Building Desktop Applications with Node.js (Electron)

Electron is a powerful open-source framework that combines the functionality of Node.js and Chromium to create cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies. Electron allows you to leverage your Node.js knowledge to build full-fledged desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Introduction to Electron and Node.js

Electron was initially developed by GitHub to enable web developers to use familiar web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) to build desktop applications. It merges the functionality of Node.js for backend operations and Chromium for frontend rendering. This framework is used by popular apps like Visual Studio Code, Slack, and Discord, demonstrating its robust capability.

Setting Up an Electron Application

Before diving in, make sure you have Node.js and npm installed. With these tools, you can install Electron and initialize your project.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Create a New Directory:

				
					mkdir electron-app
cd electron-app

2. Initialize the Project:

				
					npm init -y

3. Install Electron:

				
					npm install electron --save-dev

After this setup, you should see Electron listed in your package.json dependencies.

Understanding Electron’s Core Components

Electron applications primarily involve three core components: the Main Process, Renderer Process, and Preload Scripts.

Main Process

The main process controls the application lifecycle and manages application-level events. You define the main process in a JavaScript file (usually main.js) to create windows and handle events.

Renderer Process

The renderer process is where the user interface runs. Each window in an Electron app has its renderer process, which acts as a regular web environment, using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Preload Scripts

Preload scripts run before any other scripts in the renderer process and are used to securely expose specific Node.js APIs to the renderer process.

Creating a Basic Electron App

Let’s create a simple “Hello World” Electron application.

Setting Up main.js

In the project root, create a file named main.js and add the following code:

				
					const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');

function createWindow() {
    const win = new BrowserWindow({
        width: 800,
        height: 600,
        webPreferences: {
            nodeIntegration: true,
        }
    });

    win.loadFile('index.html');
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow);

app.on('window-all-closed', () => {
    if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
        app.quit();
    }
});

app.on('activate', () => {
    if (BrowserWindow.getAllWindows().length === 0) createWindow();
});

Explanation:

  • We import Electron’s app and BrowserWindow modules.
  • The createWindow function initializes a new window and loads index.html.
  • Event listeners handle the app lifecycle.

Creating index.html

Next, add index.html in the project root:

				
					<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Hello World</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello, Electron!</h1> <script data-no-optimize="1">!function(t,e){"object"==typeof exports&&"undefined"!=typeof module?module.exports=e():"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(e):(t="undefined"!=typeof globalThis?globalThis:t||self).LazyLoad=e()}(this,function(){"use strict";function e(){return(e=Object.assign||function(t){for(var e=1;e<arguments.length;e++){var n,a=arguments[e];for(n in a)Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(a,n)&&(t[n]=a[n])}return t}).apply(this,arguments)}function i(t){return e({},it,t)}function o(t,e){var n,a="LazyLoad::Initialized",i=new t(e);try{n=new CustomEvent(a,{detail:{instance:i}})}catch(t){(n=document.createEvent("CustomEvent")).initCustomEvent(a,!1,!1,{instance:i})}window.dispatchEvent(n)}function l(t,e){return t.getAttribute(gt+e)}function c(t){return l(t,bt)}function s(t,e){return function(t,e,n){e=gt+e;null!==n?t.setAttribute(e,n):t.removeAttribute(e)}(t,bt,e)}function r(t){return s(t,null),0}function u(t){return null===c(t)}function d(t){return c(t)===vt}function f(t,e,n,a){t&&(void 0===a?void 0===n?t(e):t(e,n):t(e,n,a))}function _(t,e){nt?t.classList.add(e):t.className+=(t.className?" ":"")+e}function v(t,e){nt?t.classList.remove(e):t.className=t.className.replace(new RegExp("(^|\\s+)"+e+"(\\s+|$)")," ").replace(/^\s+/,"").replace(/\s+$/,"")}function g(t){return t.llTempImage}function b(t,e){!e||(e=e._observer)&&e.unobserve(t)}function p(t,e){t&&(t.loadingCount+=e)}function h(t,e){t&&(t.toLoadCount=e)}function n(t){for(var e,n=[],a=0;e=t.children[a];a+=1)"SOURCE"===e.tagName&&n.push(e);return n}function m(t,e){(t=t.parentNode)&&"PICTURE"===t.tagName&&n(t).forEach(e)}function a(t,e){n(t).forEach(e)}function E(t){return!!t[st]}function I(t){return t[st]}function y(t){return delete t[st]}function A(e,t){var n;E(e)||(n={},t.forEach(function(t){n[t]=e.getAttribute(t)}),e[st]=n)}function k(a,t){var i;E(a)&&(i=I(a),t.forEach(function(t){var e,n;e=a,(t=i[n=t])?e.setAttribute(n,t):e.removeAttribute(n)}))}function L(t,e,n){_(t,e.class_loading),s(t,ut),n&&(p(n,1),f(e.callback_loading,t,n))}function w(t,e,n){n&&t.setAttribute(e,n)}function x(t,e){w(t,ct,l(t,e.data_sizes)),w(t,rt,l(t,e.data_srcset)),w(t,ot,l(t,e.data_src))}function O(t,e,n){var a=l(t,e.data_bg_multi),i=l(t,e.data_bg_multi_hidpi);(a=at&&i?i:a)&&(t.style.backgroundImage=a,n=n,_(t=t,(e=e).class_applied),s(t,ft),n&&(e.unobserve_completed&&b(t,e),f(e.callback_applied,t,n)))}function N(t,e){!e||0<e.loadingCount||0<e.toLoadCount||f(t.callback_finish,e)}function C(t,e,n){t.addEventListener(e,n),t.llEvLisnrs[e]=n}function M(t){return!!t.llEvLisnrs}function z(t){if(M(t)){var e,n,a=t.llEvLisnrs;for(e in a){var i=a[e];n=e,i=i,t.removeEventListener(n,i)}delete t.llEvLisnrs}}function R(t,e,n){var a;delete t.llTempImage,p(n,-1),(a=n)&&--a.toLoadCount,v(t,e.class_loading),e.unobserve_completed&&b(t,n)}function T(o,r,c){var l=g(o)||o;M(l)||function(t,e,n){M(t)||(t.llEvLisnrs={});var a="VIDEO"===t.tagName?"loadeddata":"load";C(t,a,e),C(t,"error",n)}(l,function(t){var e,n,a,i;n=r,a=c,i=d(e=o),R(e,n,a),_(e,n.class_loaded),s(e,dt),f(n.callback_loaded,e,a),i||N(n,a),z(l)},function(t){var e,n,a,i;n=r,a=c,i=d(e=o),R(e,n,a),_(e,n.class_error),s(e,_t),f(n.callback_error,e,a),i||N(n,a),z(l)})}function G(t,e,n){var a,i,o,r,c;t.llTempImage=document.createElement("IMG"),T(t,e,n),E(c=t)||(c[st]={backgroundImage:c.style.backgroundImage}),o=n,r=l(a=t,(i=e).data_bg),c=l(a,i.data_bg_hidpi),(r=at&&c?c:r)&&(a.style.backgroundImage='url("'.concat(r,'")'),g(a).setAttribute(ot,r),L(a,i,o)),O(t,e,n)}function D(t,e,n){var a;T(t,e,n),a=e,e=n,(t=It[(n=t).tagName])&&(t(n,a),L(n,a,e))}function V(t,e,n){var a;a=t,(-1<yt.indexOf(a.tagName)?D:G)(t,e,n)}function F(t,e,n){var a;t.setAttribute("loading","lazy"),T(t,e,n),a=e,(e=It[(n=t).tagName])&&e(n,a),s(t,vt)}function j(t){t.removeAttribute(ot),t.removeAttribute(rt),t.removeAttribute(ct)}function P(t){m(t,function(t){k(t,Et)}),k(t,Et)}function S(t){var e;(e=At[t.tagName])?e(t):E(e=t)&&(t=I(e),e.style.backgroundImage=t.backgroundImage)}function U(t,e){var n;S(t),n=e,u(e=t)||d(e)||(v(e,n.class_entered),v(e,n.class_exited),v(e,n.class_applied),v(e,n.class_loading),v(e,n.class_loaded),v(e,n.class_error)),r(t),y(t)}function $(t,e,n,a){var i;n.cancel_on_exit&&(c(t)!==ut||"IMG"===t.tagName&&(z(t),m(i=t,function(t){j(t)}),j(i),P(t),v(t,n.class_loading),p(a,-1),r(t),f(n.callback_cancel,t,e,a)))}function q(t,e,n,a){var i,o,r=(o=t,0<=pt.indexOf(c(o)));s(t,"entered"),_(t,n.class_entered),v(t,n.class_exited),i=t,o=a,n.unobserve_entered&&b(i,o),f(n.callback_enter,t,e,a),r||V(t,n,a)}function H(t){return t.use_native&&"loading"in HTMLImageElement.prototype}function B(t,i,o){t.forEach(function(t){return(a=t).isIntersecting||0<a.intersectionRatio?q(t.target,t,i,o):(e=t.target,n=t,a=i,t=o,void(u(e)||(_(e,a.class_exited),$(e,n,a,t),f(a.callback_exit,e,n,t))));var e,n,a})}function J(e,n){var t;et&&!H(e)&&(n._observer=new IntersectionObserver(function(t){B(t,e,n)},{root:(t=e).container===document?null:t.container,rootMargin:t.thresholds||t.threshold+"px"}))}function K(t){return Array.prototype.slice.call(t)}function Q(t){return t.container.querySelectorAll(t.elements_selector)}function W(t){return c(t)===_t}function X(t,e){return e=t||Q(e),K(e).filter(u)}function Y(e,t){var n;(n=Q(e),K(n).filter(W)).forEach(function(t){v(t,e.class_error),r(t)}),t.update()}function t(t,e){var n,a,t=i(t);this._settings=t,this.loadingCount=0,J(t,this),n=t,a=this,Z&&window.addEventListener("online",function(){Y(n,a)}),this.update(e)}var Z="undefined"!=typeof window,tt=Z&&!("onscroll"in window)||"undefined"!=typeof navigator&&/(gle|ing|ro)bot|crawl|spider/i.test(navigator.userAgent),et=Z&&"IntersectionObserver"in window,nt=Z&&"classList"in document.createElement("p"),at=Z&&1<window.devicePixelRatio,it={elements_selector:".lazy",container:tt||Z?document:null,threshold:300,thresholds:null,data_src:"src",data_srcset:"srcset",data_sizes:"sizes",data_bg:"bg",data_bg_hidpi:"bg-hidpi",data_bg_multi:"bg-multi",data_bg_multi_hidpi:"bg-multi-hidpi",data_poster:"poster",class_applied:"applied",class_loading:"litespeed-loading",class_loaded:"litespeed-loaded",class_error:"error",class_entered:"entered",class_exited:"exited",unobserve_completed:!0,unobserve_entered:!1,cancel_on_exit:!0,callback_enter:null,callback_exit:null,callback_applied:null,callback_loading:null,callback_loaded:null,callback_error:null,callback_finish:null,callback_cancel:null,use_native:!1},ot="src",rt="srcset",ct="sizes",lt="poster",st="llOriginalAttrs",ut="loading",dt="loaded",ft="applied",_t="error",vt="native",gt="data-",bt="ll-status",pt=[ut,dt,ft,_t],ht=[ot],mt=[ot,lt],Et=[ot,rt,ct],It={IMG:function(t,e){m(t,function(t){A(t,Et),x(t,e)}),A(t,Et),x(t,e)},IFRAME:function(t,e){A(t,ht),w(t,ot,l(t,e.data_src))},VIDEO:function(t,e){a(t,function(t){A(t,ht),w(t,ot,l(t,e.data_src))}),A(t,mt),w(t,lt,l(t,e.data_poster)),w(t,ot,l(t,e.data_src)),t.load()}},yt=["IMG","IFRAME","VIDEO"],At={IMG:P,IFRAME:function(t){k(t,ht)},VIDEO:function(t){a(t,function(t){k(t,ht)}),k(t,mt),t.load()}},kt=["IMG","IFRAME","VIDEO"];return t.prototype={update:function(t){var e,n,a,i=this._settings,o=X(t,i);{if(h(this,o.length),!tt&&et)return H(i)?(e=i,n=this,o.forEach(function(t){-1!==kt.indexOf(t.tagName)&&F(t,e,n)}),void h(n,0)):(t=this._observer,i=o,t.disconnect(),a=t,void i.forEach(function(t){a.observe(t)}));this.loadAll(o)}},destroy:function(){this._observer&&this._observer.disconnect(),Q(this._settings).forEach(function(t){y(t)}),delete this._observer,delete this._settings,delete this.loadingCount,delete this.toLoadCount},loadAll:function(t){var e=this,n=this._settings;X(t,n).forEach(function(t){b(t,e),V(t,n,e)})},restoreAll:function(){var e=this._settings;Q(e).forEach(function(t){U(t,e)})}},t.load=function(t,e){e=i(e);V(t,e)},t.resetStatus=function(t){r(t)},Z&&function(t,e){if(e)if(e.length)for(var n,a=0;n=e[a];a+=1)o(t,n);else o(t,e)}(t,window.lazyLoadOptions),t});!function(e,t){"use strict";function a(){t.body.classList.add("litespeed_lazyloaded")}function n(){console.log("[LiteSpeed] Start Lazy Load Images"),d=new LazyLoad({elements_selector:"[data-lazyloaded]",callback_finish:a}),o=function(){d.update()},e.MutationObserver&&new MutationObserver(o).observe(t.documentElement,{childList:!0,subtree:!0,attributes:!0})}var d,o;e.addEventListener?e.addEventListener("load",n,!1):e.attachEvent("onload",n)}(window,document);</script><script data-no-optimize="1">var litespeed_vary=document.cookie.replace(/(?:(?:^|.*;\s*)_lscache_vary\s*\=\s*([^;]*).*$)|^.*$/,"");litespeed_vary||fetch("/wp-content/plugins/litespeed-cache/guest.vary.php",{method:"POST",cache:"no-cache",redirect:"follow"}).then(e=>e.json()).then(e=>{console.log(e),e.hasOwnProperty("reload")&&"yes"==e.reload&&(sessionStorage.setItem("litespeed_docref",document.referrer),window.location.reload(!0))});</script><script data-optimized="1" type="litespeed/javascript" data-src="https://diginode.in/wp-content/litespeed/js/097f261601025361dc475e1c9b4cfeeb.js?ver=89cdc"></script><script>const litespeed_ui_events=["mouseover","click","keydown","wheel","touchmove","touchstart"];var urlCreator=window.URL||window.webkitURL;function litespeed_load_delayed_js_force(){console.log("[LiteSpeed] Start Load JS Delayed"),litespeed_ui_events.forEach(e=>{window.removeEventListener(e,litespeed_load_delayed_js_force,{passive:!0})}),document.querySelectorAll("iframe[data-litespeed-src]").forEach(e=>{e.setAttribute("src",e.getAttribute("data-litespeed-src"))}),"loading"==document.readyState?window.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",litespeed_load_delayed_js):litespeed_load_delayed_js()}litespeed_ui_events.forEach(e=>{window.addEventListener(e,litespeed_load_delayed_js_force,{passive:!0})});async function litespeed_load_delayed_js(){let t=[];for(var d in document.querySelectorAll('script[type="litespeed/javascript"]').forEach(e=>{t.push(e)}),t)await new Promise(e=>litespeed_load_one(t[d],e));document.dispatchEvent(new Event("DOMContentLiteSpeedLoaded")),window.dispatchEvent(new Event("DOMContentLiteSpeedLoaded"))}function litespeed_load_one(t,e){console.log("[LiteSpeed] Load ",t);var d=document.createElement("script");d.addEventListener("load",e),d.addEventListener("error",e),t.getAttributeNames().forEach(e=>{"type"!=e&&d.setAttribute("data-src"==e?"src":e,t.getAttribute(e))});let a=!(d.type="text/javascript");!d.src&&t.textContent&&(d.src=litespeed_inline2src(t.textContent),a=!0),t.after(d),t.remove(),a&&e()}function litespeed_inline2src(t){try{var d=urlCreator.createObjectURL(new Blob([t.replace(/^(?:<!--)?(.*?)(?:-->)?$/gm,"$1")],{type:"text/javascript"}))}catch(e){d="data:text/javascript;base64,"+btoa(t.replace(/^(?:<!--)?(.*?)(?:-->)?$/gm,"$1"))}return d}</script></body>
</html>

Running the App

In package.json, add a start script:

				
					"scripts": {
  "start": "electron ."
}

Then, run the app:

				
					npm start

Output: A window should open with the message “Hello, Electron!” displayed.

Inter-Process Communication (IPC)

Electron uses the ipcMain and ipcRenderer modules to handle communication between the main and renderer processes.

Example:

				
					// In main.js
const { ipcMain } = require('electron');

ipcMain.on('synchronous-message', (event, arg) => {
  console.log(arg); // prints "ping"
  event.returnValue = 'pong';
});

Building the User Interface

Electron applications rely on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, allowing you to use front-end frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js.

Example with a Button:

Update index.html:

				
					<button id="myButton">Click Me</button>
<p id="response"></p> <script type="litespeed/javascript">const{ipcRenderer}=require('electron');document.getElementById('myButton').addEventListener('click',()=>{const response=ipcRenderer.sendSync('synchronous-message','ping');document.getElementById('response').innerText=response})</script>

This adds a button that sends a message to the main process and receives a response.

Output: When clicking “Click Me,” the paragraph text updates with “pong.”

Using Node.js APIs in Electron

Electron’s unique setup allows you to use Node.js modules directly in your application.

File System Example

				
					// In renderer process
const fs = require('fs');
fs.writeFile('test.txt', 'Hello from Electron!', (err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('File has been saved!');
});

This will save a file called test.txt in the project directory.

Packaging and Distributing Electron Apps

After developing your app, use electron-packager or electron-builder to package and distribute it.

Installing electron-packager

				
					// In renderer process
const fs = require('fs');
fs.writeFile('test.txt', 'Hello from Electron!', (err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('File has been saved!');
});

npm install electron-packager –save-dev

				
					// In renderer process
const fs = require('fs');
fs.writeFile('test.txt', 'Hello from Electron!', (err) => {
  if (err) throw err;
  console.log('File has been saved!');
});

Advanced Topics in Electron

Native Modules

Electron can work with native Node.js modules, which can provide extra functionality, though they may need to be rebuilt for Electron compatibility.

Security Best Practices

Electron apps need specific security practices, such as disabling nodeIntegration and using secure IPC channels.

Performance Optimization

Electron apps can be optimized by managing memory efficiently, using lazy loading, and optimizing rendering.

Testing and Debugging Electron Apps

Electron can be debugged using Chromium’s Developer Tools. Testing frameworks like Mocha and Spectron are commonly used for automated testing of Electron applications.

Electron and Node.js empower developers to build desktop applications using web technologies, offering a flexible and accessible approach to cross-platform app development. This chapter covered the fundamentals of setting up an Electron project, creating windows, communicating between processes, building a UI, and distributing the app. With Electron, developers can leverage their web development skills to build robust, professional-grade desktop applications. Happy Coding!❤️

Table of Contents

Home
Roadmap
AI
AI
Playground
Resources