| name | electron |
| description | Cross-platform desktop apps using Chromium and Node.js — main/renderer process, IPC, contextBridge, native APIs, electron-builder, auto-update, and security best practices. |
| trigger | electron, electron app, electron main process, electron renderer, ipcMain, ipcRenderer, contextBridge, preload, electron-builder, electron auto-update |
Electron
Main and Renderer Processes
Two process types: main (Node.js backend) and renderer (Chromium frontend). Main process manages windows, menus, and system APIs. Renderer handles the UI.
IPC (Inter-Process Communication)
ipcMain / ipcRenderer for async message passing. Use invoke/handle for request-response patterns and send/on for fire-and-forget events.
Context Bridge and Preload
Security boundary between main and renderer. Preload scripts run before renderer code and use contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld() to expose specific APIs.
Native APIs
dialog (file pickers), Notification, Tray, Menu, shell.openExternal, clipboard, desktopCapturer, and screen for native functionality.
electron-builder
Package apps for distribution. Supports .dmg / .zip (macOS), .exe / .msi (Windows), .AppImage / .deb (Linux). Auto-update via electron-updater.
Auto-Update
electron-updater checks for updates, downloads in background, and installs on restart. Supports GitHub Releases, S3, and custom servers.
Security Best Practices
Enable sandbox: true, set restrictive Content-Security-Policy, disable nodeIntegration in renderers, validate IPC inputs, and use contextIsolation: true.
