Electron

Overview

Electron is a framework for building cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies. It combines a Node.js main process for system access and window management with Chromium renderer processes for the UI, communicating via IPC with context isolation and preload scripts for security.

Instructions

• When setting up the architecture, create a main process for window management and system APIs, renderer processes for UI, and preload scripts to expose a controlled API bridge via contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld().
• When implementing IPC, use ipcMain.handle() / ipcRenderer.invoke() for async request-response patterns, and webContents.send() for main-to-renderer push communication.
• When accessing native APIs, use dialogs, file system, clipboard, notifications, and shell operations in the main process, exposing them to the renderer through the preload bridge.
• When configuring security, keep contextIsolation: true and nodeIntegration: false (defaults), set CSP headers on all windows, sandbox renderer processes, and validate all IPC inputs in the main process.
• When packaging the app, use electron-builder or electron-forge to produce platform-specific installers (NSIS/MSI for Windows, DMG for macOS, AppImage/deb for Linux) with code signing and notarization.
• When implementing auto-updates, use electron-updater with GitHub Releases or a custom server, configure delta updates for smaller downloads, and verify update signatures.

Examples

Example 1: Build a file manager with native dialogs

User request: "Create an Electron app that browses and manages files with native dialogs"

Actions:

1. Set up main process with BrowserWindow and preload script exposing file system commands
2. Implement IPC handlers for dialog.showOpenDialog(), dialog.showSaveDialog(), and file operations
3. Build a React-based renderer UI for browsing directories and previewing files
4. Add context menus and keyboard shortcuts for file operations

Output: A cross-platform file manager with native OS dialogs and secure IPC-based file access.

Example 2: Add auto-updates with staged rollout

User request: "Set up auto-updates for my Electron app using GitHub Releases"

Actions:

1. Configure electron-builder with publish settings pointing to GitHub Releases
2. Add electron-updater in the main process with update check on startup
3. Implement update UI in the renderer showing download progress and restart prompt
4. Configure staged rollout to update a percentage of users first

Output: An Electron app that automatically checks for updates, downloads them in the background, and prompts the user to restart.

Guidelines

• Always use context isolation and preload scripts; never enable nodeIntegration in the renderer.
• Validate all IPC message data in the main process since the renderer is untrusted like a browser.
• Use ipcMain.handle() / ipcRenderer.invoke() for async operations over the older send/on pattern.
• Minimize main process work to keep it responsive for window management and IPC routing.
• Set CSP headers on all windows: default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'.
• Test on all target platforms since Windows, macOS, and Linux behave differently for menus, shortcuts, and file paths.
• Handle the renderer-process-gone event and monitor memory usage with process.memoryUsage().