electron-react-boilerplate

Pros of electron/forge

• Comprehensive toolset: Electron Forge provides a comprehensive set of tools for building, packaging, and distributing Electron applications, making the development process more streamlined.
• Cross-platform support: Electron Forge supports building applications for multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux) from a single codebase, simplifying the deployment process.
• Plugin ecosystem: Electron Forge has a rich ecosystem of plugins that can extend its functionality, allowing developers to customize their development workflow.

Cons of electron/forge

• Steeper learning curve: Compared to electron-react-boilerplate, Electron Forge may have a slightly steeper learning curve, especially for developers new to the Electron ecosystem.
• Potential overhead: The comprehensive toolset provided by Electron Forge may introduce some overhead, which could be a concern for smaller projects or developers who prefer a more lightweight approach.
• Dependency on Electron Forge: By using Electron Forge, developers become more dependent on the tool, which could make it more challenging to migrate to alternative solutions in the future.

Code Comparison

Here's a brief code comparison between the two projects:

electron-react-boilerplate/electron-react-boilerplate:

// main.js
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');

function createWindow() {
  const mainWindow = new BrowserWindow({
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    webPreferences: {
      nodeIntegration: true,
    },
  });

  mainWindow.loadURL('http://localhost:3000');
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow);

electron/forge:

// src/main.js
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');

function createWindow() {
  const mainWindow = new BrowserWindow({
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    webPreferences: {
      nodeIntegration: true,
    },
  });

  mainWindow.loadURL('http://localhost:3000');
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow);

As you can see, the code structure is very similar between the two projects, as they both use the standard Electron API to create a window and load a React application.

Pros of minimal-repro

• Extremely lightweight and simple, ideal for quick prototyping or bug reproduction
• Minimal dependencies, making it easier to maintain and update
• Faster setup and initialization due to its bare-bones structure

Cons of minimal-repro

• Lacks built-in React integration, requiring additional setup for React-based projects
• Fewer out-of-the-box features and tooling compared to electron-react-boilerplate
• May require more manual configuration for production-ready applications

Code Comparison

minimal-repro:

const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron')

function createWindow () {
  const win = new BrowserWindow({ width: 800, height: 600 })
  win.loadFile('index.html')
}

electron-react-boilerplate:

import { app, BrowserWindow, shell, ipcMain } from 'electron';
import { resolveHtmlPath } from './util';

let mainWindow: BrowserWindow | null = null;

const createWindow = async () => {
  mainWindow = new BrowserWindow({
    show: false,
    width: 1024,
    height: 728,
    // ... additional configuration
  });

The minimal-repro example showcases a basic Electron setup, while electron-react-boilerplate includes more advanced configuration options and TypeScript support. The latter also provides additional features like IPC communication and HTML path resolution out of the box.

Pros of Electron-Vue

• Comprehensive Documentation: Electron-Vue provides detailed documentation, making it easier for developers to get started and understand the project's structure and features.
• Vue.js Integration: Electron-Vue seamlessly integrates with the Vue.js framework, allowing developers to leverage the power and flexibility of Vue.js in their Electron applications.
• Boilerplate and Scaffolding: Electron-Vue includes a comprehensive boilerplate and scaffolding tools, which can save developers significant time and effort in setting up a new Electron project.

Cons of Electron-Vue

• Limited React Support: Electron-Vue is primarily focused on Vue.js integration, and may not provide the same level of support or tooling for React-based Electron applications.
• Potential Learning Curve: Developers who are more familiar with React may need to invest time in learning Vue.js and the Electron-Vue specific conventions and patterns.
• Dependency on Vue.js: Electron-Vue is tightly coupled with the Vue.js framework, which may be a drawback for developers who prefer to use other JavaScript frameworks or libraries.

Code Comparison

Electron-React-Boilerplate (React):

import React from 'react';
import { BrowserRouter as Router, Switch, Route, Link } from 'react-router-dom';

const Home = () => <div>Welcome to the Electron React Boilerplate!</div>;
const About = () => <div>This is the About page.</div>;

const App = () => (
  <Router>
    <div>
      <nav>
        <ul>
          <li>
            <Link to="/">Home</Link>
          </li>
          <li>
            <Link to="/about">About</Link>
          </li>
        </ul>
      </nav>

      <Switch>
        <Route path="/about">
          <About />
        </Route>
        <Route path="/">
          <Home />
        </Route>
      </Switch>
    </div>
  </Router>
);

export default App;

Electron-Vue (Vue.js):

<template>
  <div id="app">
    <nav>
      <ul>
        <li><router-link to="/">Home</router-link></li>
        <li><router-link to="/about">About</router-link></li>
      </ul>
    </nav>

    <router-view></router-view>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
export default {
  name: 'App'
}
</script>

Pros of Electron Fiddle

• Easier Setup: Electron Fiddle provides a more streamlined setup process, making it easier for developers to get started with building Electron applications.
• Built-in Boilerplate: Electron Fiddle comes with a built-in boilerplate, which includes a basic Electron application structure, reducing the initial setup time.
• Integrated Development Environment: Electron Fiddle offers an integrated development environment, allowing developers to write, test, and package their Electron applications within a single tool.

Cons of Electron Fiddle

• Limited Customization: Electron Fiddle's built-in boilerplate and development environment may limit the level of customization available to developers, compared to a more flexible solution like Electron React Boilerplate.
• Potential Performance Overhead: The integrated development environment in Electron Fiddle may introduce some performance overhead, which could be a concern for larger or more complex Electron applications.
• Dependency on Electron Fiddle: Developers using Electron Fiddle may become more dependent on the tool, which could make it more difficult to migrate to a different setup in the future.

Code Comparison

Electron React Boilerplate:

// webpack.config.renderer.dev.js
module.exports = {
  // ...
  module: {
    rules: [
      // ...
      {
        test: /\.css$/,
        use: [
          'style-loader',
          {
            loader: 'css-loader',
            options: {
              importLoaders: 1,
              modules: {
                localIdentName: '[name]__[local]__[hash:base64:5]',
              },
            },
          },
        ],
      },
    ],
  },
  // ...
};

Electron Fiddle:

// main.js
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');

function createWindow() {
  const win = new BrowserWindow({
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    webPreferences: {
      nodeIntegration: true,
    },
  });

  win.loadFile('index.html');
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow);

Pros of vue-cli-plugin-electron-builder

• Integrates Electron with Vue.js projects seamlessly, making it easier to set up and manage the development environment.
• Provides a simple and straightforward configuration process, reducing the amount of boilerplate code required.
• Supports automatic updates and packaging for various platforms, simplifying the deployment process.

Cons of vue-cli-plugin-electron-builder

• May have a steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with Vue.js and the Vue CLI ecosystem.
• Potentially less flexible than a custom Electron setup, as the plugin may not offer the same level of customization as a manual configuration.
• May have a more limited set of features compared to a fully custom Electron setup, depending on the project's specific requirements.

Code Comparison

electron-react-boilerplate/electron-react-boilerplate

// main.js
const { app, BrowserWindow } = require('electron');

function createWindow() {
  const win = new BrowserWindow({
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    webPreferences: {
      nodeIntegration: true,
    },
  });

  win.loadURL('http://localhost:3000');
}

app.whenReady().then(createWindow);

nklayman/vue-cli-plugin-electron-builder

// main.js
'use strict'

import { app, protocol, BrowserWindow } from 'electron'
import { createProtocol } from 'vue-cli-plugin-electron-builder/lib'
import installExtension, { VUEJS_DEVTOOLS } from 'electron-devtools-installer'
const isDevelopment = process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production'

// Scheme must be registered before the app is ready
protocol.registerSchemesAsPrivileged([
  { scheme: 'app', privileges: { secure: true, standard: true } }
])

async function createWindow() {
  // Create the browser window.
  const win = new BrowserWindow({
    width: 800,
    height: 600,
    webPreferences: {
      // Use pluginOptions.nodeIntegration, leave this alone
      // See nklayman/vue-cli-plugin-electron-builder#34
      nodeIntegration: process.env.ELECTRON_NODE_INTEGRATION,
      contextIsolation: !process.env.ELECTRON_NODE_INTEGRATION
    }
  })
}