Question 1

How to install a plugin in Pluggable Electron?

Accepted Answer

Plugins are installed via the main process with user confirmation. From the renderer, use plugins.install() after setting up the plugin facade in the preload script, as detailed in the README's installation steps involving main.js and preload.js coordination.

Question 2

Pluggable Electron vs Electron Forge for adding plugins?

Accepted Answer

Pluggable Electron is specifically designed for structured plugin extensibility with extension points and lifecycle management, while Electron Forge focuses on app packaging and development tools. For building a full plugin ecosystem, Pluggable Electron is more targeted, whereas Forge is better for general app building.

Question 3

Is Pluggable Electron safe from malicious plugins?

Accepted Answer

It includes security controls like user confirmation in the main process, but since plugins execute arbitrary code, there's inherent risk. Developers should vet plugins carefully and consider additional sandboxing or code review processes for sensitive applications.

Question 4

Can I use Pluggable Electron with React or Vue?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the demo includes a with-vue branch showing integration with Vite and Vue, but it requires specific setup to handle packaged frontend frameworks, as noted in the README under the Demo section for catches with such frameworks.

Question 5

How do I handle plugin updates in Pluggable Electron?

Accepted Answer

The framework provides lifecycle management tools, but specific update mechanisms need to be implemented using the APIs for installing and registering plugins, with version checks and possible re-activation, as suggested in the plugin lifecycle documentation.

Question 6

What are the performance costs of using Pluggable Electron?

Accepted Answer

Plugin activation and execution add overhead, especially if many plugins are loaded synchronously during startup. The README recommends strategies like activating plugins only before relevant extension points to mitigate performance impact.

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