electron-app-bundler

6.0.1 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

CLI tool to build Electron apps with esbuild, supporting hot reload dev server for the renderer process, static file copying, and optional use of Vite or Astro for the renderer. Current stable version is 6.0.1, with regular releases. Requires Node >=20 and peer dependencies astro >= 5.14.0, esbuild >= 0.20.0, vite >= 6.4.1. Uses a declarative JSON/YAML config file. Differentiates from other Electron bundlers by focusing on esbuild speed and supporting multiple main/preload/renderer configs with loaders and excludes.

Common errors

error Package 'electron-app-bundler' is not recognized ↓

cause Using old package name or typo

fix

Use correct package name: npx electron-app-bundler

error Error: Config file not found: electron-app-bundler.config.json ↓

cause Config file missing or named incorrectly (e.g., old name from v5)

fix

Create electron-app-bundler.config.json or specify path with --config

error The engine "node" is incompatible with this module ↓

cause Node version <20

fix

Install Node.js version 20 or higher

Warnings

breaking Package renamed in v6.0.0; old package name no longer works ↓

fix Replace references to old name with 'electron-app-bundler'

breaking Config file names changed in v6.0.0; must use electron-app-bundler.config.json or .yaml ↓

fix Rename config file to electron-app-bundler.config.*

deprecated Using --vite or --astro flags without installing the respective peer dependency will fail ↓

fix Install astro or vite if using those flags

gotcha Node engine requirement >=20; older Node versions will cause errors ↓

fix Update Node.js to version 20 or higher

gotcha Peer dependencies must be installed manually; not included automatically ↓

fix Run npm install --save-dev astro esbuild vite

Install

npm install electron-app-bundler

yarn add electron-app-bundler

pnpm add electron-app-bundler

Imports

default (CLI)
wrong
```
npx electron-bundler build
```
correct
```
npx electron-app-bundler build
```
Package was renamed from previous name to electron-app-bundler in v6.0.0
config shape
wrong
```
Using old config format from versions <6
```
correct
```
Use JSON or YAML config file with main, preloads, renderers, resources properties
```
v6.0.0 introduced new default config file names (electron-app-bundler.config.json/yaml) and structure. Old configs may need migration.

RendererBuilderType

wrong

import { Renderer } from 'electron-app-bundler'

correct

import { RendererBuilderType } from 'electron-app-bundler'

Used for typed configs. Exported since v4.0.0.

Quickstart

Shows minimal config and CLI commands to build and run dev server with hot reload.

// Create electron-app-bundler.config.json
{
  "output": "dist",
  "main": {
    "entry": "src/main/index.ts",
    "output": {
      "directory": "main",
      "filename": "index.js"
    }
  },
  "renderers": [
    {
      "entry": "src/renderer/index.html",
      "output": {
        "directory": "renderer"
      }
    }
  ]
}

// Run build
npx electron-app-bundler build

// Run dev server with hot reload
npx electron-app-bundler dev --clean