Electron
Electron is an open-source framework for building cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It combines the Chromium rendering engine and Node.js runtime, allowing developers to create native-feeling apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux from a single codebase. This enables web developers to leverage their existing skills to build desktop software without learning platform-specific languages.
Developers should use Electron when they need to create desktop applications that run on multiple operating systems with a consistent user interface and want to reuse web development expertise. It's ideal for building productivity tools, communication apps, and development environments where rapid prototyping and cross-platform deployment are priorities, such as in applications like Visual Studio Code, Slack, and Discord. However, it may not be suitable for performance-critical or resource-constrained applications due to its higher memory usage compared to native frameworks.