Electron 33+ desktop app development specialist covering Main/Renderer process architecture, IPC communication, auto-update, and packaging with Electron Forge. Use when building cross-platform desktop applications.
Electron 33+ Desktop App Development Specialist enables building cross-platform desktop applications with web technologies.
Auto-Triggers: Electron projects detected via electron.vite.config.ts or electron-builder.yml files, desktop app development requests, IPC communication pattern implementation
Electron 33 Platform:
Process Architecture:
IPC Communication:
<!-- moai:evolvable-start id="rationalizations" --> <!-- moai:evolvable-end --> <!-- moai:evolvable-start id="red-flags" --> <!-- moai:evolvable-end --> <!-- moai:evolvable-start id="verification" --> <!-- moai:evolvable-end -->Auto-Update Support:
Packaging Options:
Security Features:
Creating a new Electron application requires running the create-electron-app command with the vite-typescript template. Install electron-builder as a development dependency for packaging. Add electron-updater as a runtime dependency for auto-update functionality.
For detailed commands and configuration, see reference.md Quick Commands section.
Recommended Directory Layout:
The source directory should contain four main subdirectories:
Main Directory: Contains the main process entry point, IPC handler definitions organized by domain, business logic services, and window management modules
Preload Directory: Contains the preload script entry point and exposed API definitions that bridge main and renderer
Renderer Directory: Contains the web application built with React, Vue, or Svelte, including the HTML entry point and Vite configuration
Shared Directory: Contains TypeScript types and constants shared between main and renderer processes
The project root should include the electron.vite.config.ts for build configuration, electron-builder.yml for packaging options, and resources directory for app icons and assets.
Application Lifecycle Management:
The main process initialization follows a specific sequence. First, enable sandbox globally using app.enableSandbox() to ensure all renderer processes run in isolated environments. Then request single instance lock to prevent multiple app instances from running simultaneously.
Window creation should occur after the app ready event fires. Configure BrowserWindow with security-focused webPreferences including contextIsolation enabled, nodeIntegration disabled, sandbox enabled, and webSecurity enabled. Set the preload script path to expose safe APIs to the renderer.
Handle platform-specific behaviors: on macOS, re-create windows when the dock icon is clicked if no windows exist. On other platforms, quit the application when all windows close.
For implementation examples, see examples.md Main Process Entry Point section.
IPC Type Definition Pattern:
Define an interface that maps channel names to their payload types. Group channels by domain such as file operations, window operations, and storage operations. This enables type checking for both main process handlers and renderer invocations.
Main Process Handler Registration:
Register IPC handlers in a dedicated module that imports from the shared types. Each handler should validate input using a schema validation library such as Zod before processing. Use ipcMain.handle for request-response patterns and return structured results.
Preload Script Implementation:
Create an API object that wraps ipcRenderer.invoke calls for each channel. Use contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld to make this API available in the renderer as window.electronAPI. Include cleanup functions for event listeners to prevent memory leaks.
For complete IPC implementation patterns, see examples.md Type-Safe IPC Implementation section.
Mandatory Security Settings:
Every BrowserWindow must have webPreferences configured with four critical settings. contextIsolation must always be enabled to prevent renderer code from accessing Electron internals. nodeIntegration must always be disabled in renderer processes. sandbox must always be enabled for process-level isolation. webSecurity must never be disabled to maintain same-origin policy enforcement.
Content Security Policy:
Configure session-level CSP headers using webRequest.onHeadersReceived. Restrict default-src to self, script-src to self without unsafe-inline, and connect-src to allowed API domains. This prevents XSS attacks and unauthorized resource loading.
Input Validation:
Every IPC handler must validate inputs before processing. Prevent path traversal attacks by rejecting paths containing parent directory references. Validate file names against reserved characters. Use allowlists for permitted directories when implementing file access.
For security implementation details, see reference.md Security Best Practices section.
Update Service Architecture:
Create an UpdateService class that manages the electron-updater lifecycle. Initialize with the main window reference to enable UI notifications. Configure autoDownload as false to give users control over bandwidth usage.
Event Handling:
Handle update-available events by notifying the renderer and prompting the user for download confirmation. Track download-progress events to display progress indicators. Handle update-downloaded events by prompting for restart.
User Notification Pattern:
Use system dialogs to prompt users when updates are available and when downloads complete. Send events to the renderer for in-app notification display. Support both immediate and deferred installation.
For complete update service implementation, see examples.md Auto-Update Integration section.
Electron Builder Configuration:
Configure the appId with reverse-domain notation for platform registration. Specify productName for display in system UI. Set up platform-specific targets for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
macOS Configuration:
Set category for App Store classification. Enable hardenedRuntime and configure entitlements for notarization. Configure universal builds targeting both x64 and arm64 architectures.
Windows Configuration:
Specify icon path for executable and installer. Configure NSIS installer options including installation directory selection. Set up code signing with appropriate hash algorithms.
Linux Configuration:
Configure category for desktop environment integration. Set up multiple targets including AppImage for universal distribution and deb/rpm for package manager installation.
For complete configuration examples, see reference.md Configuration section.
For comprehensive documentation on advanced topics, see reference.md and examples.md:
Window State Persistence:
Multi-Window Management:
System Tray and Native Menus:
Utility Processes:
Native Module Integration:
Protocol Handlers and Deep Linking:
Performance Optimization:
Common Issues and Solutions:
White Screen on Launch:
Verify the preload script path is correctly configured relative to the built output directory. Check that loadFile or loadURL paths point to existing files. Enable devTools to inspect console errors. Review CSP settings that may block script execution.
IPC Not Working:
Confirm channel names match exactly between main handlers and renderer invocations. Ensure handlers are registered before windows load content. Verify contextBridge usage follows the correct pattern with exposeInMainWorld.
Native Modules Fail:
Run electron-rebuild after npm install to recompile native modules. Match the Node.js version embedded in Electron. Add a postinstall script to automate rebuilding.
Auto-Update Not Working:
Verify the application is code-signed as updates require signing. Check publish configuration in electron-builder.yml. Enable electron-updater logging to diagnose connection issues. Review firewall settings that may block update checks.
Debug Commands:
Rebuild native modules with npx electron-rebuild. Check Electron version with npx electron --version. Enable verbose update logging with DEBUG=electron-updater environment variable.
For complete code examples and configuration templates, see:
For latest documentation, use Context7 to query:
Version: 2.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-01-10 Changes: Restructured to comply with CLAUDE.md Documentation Standards - removed all code examples, converted to narrative text format
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I can use Node.js APIs directly in the renderer process" | Renderer process runs untrusted content. Direct Node.js access is a remote code execution vector. Use IPC through the preload bridge. |
| "contextIsolation is unnecessary since I trust my own code" | Context isolation prevents prototype pollution from web content reaching Node.js. It is not about trusting your code, it is about isolating contexts. |
| "Auto-update can be configured after release" | Shipping without auto-update means users stay on vulnerable versions. Configure it before the first release. |
| "I will package the app later, development builds are enough for testing" | Development builds have different file paths, permissions, and code signing. Only production-packaged builds reveal real distribution issues. |
| "IPC is slow, I will share state through global variables" | IPC overhead is microseconds. Global variables bypass process isolation, which exists for security. |