Electron vs Tauri

Introduction

Tauri is an open-source framework for creating desktop applications with web technologies. It allows developers to create fast, secure, and reliable applications with minimal effort. Tauri works with a range of popular web development frameworks, such as React, Vue, and Angular.
Furthermore, Tauri is a Rust-based framework that was developed in 2019 by Alexei Kuts, and it is still being actively developed by Alexei and a team of contributors. Tauri uses a custom web renderer that is designed to be more lightweight and performant than Chromium, this is an advantage over Electron. Additionally, Tauri’s web renderer is built using Rust’s memory-safe and low-level features which means Tauri apps are more secure and harder to attack than Electron apps. Additionally, Tauri is designed for more performance-oriented apps and is harder to hack and exploit.

Electron, on the other hand, is an open-source framework for creating cross-platform desktop applications with web technologies. It works with a range of popular web development frameworks, such as React, Vue, and Angular. Electron applications can be built for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Electron uses Chromium, the open-source version of Google Chrome, as its web renderer, which allows developers to create apps that have a similar look and feel to web apps running in a browser. Electron is popular because it allows developers to create powerful, feature-rich apps that can run offline and interact with the user’s computer in ways that web apps can’t. Additionally, it’s widely used and supported and has a large community, so lots of resources and examples are available.

Similarities

• ‍Both frameworks allow developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

What are cross-platform applications?

Cross-platform desktop applications are software programs that can be run on multiple operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. These applications are designed to be compatible with multiple platforms, allowing them to be installed and used on any operating system that meets the application’s minimum system requirements.

• Both frameworks allow for the creation of user interfaces using web technologies and provide a bridge to access native APIs and functionality.

Electron uses a bundled Chromium web browser and Node.js runtime to provide access to native APIs and functionality, while Tauri uses the web view API to connect to a web app and provide access to native functionality.
Both frameworks allow for the creation of user interfaces using web technologies and provide a bridge to access native APIs and functionality, but the way they do it is different.

• ‍Both frameworks are open-source and have active developer communities.

Tauri and Electron are publicly available and can be freely modified, used, and distributed by anyone. This means that developers can access the code and make changes to improve or customize the framework to their needs.
Being open-source also means that the frameworks are supported by a community of developers who contribute to the development and maintenance of the framework. This can include fixing bugs, adding new features, and providing documentation and support to other developers. The community can also share code snippets, plugins, and other resources to help developers with common tasks.
This also means that both Tauri and Electron are free to use, and developers are free to distribute the apps they create using the frameworks without having to pay any licensing fees.
In summary, being open-source allows for more flexibility and customization, and also makes it easier for developers to collaborate and share knowledge and resources.‍

• ‍Both frameworks are widely used and have various tutorials, documentation, and resources available to help developers get started with building apps.

This includes official documentation that explains how to use the framework and its features, as well as tutorials and sample code that show how to create specific types of apps or use specific features.
There are also many third-party resources available, such as blog posts, videos, and online courses that provide additional information and guidance on using the framework.
Additionally, both frameworks have an active developer community, which means many developers are willing to help others and provide answers to questions. They can provide help on forums, chat rooms, and issue trackers.
This wealth of resources makes it easier for developers to learn how to use the frameworks and build apps, even if they are new to the technology. Additionally, this also makes it easier for developers to find solutions to problems they encounter while developing apps.

• ‍Both frameworks have the same idea of running a web-based application as a desktop application.

This approach allows developers to leverage their existing web development skills and tools to build desktop applications, rather than having to learn a new set of technologies or languages.
It also allows developers to take advantage of the large ecosystem of web development tools and libraries, such as JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular, which can help speed up the development process and make it easier to create complex and feature-rich applications.
In summary, both Tauri and Electron use web technologies as the foundation of their framework, which enables developers to create cross-platform desktop applications using familiar languages and tools.

• Both frameworks have the same goal of making it easier to create cross-platform desktop applications with web technologies.

By using web technologies as the foundation, they both allow developers to write the application once and then run it on multiple operating systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux) without having to make significant changes to the codebase. This can save a lot of development time and effort, as it eliminates the need to write and maintain separate codebases for each operating system.

Both Tauri and Electron also provide a bridge between web technologies and the underlying operating system, which allows developers to access native functionality and APIs. This enables developers to create apps that can take advantage of the full capabilities of the operating system and provide a seamless user experience.

In summary, Both Tauri and Electron have the goal of making it easier for developers to create cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies, allowing them to write the application once and then run it on multiple operating systems, and also providing a bridge to access native functionality and APIs.

Differences

Performance: Tauri is designed to be more lightweight and faster than Electron, as it uses less memory and CPU resources.

Tauri is designed to be more lightweight and faster than Electron, as it uses less memory and CPU resources, which means that Tauri is designed to run more efficiently than Electron.

Tauri uses Rust as a native layer instead of JavaScript and web technologies, which results in lower memory usage and CPU usage compared to Electron. Additionally, Tauri is also designed to be more lightweight overall, which means that it has less overhead and a smaller binary size than Electron.

This improved performance can result in a faster and more responsive user experience for Tauri apps compared to Electron apps. Tauri apps are also less resource-intensive, which means they can run on devices with lower specifications or fewer available resources.

In summary, the use of rust and the design decisions in Tauri results in a more lightweight and efficient framework, which can lead to improved performance in terms of memory usage, CPU usage, and overall responsiveness of the application.

Security: Tauri is built with security in mind and aims to be more secure than Electron by using a Rust-based native layer instead of a JavaScript-based layer.

Tauri is built with security in mind and aims to be more secure than Electron by using a Rust-based native layer instead of a JavaScript-based layer, which means that Tauri is designed to be more secure than Electron by using Rust as the foundation of its native layer.

Rust is a systems programming language that is known for its memory safety and security features, such as automatic memory management and built-in support for safe concurrency. This can help prevent common security vulnerabilities such as buffer overflows and use-after-free errors.

Additionally, Tauri’s architecture is designed to minimize the attack surface, which makes it harder for an attacker to exploit vulnerabilities in the application. This can provide an extra layer of security for Tauri apps.

In summary, Tauri’s use of Rust as a native layer, and the design decisions for security, result in a more secure framework compared to Electron. This can provide an extra layer of protection for the apps built on Tauri, making it harder for an attacker to exploit vulnerabilities in the application.

Size: Tauri apps have smaller binary sizes than Electron apps because it’s using rust instead of javascript and other web technologies.

Tauri apps have smaller binary sizes than Electron apps because it’s using rust instead of javascript and other web technologies, which means that the apps built using Tauri tend to be smaller in size compared to apps built using Electron.

This is because Rust, the language Tauri is built on, generates smaller binary sizes than JavaScript and web technologies used by Electron. Additionally, Tauri is also designed to be more lightweight overall, which means that it has less overhead and a smaller binary size than Electron.

This can be beneficial for several reasons, such as:

• Smaller apps take up less disk space on the user’s device
• Smaller apps can be downloaded and installed faster
• Smaller apps can be run on devices with a limited storage capacity
• Smaller apps may run faster because of less overhead

In summary, Tauri’s use of rust and the design decisions results in a more lightweight framework and smaller binary sizes, which can have benefits in terms of disk space and download time.

Platform support: Electron supports more platforms out of the box (Windows, MacOS, Linux, ARM) as Tauri currently targets only Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Electron supports more platforms out of the box (Windows, MacOS, Linux, ARM) as Tauri currently targets only Windows, MacOS, and Linux, which means that Electron can run on a wider range of platforms than Tauri.

Tauri currently only supports Windows, MacOS, and Linux, whereas Electron supports these platforms as well as ARM. This means that apps built using Electron can run on devices with ARM processors such as Raspberry Pi, while Tauri apps can not.

This can be a disadvantage for Tauri if you want to target devices that have ARM processors. However, Tauri is actively being developed and its community is working to support more platforms, so this may change in the future.

In summary, Electron supports more platforms out of the box than Tauri, which means that apps built using Electron can run on a wider range of devices than apps built using Tauri.

Development experience: Developing with Tauri is a little more complex compared to Electron, as it requires familiarity with Rust, although it is gaining in popularity

Developing with Tauri is a little more complex compared to Electron, as it requires familiarity with Rust, which means that developing apps using Tauri requires more knowledge and experience in Rust, a systems programming language, than developing apps using Electron.

Because Tauri is built on Rust, developers need to be familiar with Rust’s syntax, semantics, and idioms to be able to effectively use the framework. This can be a challenge for developers who are not familiar with Rust or systems programming in general.

Additionally, Tauri’s architecture is a bit more complex than Electron’s, which can make it harder to understand and use for developers who are not familiar with it.

That being said, Tauri’s development experience is gaining popularity, and the community is providing more resources and tutorials to make it easier for developers to learn and use Tauri.

In summary, Developing with Tauri requires more knowledge and experience in Rust, which can make it more complex for developers who are not familiar with Rust or systems programming in general, compared to Electron which primarily uses web technologies that are widely adopted.

Access to native APIs: Tauri apps have access to more system-level APIs than Electron apps, because of the use of rust.

Tauri apps have access to more system-level APIs than Electron apps, because of the use of rust, which means that Tauri apps have more direct access to the underlying operating system’s functionality than Electron apps.

Rust is a systems programming language and Tauri’s use of Rust allows for direct access to the operating system’s APIs, libraries, and features. This means that Tauri apps can access a wider range of system-level functionality, such as low-level hardware access, system-level memory management, and more.

This can be beneficial for Tauri apps as it can allow for more functionality and customizability in the apps built using Tauri.

In summary, Tauri’s use of Rust allows for direct access to the operating system’s functionality, which can result in Tauri apps having more access to system-level APIs and functionality than Electron apps.

Community: Electron has a much larger and more established community than Tauri, which means that there are more resources available for developers working with Electron.

Electron has a much larger and more established community than Tauri, which means that there are more resources available for developers working with Electron.

The larger community means that there are more resources available for developers working with Electron, such as tutorials, sample code, and community-contributed libraries and plugins. It also means that more developers can provide support and answers to questions, which can make it easier to get help when needed.

Additionally, Electron has been around for longer than Tauri, which means that it has a more established ecosystem of tools and libraries. This can be beneficial as it can make it easier to find solutions to common problems and can make the development process more efficient.

In contrast, Tauri’s community is relatively new and small in comparison, which means that there are fewer resources available for developers, and it can be more difficult to find help when needed.

In summary, Electron has a much larger and more established community than Tauri, which means that there are more resources and support available for developers working with Electron. This can make it easier for developers to learn and use Electron and find solutions to common problems.

Use cases

Examples of popular apps that use Electron include:

• Slack
• Microsoft Teams
• Visual Studio Code
• GitHub Desktop
• Figma
• Postman
• Spotify
• Discord

However there are a lot more applications that are built on electronJS.

Tauri is a relatively new framework and not as widely adopted as Electron yet, so there may not be as many well-known commercial apps using Tauri. Most of the apps built on Tauri are developed by small communities, individual developers, and some open-source projects.

Conclusion

Before taking a bet on tauri or electron

Tauri and Electron are both popular options for developing desktop and web applications, but they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
When deciding between Tauri and Electron, there are a few factors you should consider, such as the type of application you’re building, the level of

• security you need
• the number of resources you have available
• the level of experience you have
• the level of support you need.

Regardless of which framework you choose, it’s important to follow best practices to ensure the security, performance, and reliability of your application.

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