Electron (software framework)

Electron
Original author(s)GitHub
Developer(s)OpenJS Foundation
Initial release15 July 2013 (2013-07-15)
Stable release
36.2.0 / May 7, 2025 (2025-05-07)
Preview release
37.0.0-alpha.3 / May 5, 2025 (2025-05-05)
Repository
Written inC++, JavaScript, Objective-C++ and Objective-C
Operating systemLinux, macOS, and Windows
PlatformIA-32, x86-64, ARM
LicenseMIT License
Websitewww.electronjs.org

Electron (formerly known as Atom Shell) is a free and open-source software framework developed and maintained by OpenJS Foundation. The framework is designed to create desktop applications using web technologies (mainly HTML, CSS and JavaScript, although other technologies such as front-end frameworks and WebAssembly are possible) that are rendered using a version of the Chromium browser engine and a back end using the Node.js runtime environment. It also uses various APIs to enable functionality such as native integration with Node.js services and an inter-process communication module.

Electron was originally built for Atom and is the main GUI framework behind several other open-source projects including GitHub Desktop, Light Table, Visual Studio Code, WordPress Desktop, and Eclipse Theia.