A complete solution to package and build a ready for distribution Electron app for macOS, Windows and Linux with “auto update” support out of the box.
- NPM packages management:
- Native application dependencies compilation (including Yarn support).
- Development dependencies are never included. You don’t need to ignore them explicitly.
- Two package.json structure is supported, but you are not forced to use it even if you have native production dependencies.
- Code Signing on a CI server or development machine.
- Auto Update ready application packaging.
- Numerous target formats:
- All platforms:
7z,zip,tar.xz,tar.lz,tar.gz,tar.bz2,dir(unpacked directory). - macOS:
dmg,pkg,mas,mas-dev. - Linux: AppImage, snap, debian package (
deb),rpm,freebsd,pacman,p5p,apk. - Windows:
nsis(Installer),nsis-web(Web installer),portable(portable app without installation), AppX (Windows Store), Squirrel.Windows.
- All platforms:
- Publishing artifacts to GitHub Releases, Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces and Bintray.
- Advanced building:
- Pack in a distributable format already packaged app.
- Separate build steps.
- Build and publish in parallel, using hard links on CI server to reduce IO and disk space usage.
- electron-compile support (compile for release-time on the fly on build).
- Docker images to build Electron app for Linux or Windows on any platform.
- Proton Native support.
- Downloads all required tools files on demand automatically (e.g. to code sign windows application, to make AppX), no need to setup.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| “I want to configure electron-builder” | See options |
| “I have a question” | Open an issue or join the chat |
| “I found a bug” | Open an issue |
| “I want to support development” | Donate |
Installation¶
23 Best Electron Apps. We have recapped what Electron is, what it does, and why people like (or don’t like) it. Now let’s look at how developers are putting this fancy framework to use on the desktop. Below is a list of 23 Electron apps I think are top-tier tools perfect whatever your platform of preference is. Visual Studio Code (Text. In the example above, the electron-builder tool extends the pre-existing package.json file to produce Linux, macOS and Windows builds of the quick-start app. The package.json file can be easily extended to automatically create a Linux snap alongside the other builds. Package Electron App For Mac Download Electron Mobile App Electron-builder A complete solution to package and build a ready for distribution Electron app for macOS, Windows and Linux with “auto update” support out of the box. On macOS/Linux you can build Electron app for Windows locally, except Appx for Windows Store (in the future (feel free to file issue) electron-build-service will support Appx target). You can use build servers — e.g. Travis to build macOS/Linux apps and AppVeyor to build Windows app. By default build for current platform and current arch. First, we need to download the electron-builder library. Electron-builder is a complete solution to package and build a ready for distribution Electron app for MacOS, Windows and Linux with “auto update” support out of the box. Mac App Store Submission Guide. Since v0.34.0, Electron allows submitting packaged apps to the Mac App Store (MAS). This guide provides information on: how to submit your app and the limitations of the MAS build. Note: Submitting an app to Mac App Store requires enrolling in the Apple Developer Program, which costs money.
Yarn is strongly recommended instead of npm.
yarn add electron-builder --dev
Boilerplates¶
- electron-webpack-quick-start — A bare minimum project structure to get started developing with electron-webpack. Recommended.
- electron-react-boilerplate A boilerplate for scalable cross-platform desktop apps.
- electron-react-redux-boilerplate A minimal boilerplate to get started with Electron, React and Redux.
- electron-boilerplate A minimalistic yet comprehensive boilerplate application.
- Vue CLI 3 plugin for Electron A Vue CLI 3 plugin for Electron with no required configuration.
Quick Setup Guide¶
electron-webpack-quick-start is a recommended way to create a new Electron application.
Specify the standard fields in the application
package.json— name,description,versionand author.Specify the build configuration in the
See all options. Option files to indicate which files should be packed in the final application, including the entry file, maybe required.package.jsonas follows:Add icons.
Add the scripts key to the development
Then you can runpackage.json:yarn dist(to package in a distributable format (e.g. dmg, windows installer, deb package)) oryarn pack(only generates the package directory without really packaging it. This is useful for testing purposes).To ensure your native dependencies are always matched electron version, simply add script
'postinstall': 'electron-builder install-app-deps'to yourpackage.json.If you have native addons of your own that are part of the application (not as a dependency), set nodeGypRebuild to
true.
Please note that everything is packaged into an asar archive by default.
For an app that will be shipped to production, you should sign your application. See Where to buy code signing certificates.
Programmatic Usage¶
Package Electron App Mac Os
See node_modules/electron-builder/out/index.d.ts. Typings for TypeScript is provided.
Electron Build Mac
Pack Only in a Distributable Format¶
You can use electron-builder only to pack your electron app in a AppImage, Snaps, Debian package, NSIS, macOS installer component package (pkg) and other distributable formats.
Electron App Store
--projectDir (the path to project directory) option also can be useful.
Debug¶
Set the DEBUG environment variable to debug what electron-builder is doing:
FPM_DEBUG env to add more details about building linux targets (except snap and appimage).
cmd
On Windows the environment variable is set using the set command.
PowerShell
PowerShell uses different syntax to set environment variables.
Community¶
electron-builder on Zulip.