What is Electron Software Framework? How Electron Works? Pros, Cons and Use Cases

What is an Electron?

Electron is a development platform developed by GitHub, and its primary purpose is to allow for the creation of cross-platform GUI applications based on Node. Js, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

It was released in October 2013 for a gamma version; earlier, it was known as Atom Shell, which was a part of GitHub’s Atom text editor project.

It has since become popular among developers and has been employed to develop numerous desktop applications based in industries.

At its core, Electron leverages two main components: The flash player uses the Chromium rendering engine and the Node. js runtime environment.

The underlying engine of Electron is based on Chromium, which is the engine behind the Google Chrome web browser and is used to render both the content and the UI of web applications.

On the other hand, the Node can open new channels within the same web relation, offering the user more options to interact in that specific relation. js runtime gives developers ways to use native operating system API.

This makes it possible for developers to build applications that run on the desktop and come with features like file system access, the ability to communicate over the network, and interprocess communication.

How Electron Works?

Electron applications consist of two main processes: the main process and the renderer processes.

The primary processes are the renderer processes. The main process involves app management, interactions with native operating systems, and overall communication between the individual renderer processes.

In contrast, the renderer processes relate to displaying the content and the other interface elements with the use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

It can be expected that the primary process is usually described in the main script file, which is declared in the application package. json configuration file.

This script file is for starting the Electron application and for making its main window, and it includes event listeners for the creation of the window, closing the window, and quitting the application.

Furthermore, the primary process can spawn other browser windows, which share the same process, and communicate with each other and the renderer processes using IPC and execute native OS APIs.

Those Renderer processes are spawned by the primary process and are run in distinct browser windows or tabs.

Each renderer process is a separate instance of the Chromium rendering engine and is used for rendering web content and graphical user interfaces in the browser window or tab to which it is assigned.

The renderer processes are similar to the browser and have complete web technologies, with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and programming interfaces that enable developers to build compelling user interfaces.

Inter-process communication (IPC) is used to convey information between the main process and renderer processes; Electron IPC is an option.

This makes it possible for developers to convey messages and information between the application’s various functions and synchronize the procedures within the processes.

Electron also exposes interfaces for native OS capabilities and for utilizing OS and browser APIs in the renderer process. This is sometimes required to achieve the desired functionality and native look and feel of the application that is built on top of the framework.

Popular Apps built with Electron cross-platform

Electron has been utilized to develop numerous end-to-end desktop applications in various industries. Some notable examples include:

Visual Studio Code

Microsoft’s source-code editor is often referred to as Visual Studio Code. It is popular among developers as an IDE for drafting and debugging source code written in various languages under diverse operating systems.

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Specifically, it utilizes Electron for being an effective and cross-platform friendly editor with a rich and fully customizable User Interface

Slack

Slack is a popular team messaging platform that allows users to converse, share, and work in groups in real time. By now, it is implemented in large and small teams of various fields to improve processes of teamwork and communication.

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It is due to Electron that Slack can provide a similar experience irrespective of the operating system while simultaneously incorporating the web application features.

Discord

Discord is a software designed to encourage interaction and communication among gamers. It enables communication with friends and communities through talking, voice, and the sharing of content during gameplay.

Electron makes Discord a lightweight, powerful, cross-platform client that can be run on every operating system without any issues and works in unison with a web-based version of the application.

Spotify

Spotify is a popular music streaming application that offers its audience unlimited tracks, podcasts, and videos. It is cross-platform software that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and on the go with mobile versions. It has a desktop client based on Electron.

The personalized ads within the Spotify desktop client provide the users with a native experience and easy synchronization with the Spotify web service, so the users can access all the music, playlists, etc.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps, and users are able to share text messages, voice messages, and multimedia content with other users across the globe.

The unofficial WhatsApp client for Windows and MAC was developed using Electron. It has a native graphical user interface that replicates everything in the application’s mobile version through messages and contacts from the desktop computer.

Advantages of Electron Software Framework

Electron offers several advantages for developers looking to build cross-platform desktop applications:

Familiar Development Environment

Electron leans again on the idea of using standard web technologies such as HTML or CSS and JavaScript for developing desktop applications.

This minimizes the impact of a steep learning curve when suddenly exposed to the new technology while at the same time helps reuse developers’ prior experience and knowledge.

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Electron applications are credible since they do not need reprogrammed for other operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

This is quite helpful because developers can market their software to a larger audience and aim at users of various platforms without having to start developing from scratch to suit a particular platform.

Rich Ecosystem

Third-party libraries, frameworks, and tools are often developed in Electron and contribute to efficient development.

This comprises components that deal with the graphical user interfaces, data visualization, and application framework, among other software application features, and utilities aimed at testing, debugging, and deploying applications.

Native API Access

An essential feature of Electron is natural access to native operating system APIs using Node. js allows developers to build conventional desktop applications that utilize fs module, net module, and node-Notifications.

This allows developers to build applications with many features that interoperate with the underlying operating system.

Seamless Integration with Web Technologies

The second feature of Electron is APIs, which enable Electron apps to interconnect with web services and webs services APIs for practicing web services in desktop apps.

This allows the developer to really build rich GUI applications that tie in with web services and/or data sources from inside the desktop environment of an end-user with a very rich feel.

Drawbacks of Electron Software Framework

While Electron offers many advantages for desktop application development, it also has some drawbacks:

Performance Overhead

Compared with native desktop applications, electron applications are known to be amplified memory and CPU space takers. This is because loading a complete web browser along with the Application Procedures requires additional effort.

However, there are some drawbacks: any application developed under Electron may not be as fast or as snappy as an application developed directly with the platform’s native technologies and UI toolkit.

It may consume many system resources, especially on older computers or devices with limited resources.

Larger Application Size

Electron within the package has the whole Chromium render and Node. Js, which makes Electron application sizes become larger than native desktop applications. Js runtime environment.

This can result in longer downloading times and enormous storage demands for end users, especially with devices with constrained storage space.

Security Concerns

Electron application is more or less a web application running on Windows or macOS and is, therefore, less secure than native desktop apps.

Because Electron applications function in a web technology environment context, they are vulnerable to various conspicuous web threats, including XSS and CSRF.

Developers should consider several key points to prevent their Electron application from being vulnerable to these threats.

Limited Access to Native Features

First, Electron opens Node to the native operating system APIs in the user interface layer. js, some of them may not be available or supported in certain native features.

This can restrain Electron applications and their ability as they don’t have direct access to OS level where they operate when compared to applications developed specifically for a particular OS.

Maintenance Overhead

Electron applications, like any other apps, need to be updated frequently to support new Chromium and Node releases. js, and other dependencies.

This can enhance the development burden and raise the possibility of getting compatibility problems as well as bugs in the versions, which are implemented using the complicated applications with the vast code base.

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