What is electron-api-demos?

electron/electron-api-demos — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 10,235HTMLAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((electron-api-demos))
    What it does
      Interactive API demos
      Live source code view
      Learning resource
    Features shown
      System notifications
      Application menus
      File dialog boxes
    Platforms
      Windows
      macOS
      Linux
    Languages
      English
      Simplified Chinese
      Japanese

mindmap root((electron-api-demos)) What it does Interactive API demos Live source code view Learning resource Features shown System notifications Application menus File dialog boxes Platforms Windows macOS Linux Languages English Simplified Chinese Japanese

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Quickly check whether Electron supports a specific OS feature before spending time building it into your app.

USE CASE 2

Learn how Electron's dialog, menu, or notification APIs work by seeing a live working example next to its source code.

USE CASE 3

Use the demo app as a lookup reference while building your own Electron desktop application.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptHTMLCSSElectron

How does it compare?

	electron/electron-api-demos	milligram/milligram	lancedb/lancedb
Stars	10,235	10,217	10,291
Language	HTML	HTML	HTML
Setup difficulty	easy	easy	easy
Complexity	1/5	1/5	3/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

So what is it?

Electron API Demos is a desktop application that shows developers what the Electron framework can do. Electron is a tool that lets you build desktop apps using web technologies like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. This demo app runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it is itself built with Electron, so it demonstrates the technology by example. Inside the app, you can browse interactive demonstrations of core Electron features, each paired with the actual source code that powers it. This makes it a learning resource rather than a production tool. If you are curious whether Electron can do something specific, such as manage system notifications, control application menus, or open dialog boxes, you can see it working live and then read the code that makes it happen. To run the app, you download the latest release or clone the repository, install dependencies with npm, and start it with a single command. Developers who want to dig deeper can launch it in fullscreen mode with developer tools open. The source code also includes documentation explaining how the app is structured and how to add new demos. Translations of the app are available in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese, maintained by outside contributors.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Show me the Electron code for opening a native file dialog, reading the selected file path, and displaying it in a renderer window.

Prompt 2

How do I create a custom application menu in Electron with a submenu and a keyboard shortcut, using the approach shown in electron-api-demos?

Prompt 3

Using the patterns from electron-api-demos, write the code to send a system notification from a desktop app on macOS.

Prompt 4

How is the electron-api-demos project structured, and how do I add a new demo section for an Electron feature I want to showcase?

Frequently asked questions