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What is Electron?

3:02 with Andrew Chalkley

Learn what Electron is and the benefits of using Electron over traditional desktop app development. Also, who is using Electron?

Examples of companies using Electron:

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    [MUSIC]

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    Hello world, Andrey here, lifelong learned developer and teacher here at tree house.

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    Welcome to this workshop on electron.

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    First off, what is Electron?

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    Electron is a way to build desktop applications on Windows, Mac OS and

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    Linux with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, Electron is known as a framework because

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    it comes bundled with a number of tools that help you build your application.

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    It has the latest version of the open source branch of Google Chrome called

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    Chromium this means you have access to dome APIs for your UI.

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    It also has the latest version of Node.js, so

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    you can use acme script 2015 syntax without transpiring.

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    Electron has a Node.js one time bundled with it.

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    You can use all the file and network higher modules built into node,

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    or even use third party npm modules that you know and love.

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    Finally, there are a few specific JavaScript APIs that electron has built in

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    for gluing your application together and

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    creating native UI components like tray icons, notifications and dialogs.

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    There are a number of benefits for using electron.

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    You only need one thing, not three working on a single code base.

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    If you can build a website, you can build a desktop app.

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    You don't need to know C++, C#, Swift or Objective C.

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    You're only developing for one version of chromium.

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    You know how painful is developing for multiple browsers.

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    Well, the same goes for different operating systems but it's even worse.

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    There's no standard for native UIs.

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    Having one browser allows you to focus on your application and not battle between

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    the differences in implementations the user interfaces on different platforms.

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    One you may not need to know any native code operating system specific

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    native components like menus, tray icons, notifications, and

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    dialogs can be triggered via an electron API, let's take a look

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    at some companies who use electron and the types of applications they're building.

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    GitHub, the company behind electron use it in their cross platform code editor,

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    Atom If you use the chat service slack on the desktop that's an electron app too.

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    Microsoft uses electron to create their cross platform text editor

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    Visual Studio code.

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    It has the IntelliSense you'd expect from a Microsoft IDE.

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    The web browser Brave from JavaScript inventor Brendan Eich is

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    an electron application.

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    WordPress.com, allows users to install desktop publications

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    to manage their blogs hosted on the service.

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    Project management platform base camp uses electron for that desktop applications

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    In the next video we're going to create an electron application ourselves.

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