Electron js Roadmap(2026 Edition)
Beginner Level (0-2 Months)
Master the fundamentals that Electron builds on
Basic Web Technologies
- 1. HTML & CSS → Semantic HTML, Flexbox & Grid layouts
- 2. Responsive design → Creating adaptive user interfaces
- 3. JavaScript (ES6+) → Variables, Scope, Hoisting fundamentals
- 4. Functions → Arrow functions and modern syntax
- 5. Async patterns → Promises, Async/Await handling
- 6. Classes & Modules → Object-oriented programming in JS
- 7. Why: Electron apps are essentially browser UIs; strong front-end basics are required
Node.js Fundamentals
- 1. Event Loop & Async Model → Understanding Node.js architecture
- 2. Core Modules → fs, path, os, child_process usage
- 3. NPM / Yarn → Package management and dependency handling
- 4. Debugging → Node inspector and debugging tools
- 5. Why: Electron embeds Node, so strong Node.js knowledge is essential
Git & Version Control
- 1. Branching & Merging → Git workflow strategies
- 2. Pull Requests → Code review and collaboration
- 3. GitHub / GitLab workflows → Repository management
- 4. Semantic commit messages → Clear version history
- 5. Why: Collaboration and code quality in professional teams
Beginner Level (2-3 Months)
Learn the core architecture and APIs of Electron
What is Electron Internally?
- 1. Chromium + Node.js integration → Understanding the architecture
- 2. Main Process → Application lifecycle and system access
- 3. Renderer Processes → UI rendering and user interaction
- 4. IPC → Inter-Process Communication between main and renderer
Electron Project Essentials
- 1. BrowserWindow → Creating and managing application windows
- 2. app → Application lifecycle events and control
- 3. ipcMain / ipcRenderer → Process communication APIs
- 4. Menu, Tray → Native menus and system tray integration
- 5. Dialogs & Notifications → Native OS dialogs and notifications
- 6. nativeImage → Working with images across platforms
Build Scripts & Tooling
- 1. Project scaffolding → Electron Forge, Vite, Webpack setup
- 2. Dev vs Prod configurations → Environment-specific settings
- 3. Auto-reload → Hot reload during development
- 4. Build optimization → Performance and bundle size
Sandboxing & Security
- 1. Disable nodeIntegration → Security best practice in renderer
- 2. Use contextIsolation → Isolating renderer context
- 3. Proper IPC patterns → Secure communication protocols
- 4. Avoid loading remote content → Security risk mitigation
Intermediate Level (3-5 Months)
Build modern UIs with frameworks and proper architecture
Framework Integration
- 1. React → Most popular combination with Electron
- 2. Vue 3 → Progressive framework integration
- 3. Svelte → Lightweight reactive framework
- 4. Angular → Enterprise framework option
- 5. State management → Redux, Zustand, Pinia, Svelte stores
- 6. Routing → React Router, Vue Router for navigation
- 7. Component design → Reusable component architecture
App Architecture
- 1. Separation of concerns → UI vs backend logic separation
- 2. Feature modules → Organizing code by features
- 3. Reusable components → Component library creation
- 4. Smart vs Dumb components → Container and presentational patterns
UI/UX Basics
- 1. Accessibility → ARIA labels, keyboard navigation
- 2. Theming & dark mode → Dynamic theme switching
- 3. Native UI feel → Platform-specific design patterns
- 4. Responsive design → Adapting to different screen sizes
Intermediate Level (5-8 Months)
Implement production-ready features and optimizations
Persistent Storage
- 1. Local storage / IndexedDB → Browser-based storage
- 2. SQLite → Lightweight embedded database
- 3. LowDB / JSON databases → File-based data storage
- 4. Encrypted storage → Secure credential management
Networking
- 1. Fetching APIs securely → HTTP client configuration
- 2. Long polling / WebSockets → Real-time communication
- 3. Offline strategies → Offline-first architecture
- 4. Request handling → Error handling and retries
Files & System Access
- 1. Open/Save dialogs → Native file system dialogs
- 2. File system access → Reading and writing files
- 3. Drag & Drop → File drag and drop functionality
- 4. File watchers → Monitoring file system changes
Auto-Update Support
- 1. Electron autoUpdater → Built-in update mechanism
- 2. Custom update servers → Self-hosted update infrastructure
- 3. GitHub releases → Automatic updates from releases
- 4. Update notifications → User notification system
Performance & Memory
- 1. Profiling windows → Performance monitoring tools
- 2. Memory leaks detection → Finding and fixing leaks
- 3. Lazy loading → Loading heavy modules on demand
- 4. Resource optimization → CPU and memory efficiency
Advanced Level (8-10 Months)
Package and distribute applications across platforms
Packaging Tools
- 1. Electron Forge → Modern packaging and distribution
- 2. Electron Builder → Comprehensive build tool
- 3. Electron Packager → Simple packaging solution
- 4. Windows installers → .exe, .msi creation
- 5. macOS packages → .dmg, .pkg creation
- 6. Linux packages → .AppImage, .deb, .rpm creation
Signing & Notarization
- 1. Code signing certificates → Windows and macOS signing
- 2. Notarization on macOS → Apple notarization requirements
- 3. Store deployment → Microsoft Store, Snapcraft publishing
- 4. Update signing → Secure update distribution
Multi-Platform Testing
- 1. Cross-OS UI/UX issues → Platform-specific testing
- 2. Keyboard interaction patterns → Platform keyboard shortcuts
- 3. DPI / scaling support → High DPI display handling
- 4. Platform integration → Native feature testing
Advanced Level (10-12 Months)
Ensure reliability through comprehensive testing
Unit & Integration Testing
- 1. Jest → JavaScript testing framework
- 2. Testing Library → Component testing utilities
- 3. Mocking → IPC and system API mocking
- 4. Test coverage → Code coverage reporting
End-to-End Testing
- 1. Playwright → Modern E2E testing framework
- 2. Cypress → Component and E2E testing
- 3. Spectron → Legacy Electron testing (moving to alternatives)
- 4. Automated workflows → Full application testing
Linting & Formatting
- 1. ESLint → JavaScript linting and code quality
- 2. Prettier → Code formatting and style consistency
- 3. TypeScript linting → Type checking and validation
- 4. Pre-commit hooks → Automated quality checks
Advanced Level
Implement security measures and industry standards
Electron Security Checklist
- 1. Disable unsafe APIs → Remove security risks
- 2. CSP → Content Security Policy implementation
- 3. No remote code execution → Preventing code injection
- 4. Sandboxing → Isolating renderer processes
Stable IPC Patterns
- 1. Use validated messages → Input validation on IPC
- 2. Avoid exec-based remote calls → Preventing command injection
- 3. Whitelist channels → Controlled IPC communication
- 4. Secure context bridges → Safe preload scripts
Expert Level
Master advanced patterns and enterprise features
TypeScript
- 1. Must-have → Industry standard for Electron apps
- 2. Strict typing → Type safety across main and renderer
- 3. Interfaces for IPC channels → Type-safe communication
- 4. Advanced generics → Complex type definitions
Native Addons
- 1. node-ffi / N-API → Native module integration
- 2. Use native modules safely → ABI compatibility
- 3. Understand node ABI versions → Version management
- 4. Platform-specific builds → Native code compilation
Real-Time & Offline
- 1. Sync engines → Data synchronization patterns
- 2. Cache reconciliation → Conflict resolution strategies
- 3. Offline-first → Working without internet connection
- 4. Data consistency → Maintaining data integrity
Cloud & Auth
- 1. OAuth / SSO → Single sign-on integration
- 2. Token storage → Secure credential management
- 3. Secure refresh → Token refresh mechanisms
- 4. API integration → Backend service communication
Analytics & Monitoring
- 1. Sentry → Error tracking and monitoring
- 2. Log aggregation → Centralized logging systems
- 3. Telemetry → Usage analytics and metrics
- 4. Performance monitoring → Application performance tracking
Expert Level (Ongoing)
Professional skills for team-based development
Architecture Decisions
- 1. Modular design → Scalable application architecture
- 2. Scalability → Planning for growth
- 3. Maintenance planning → Long-term code maintainability
- 4. Technical documentation → Architecture decision records
Code Reviews
- 1. Clear comments → Code documentation standards
- 2. Constructive feedback → Effective code review practices
- 3. Design discussions → Collaborative problem solving
- 4. Best practices → Sharing knowledge with team
DevOps Basics
- 1. CI/CD → Continuous integration and deployment
- 2. Automated tests → Test automation in pipelines
- 3. Deployment pipelines → Streamlined release process
- 4. Version management → Release and versioning strategies
🚀 Congratulations! You're Electron js Industry Ready!
You've completed the Electron js Development Roadmap and are now ready to build scalable web apps.