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Build a Cross-Platform Desktop Application with Electron

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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] 0:00
    Hello world, Andrey here, lifelong learned developer and teacher here at tree house. 0:05
    Welcome to this workshop on electron. 0:10
    First off, what is Electron? 0:12
    Electron is a way to build desktop applications on Windows, Mac OS and 0:14
    Linux with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, Electron is known as a framework because 0:19
    it comes bundled with a number of tools that help you build your application. 0:26
    It has the latest version of the open source branch of Google Chrome called 0:31
    Chromium this means you have access to dome APIs for your UI. 0:36
    It also has the latest version of Node.js, so 0:40
    you can use acme script 2015 syntax without transpiring. 0:43
    Electron has a Node.js one time bundled with it. 0:49
    You can use all the file and network higher modules built into node, 0:52
    or even use third party npm modules that you know and love. 0:56
    Finally, there are a few specific JavaScript APIs that electron has built in 1:01
    for gluing your application together and 1:05
    creating native UI components like tray icons, notifications and dialogs. 1:08
    There are a number of benefits for using electron. 1:14
    You only need one thing, not three working on a single code base. 1:17
    If you can build a website, you can build a desktop app. 1:22
    You don't need to know C++, C#, Swift or Objective C. 1:26
    You're only developing for one version of chromium. 1:31
    You know how painful is developing for multiple browsers. 1:34
    Well, the same goes for different operating systems but it's even worse. 1:37
    There's no standard for native UIs. 1:42
    Having one browser allows you to focus on your application and not battle between 1:45
    the differences in implementations the user interfaces on different platforms. 1:50
    One you may not need to know any native code operating system specific 1:56
    native components like menus, tray icons, notifications, and 2:00
    dialogs can be triggered via an electron API, let's take a look 2:05
    at some companies who use electron and the types of applications they're building. 2:10
    GitHub, the company behind electron use it in their cross platform code editor, 2:16
    Atom If you use the chat service slack on the desktop that's an electron app too. 2:20
    Microsoft uses electron to create their cross platform text editor 2:27
    Visual Studio code. 2:31
    It has the IntelliSense you'd expect from a Microsoft IDE. 2:33
    The web browser Brave from JavaScript inventor Brendan Eich is 2:37
    an electron application. 2:42
    WordPress.com, allows users to install desktop publications 2:43
    to manage their blogs hosted on the service. 2:48
    Project management platform base camp uses electron for that desktop applications 2:52
    In the next video we're going to create an electron application ourselves. 2:57

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