What is proton-native?

Proton Native is a library that lets developers build desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux using the same React syntax they would use to build a website or mobile app. Instead of writing platform-specific code for each operating system, you write one set of components and the library handles the rest. The project draws its component names and structure from React Native, the framework commonly used to build mobile apps with React. If you already know how to write a React Native app, the transition to building a desktop app with Proton Native is meant to be straightforward. It works alongside existing React libraries like Redux, so code and patterns you already have can carry over. The key difference from a tool like Electron, which is the more common way to build desktop apps with web technology, is that Proton Native does not bundle a web browser. It uses native UI components instead, which means apps can look and behave more like regular desktop programs. The package is also compatible with standard Node.js packages. Version 2 of the project added components that match React Native more closely, support for flexbox layout, CSS-style properties for components, and hot reloading (which lets you see changes in the running app without restarting it each time). The original repository is no longer actively maintained. The author noted they no longer have time for the project, and a fork at github.com/proton-nativejs/proton-native has continued the work. Examples are available in the repository, and documentation is hosted at proton-native.js.org. The project is under the MIT license.