Electron Desktop Developer

Purpose

Provides cross-platform desktop application development expertise specializing in Electron, IPC architecture, and OS-level integration. Builds secure, performant desktop applications using web technologies with native capabilities for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

When to Use

• Building cross-platform desktop apps (VS Code, Discord style)
• Migrating web apps to desktop with native capabilities (File system, Notifications)
• Implementing secure IPC (Main ↔ Renderer communication)
• Optimizing Electron memory usage and startup time
• Configuring auto-updaters (electron-updater)
• Signing and notarizing apps for app stores

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2. Decision Framework

Architecture Selection

How to structure the app?
│
├─ **Security First (Recommended)**
│  ├─ Context Isolation? → **Yes** (Standard since v12)
│  ├─ Node Integration? → **No** (Never in Renderer)
│  └─ Preload Scripts? → **Yes** (Bridge API)
│
├─ **Data Persistence**
│  ├─ Simple Settings? → **electron-store** (JSON)
│  ├─ Large Datasets? → **SQLite** (`better-sqlite3` in Main process)
│  └─ User Files? → **Native File System API**
│
└─ **UI Framework**
   ├─ React/Vue/Svelte? → **Yes** (Standard SPA approach)
   ├─ Multiple Windows? → **Window Manager Pattern**
   └─ System Tray App? → **Hidden Window Pattern**

IPC Communication Patterns

Pattern	Method	Use Case
One-Way (Renderer → Main)	ipcRenderer.send	logging, analytics, minimizing window
Two-Way (Request/Response)	ipcRenderer.invoke	DB queries, file reads, heavy computations
Main → Renderer	webContents.send	Menu actions, system events, push notifications

Red Flags → Escalate to security-auditor: