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Table of contents

  1. Electron.js Fundamentals
  • What is Electron and how it works (Main process vs Renderer process)
  • Understanding the role of Chromium and Node.js in Electron
  • Electron’s lifecycle events (app ready, window-all-closed, etc.)
  • Creating your first Electron app

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  1. Window Management
  • Creating and managing browser windows
  • Customizing window options (frameless, transparent, always-on-top, etc.)
  • Handling multiple windows (multi-window communication)
  • Modal windows and child windows
  1. Main Process vs Renderer Process
  • Responsibilities of each process
  • Running Node.js code in the main process
  • Communicating between processes using:
  • ipcMain and ipcRenderer
  • contextBridge (for secure preload scripts)
  1. Project Structure and Packaging
  • Organizing code: separating React frontend and main Electron logic
  • Webpack or Vite with Electron
  • Using electron-builder or electron-forge for packaging and distribution
  • Auto-updates and code signing (for production apps)

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  1. Integrating React with Electron
  • Creating a React app (Vite or CRA)
  • Serving React in Electron (dev vs production)
  • Routing (React Router inside Electron)
  • Preloading scripts securely (contextIsolation, nodeIntegration)
  1. System Integration
  • Accessing native OS features:
  • File system (with Node’s fs)
  • System dialogs (dialog module)
  • Clipboard access
  • Notifications
  • Tray icons, dock menus, and system tray integration
  • Global shortcuts
  1. Security Best Practices
  • Disabling remote module
  • Context Isolation and preload scripts
  • Avoid using nodeIntegration: true
  • CSP (Content Security Policy)
  • Secure IPC communication
  1. File & Data Handling
  • Reading and writing local files (JSON, Markdown, etc.)
  • Local storage vs SQLite vs full database (e.g. using SQLite or NeDB)
  • Handling images and media assets
  • Using secure storage for sensitive data (e.g. credentials)
  1. Networking
  • Making HTTP requests from the renderer (using fetch, Axios)
  • Handling offline/online modes
  • Syncing data to cloud (if required)
  1. Debugging and Testing
  • Debugging Electron apps in development mode
  • Using DevTools in Electron
  • Logging and crash reporting
  • Writing tests for Electron apps (unit and E2E)
  1. Publishing and Distribution
  • Cross-platform builds (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Auto-updating via electron-updater
  • Code signing (for macOS and Windows)
  • App icons and metadata
  1. Bonus Tools & Libraries

If you’re building something like an Obsidian-like Markdown app or a note-taking app, I’d recommend paying special attention to:

  • File system handling
  • Local DB integration
  • Markdown rendering
  • Custom keybindings

Plugin architecture (if you're going advanced)