Electron.js Consulting

Electron.js is an open-source cross-platform desktop application development framework developed and maintained by GitHub.
It offers data security, high performance and compatibility with multiple-platforms.
At Cazton, we help Fortune 500, large and mid-size companies with Electron.js development, consulting, recruiting services and hands-on training services.

One of the principles of software development is DRY, which stands for "Do not Repeat Yourself." Yet, ironically, developers needed to write logic again and again for various different platforms. React Native has now allowed the logic layer to be used amongst Android and iOS mobile applications. Electron.js is another pivotal achievement in that direction.

Electron.js, developed by GitHub, is used to build cross-platform desktop applications, meaning they work on Mac, Windows and Linux platforms. Work on Electron.js began in 2013 when GitHub was developing Atom, a cross-platform text editor. Both were open-sourced in 2014.

Cazton has a team of highly-skilled developers having experience at top tech companies. Well-versed in the latest technologies, the Electron.js consulting team has the expertise backed with years of industry experience. Working masterfully with desktop development tools, we are known for successfully delivering scalable and modular applications that are easy to test and maintain.

In a world dominated by web-based development, one would wonder why desktop application is still relevant. Desktop-based, single-user targeted development is irreplaceable however, as it offers some benefits over the former:

Data Security: With all the data stored on the user's computer itself, it is safe from hacking, ransomware and other such attacks when compared to data that is stored online.
Development without the Internet: Essential as the Internet has become, it is easier, less dependent and refreshing to do the development work without having to rely on this commodity.
Better Controls: Even as we aim to unify platforms, operating system and machine specific development allows you to leverage some interactive controls, third party access and utilise keyboard capabilities.
Gaming: Desktop apps are more effective as gaming applications when compared to web applications. It is resource-expensive to load them over the Internet and the inherent GPU and graphic abilities of the machine at hand are best utilised during a desktop based gaming experience.
Performance: Without the Internet overhead, it is no surprise that desktop applications are faster than web apps. Developing cross-platform, however, makes the most sense as we don't want to keep writing the same code, hence, cross-platform desktop applications provide the best of both worlds.

Desktop Applications are installed on a single user's machine. One task may accommodate multiple users, but cannot run on multiple machines. In web-based applications such as say, Google Docs, we can have multiple machines access the same document simultaneously. Programming in both cases is different. In case of web applications, Facebook has provided us with a cross-platform tool - React. For desktop, the equivalent technology is Electron.js by GitHub. Needless to say, it is open-source and free and provides for richer community interaction.

Electron.js uses both Chromium (an open-source library used to build Chrome) and Node.js together in one runtime. It allows us to use HTML, CSS and Javascript to create the UI elements even though it doesn't provide any itself. Electron.js aims to provide reliable core functionality while also taking up less space and improve performance.

As a cross-platform development tool, Electron.js has been creating waves, throughout the industry. Some of its features are:

No Additional Skills: You can shift smoothly from building web applications to desktop applications because the skill-set required remains the same for HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Without the hassle of learning a new technology, web developers can easily develop applications using Electron.js as well, saving money, time and effort.
Latest Technology: In times where technology is evolving rapidly, Electron.js is based on the latest version of Node.js and Chromium. It provides direct access to Node.js API and modules from within the web page itself, using even Node.js native modules written in C/C++.
Over time, Electron.js shall its prove reliability as it won't be affected if at any time a browser gets replaced or broken. The UI experience for the user would remain the same. In fact, it doesn't depend upon the number of tabs open or on which browser it is being run.
Secure: Data security is a huge concern for users these days. In web-based applications, there are greater chances of user data integrity being sacrificed as the community is open to a large number of users and potential hackers. In desktop applications, all your personal data remains locally on your computer.
Performance and Results: Desktop apps are, as discussed, considerably faster when compared to web-based applications. A desktop app loads only what is necessary and if coded correctly, will load only that. This, based on how effectively it is implemented, can improve speed, reduce the amount of resources used and even take up less space.
Compatibility with Multiple Platforms: With the ability to share codebase across three platforms- Mac, Windows and Linux - Electron.js provides mammoth benefits. The Electron.js package module allows us to bundle the codebase into relevant packages. It allows us to access the APIs inherent to these operating systems. We can add menus, context menus, utilise notifications, add progress bars, etc. Programming in this manner allows code to be highly reusable and maintainable.
Cost-Effectiveness: Since Electron.js can be used across platforms, it becomes easier to reuse code. This makes maintaining, debugging and deploying code an easier task for developers. Businesses can create and deliver applications at a faster pace. Thus a lot of human effort, time and capital from these endeavours is saved. Team size can then be smaller. In fact multiple teams are no longer needed for each of the various platforms.

With each new technology, there comes new ways to master it, optimize its performance, ease its integration with other technologies and maximize efficiency of the system. If code in Electron.js is written carefully, it can improve performance manifold, but is also known to suck a lot of memory into its running if not implemented correctly. The team of experts at Cazton is well-versed to the rapidly changing technologies and can help you strike the perfect balance between the two. We provide excellent Electron.js application development, consulting and training services, backed by experience from working on the technology and in this industry for years.