 2013 as Atom Shell, Electron has been adopted by many desktop applications, many of which are free to the user. Here is a brief journey of Electron:
As discussed above that Electron JS uses web technologies like simple HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Unless you want to do complex tasks, native proficiency is not necessary. It’s possible to make it work with only one browser. The file system is compatible with Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows and is part of the Node.js APIs.
The popular JavaScript module manager npm is used. There is a built-in option for handling pop-ups and alerts. In addition, Squirrel allows for automatic updates and crash reporting on both Windows and Mac. Sending accident reports to an off-site server allows for a more thorough investigation.
So, we hope now you have enough idea about Electron JS and its origins – let’s get to its advantages along with Electron JS Development.
If you’re thinking about creating an Electron app, we’ll walk you through all the benefits of the Electron framework so you can better appreciate its strengths.
In 2022, Electron was ranked 10th among developers’ most used libraries and frameworks, with nearly 10% of the respondents.
Whether you are a business person or a development company, you can be certain that your desktop application will run smoothly on all platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux) when you code them using Electron.
Electron desktop apps function seamlessly across several OS systems for a simple reason: they are instances of Google’s open-source web browser project, Chromium. This is also why they use so much more RAM than equivalent desktop apps created in other languages.
Electron is compatible with all JS frameworks and libraries, providing developers with everything they need to create high-quality apps. Thanks to out-of-the-box support for various OS integrations, including menu bar and tray applets, media keys, and more, developers may save a lot of effort.
Another significant advantage of using Electron JS is it works well with the most popular Front-End frameworks like React and Angular.
Using various UI/UX tools through web technologies allows you to improve your desktop app across platforms and create visually appealing designs for apps. Similar to how the features work across platforms, the user interface and user experience will be the same on macOS and Windows.
Electron has many capabilities; therefore, it will not be difficult for a developer to locate the functionality required for a desktop application. And migrating to Electron will not be difficult either.
With JavaScript/Plugin, developers have complete control and Access to APIs at the hardware level.
Last but not the least, the key reason why developers like to use Electron.js is it simplifies the entire development process. There is a cost-saving due to the shorter development time required for a specific desktop application.
Since JavaScript code can be transformed line by line, any Electron JS Developer may debug and optimize the code with ease, allowing them to deliver apps at a quicker rate than before.
Since everything is simultaneously developed for all platforms, customers will have no trouble communicating their needs to each team. In addition, clients will not be required to test each app individually to ensure that they have identical functionality. Although working with a single code base can minimize development time, developers can repair a single defect in a code base regardless of where it occurs.
Applications built with Electron.js may even outperform native apps in specific scenarios. Nevertheless, this is conditional on the desktop’s component use and whether or not just essential components are loaded.
Sharing a single code base across all platforms has drastically reduced development time. Yet Electron devours memory like a hungry bear.
Using Electron to convert the current app into a desktop app that can run on several platforms means that all data remains inside the system rather than being sent to another server. It means your data is safe to a great extent.
Let’s figure out how Electron JS works before understanding its key features.
Electron applications always run two processes: the main and rendering processes.
Each procedure fulfills a unique function. The application’s primary process is responsible for initializing the application. It’s resilient enough to survive the various phases of an application’s lifecycle, such as startup, shutdown, pre-shutdown activity, and lightweight operations like switching between the foreground and background.
Contrarily, the rendering process is seeded off of the main process. The render processes show the user interface of the program. Chromium’s threaded, multiprocessing design allows for each process to operate independently.
Now, let’s talk about these critical features of Electron JS. To understand the key feature, we will investigate some technicalities of the Electron JS and Java Programming language.
Remember that the main process is established when an Electron app is started. Only the application’s main process allows access to the system’s native APIs and initiates renderer processes.
The main.js file is the starting point for an Electron application and runs inside the main process. Only the Node.js APIs are available to the main process by default, whereas the chromium APIs are not. A browser-like Electron app.
The main process is comparable to a web browser. In contrast, the rendering processes are equivalent to the tabs of a web browser. The main process may open as many browser tabs as possible or as rendering processes as possible.
In short, in the main process, JavaScript acts as an orchestrator for the whole application but cannot show user interface elements. A renderer process must be created using the BrowserWindow interface to do this.
Although BrowserWindow provides a convenient interface for displaying and manipulating web pages, it cannot do these tasks independently.
It would help if you understood that the renderer process could not create a new window by instantiating the BrowserWindow class. How do we launch a new application window? Imagine you were using the Skype desktop app and decided to sign in using your Microsoft account.
This is where inter-process communication (IPC) comes into play. The IPC modules serve as a conduit for interaction between the main and renderer processes. The ipcMain module is accessible to the main process, whereas the ipcRenderer module is accessible to the rendering process.
Yeah, Electron has a special feature called Auto-Updating. The Electron framework offers several options for implementing seamless, hands-free application updates. The simplest and most recommended method is to use Electron’s auto Updater module with the built-in Squirrel framework.
You must package and rebrand your application to distribute it using Electron. A desktop installer is required to package an electron app (dmg, exe, deb, etc.).
You may utilize automated systems or go the manual route to do this. A few tools are available for packaging and distributing your Electron app, such as Electron Forge.
Now that we are towards the end of our guide to Electron JS, here are some of the best practices for Electron JS Development.
The best ways to improve the performance of Electron apps are a common topic of inquiry among developers. The best way to create a fast-loading Electron app is to analyze the code as it runs to determine what’s using the most resources.
If you follow the instructions on the official Electron JS Tutorial instructions, your app may be lighter, quicker, and less resource-intensive overall.
While working with Electron, it is vital to recognize that Electron is not a web browser. It enables you to create feature-rich desktop apps using common web technologies, but your code has far more power.
JavaScript has access to the filesystem, user shell, and more. This enables you to create high-quality native programs. Still, the inherent security vulnerabilities increase as your code is given more authority.
Displaying arbitrary material from untrusted sources thus creates a major security risk that Electron is not designed to address.
You should at least take the following actions to enhance the Security of your application:
The Electron website lists sites for obtaining programming assistance, reporting security vulnerabilities, donating, and more. If you find a new problem in Electron, please file a new issue in the electron/electron issue tracker.
By assisting with problem triage: You may provide more information (a repeatable test case that indicates a flaw) or by offering solutions to the problem.
Now that we are clear with the advantages and features of Electron JS let us see some of the famous applications built using Electron JS.
We all know that; WordPress is the most popular and dependable Content Management System. The same WordPress wouldn’t have its desktop version without Electron.
If All of us are WordPress seamlessly, thanks to its desktop version. So, no more distractions are caused by switching from one tab to another.
There is no need for an introduction to torrents. Users may share torrent files over a P2P network. The WebTorrent software is built using Electron.js and other JavaScript technologies, and it employs WebRTC technology for P2P file sharing.
WebTorrent Desktop supports the most popular operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It allows the program to communicate with every major BitTorrent and WebTorrent server.
An excellent example of an app built using Electron is the Slack desktop app, published in 2013. Slack is a popular messaging and file-sharing platform used by groups of all sizes.
It can integrate with other programs like Google Drive, Trello, Dropbox, and others. It has chat rooms where users can exchange information and files.
Again, WhatsApp is an integral application for everyone, irrespective of age and profession. But do you know? As WhatsApp wanted a desktop version with improved speed and easier administration, they turned to Electron to build it.
While there is a WhatsApp desktop client for Macintosh and Windows, there is currently no Linux support.
Ghost Desktop, built with Electron JS, is an open-source platform that allows authors to maintain many blogs simultaneously without distracting interruptions.
Ghost’s simplicity makes it a target for hackers, but that hasn’t stopped some bloggers from proclaiming it the future of internet journalism.
So, Electron development is the best option for creating applications like Slack, WhatsApp Desktop, Skype Desktop, WordPress, Ghost, and many more. To top it all off, the development cycle is dependable, fast, and economical.
Let’s Get A Free Consultation from Our Experts.
So, we have seen what Electron JS has to offer. We hope the post’s title is justified now – “The Power and Flexibility of Electron JS: A Comprehensive Guide.” Let’s quickly recap the advantages and key features of Electron JS. Cross-platform compatibility, Easy integration with popular front-end frameworks, access to native desktop features, Simplified development process, High performance, and Security are the key advantages of Electron JS.
Finally, suppose you want to develop a cross-platform app or a native application. In that case, Our web and mobile development teams are at your service. Feel free to get in touch with our sales team at sales@moontechnolabs.com.
Jayanti Katariya is the CEO of Moon Technolabs, a fast-growing IT solutions provider, with 18+ years of experience in the industry. Passionate about developing creative apps from a young age, he pursued an engineering degree to further this interest. Under his leadership, Moon Technolabs has helped numerous brands establish their online presence and he has also launched an invoicing software that assists businesses to streamline their financial operations.
Please provide below details and we’ll get in touch with you soon.
31 May 2023
5 Min Read
80 View
29 May 2023
5 Min Read
80 View
26 May 2023
5 Min Read
80 View
