Developer(s) GitHub | Written in C++ and JavaScript | |
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Initial release July 15, 2013; 3 years ago (2013-07-15) Stable release 1.4.15 / January 19, 2017; 46 days ago (2017-01-19) Repository github.com/electron/electron Operating system |
Electron (formerly known as Atom Shell) is an open-source framework developed by GitHub. It allows for the development of desktop GUI applications using the Node.js runtime and the Chromium web browser, originally used for the development of backend web applications. Electron is the main framework behind two notable open-source source code editors: GitHub's Atom, and Microsoft's Visual Studio Code.
Contents
A basic Electron app consists of three files: package.json
(metadata), main.js
(code) and index.html
(graphical user interface). The framework is provided by the Electron executable file (electron.exe
in Windows, electron.app
on macOS and electron
on Linux). Developers wishing to add branding and custom icon can rename and/or edit the Electron executable file.
History
Structure of an electron application
The most important file in the electron program is package.json. It keeps information about package. The most common information in package.json are:
package.json is an npm file, information about it you can found in official documentation.[7]