How to Build and Distribute an Electron Desktop App in 2026

Electron powers 8,000+ Mac App Store apps; cold start times now under 500ms with modern versions. Electron architecture requires three processes: main (Node.js backend), renderer (Chromium frontend), preload (secure bridge). Never disable context isolation or enable nodeIntegration; use preload scripts to safely expose main process APIs. electron-builder packages apps for macOS (DMG), Windows (NSIS), and Linux; include darkModeSupport for menu bar apps. Apple code signing costs 99 EUR annually; critical decision for macOS distribution. Electron Is Still Here. Deal With It. Every year, someone declares Electron dead. Every year, more Electron apps ship. VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma (desktop), Notion, 1Password 8 - the list keeps growing. As of early 2026, Electron powers over 8,000 apps on the Mac App Store alone, and npm downloads for electron-builder average 2.1 million per week. The "Electron is bloated" argument had merit in 2018. In 2026, with Electron 34+ shipping Chromium 132 a