Registry / devops / vite-plugin-electron

vite-plugin-electron

library0.29.1jsnpmunverified

A Vite plugin that integrates Electron main process and preload scripts into the Vite build pipeline, supporting hot reload for main process via electron-rebuild (HMR). Current stable version is 0.29.1. The plugin automatically starts Electron after Vite server is ready and allows configuring entry files, build options, and external dependencies. Actively maintained with frequent releases. Key differentiator: full HMR support for Electron main process, unlike alternatives like electron-vite which require separate builds.

devops

npm install vite-plugin-electron

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · VITE-PLUGIN-ELECTR

vite-plugin-electron

devopsjavascriptv0.29.1

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

vitePluginElectron

✓ import vitePluginElectron from 'vite-plugin-electron'

✗ const vitePluginElectron = require('vite-plugin-electron')

ESM-only since v0.28; default export is the plugin factory function.

defineConfig

✓ import { defineConfig } from 'vite-plugin-electron'

✗ import { defineConfig } from 'vite'

The plugin re-exports defineConfig for convenience; using vite's own defineConfig also works but may miss plugin-specific types.

type VitePluginElectronOptions

✓ import type { VitePluginElectronOptions } from 'vite-plugin-electron'

✗ import { VitePluginElectronOptions } from 'vite-plugin-electron'

Type-only import to avoid runtime side effects; recommended for TypeScript users.

Configures Vite to build Electron main process and preload scripts with HMR support, using two plugin entries.

import { defineConfig } from 'vite'; import electron from 'vite-plugin-electron'; import renderer from 'vite-plugin-electron-renderer'; import path from 'path'; export default defineConfig({ plugins: [ electron([ { entry: 'electron/main.ts', onstart(args) { args.startup(); }, vite: { build: { outDir: 'dist-electron', rollupOptions: { external: ['electron'], }, }, }, }, { entry: 'electron/preload.ts', onstart(args) { args.reload(); }, vite: { build: { outDir: 'dist-electron', }, }, }, ]), renderer(), ], server: { port: 5173, }, });

Debug

Known issues

breakingv1.0.0-beta.1 drops Vite 7 support and requires Vite 8.

fix

Upgrade to Vite 8 or stay on vite-plugin-electron <1.0.0-beta.1

affects: >=1.0.0-beta.1

breakingIn v0.28, the plugin switched to ESM-only; CommonJS require() no longer works.

fix

Use import syntax or dynamic import() from CJS code.

affects: >=0.28.0

deprecatedThe 'main' and 'preload' options in plugin config are deprecated in favor of an array of entry objects.

fix

Use array configuration with 'entry' and 'onstart' fields.

affects: >=0.28.0

gotchaHot reload may not work on Windows if the Electron process exits prematurely; the process must be started via args.startup().

fix

Call args.startup() in onstart callback to ensure proper process management.

affects: >=0.28.0

gotchaIf external dependencies are not listed in rollupOptions.external, they may be bundled incorrectly causing runtime errors.

fix

Add 'electron' and other native modules to external in the Vite build config.

affects: >=0.28.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Error: Cannot find module 'electron'

Electron is not listed as external in the Vite build config for main process.

fix

Add 'electron' to rollupOptions.external in the plugin's vite config.

Error: startup is not a function

Using an older version of the plugin (<0.28) or incorrect onstart signature.

fix

Upgrade to >=0.28 and ensure onstart receives args object with startup method.

Module not found: Error: Can't resolve 'fs'

Default Vite config does not mark Node built-ins as external for Electron main process.

fix

Add 'builtinModules' from 'module' module to external in rollupOptions.

Electron app does not close on Ctrl+C in terminal

Process is not properly killed on Vite server shutdown.

fix

Use args.startup() to manage lifecycle; consider using the 'onstart' callback to gracefully shut down.

Upgrade

Version history

0.29.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

vite-plugin-electron-rendereroptionalNeeded for renderer process integration; peer dependency marked as optional in later versions.

Agent activity

4 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/electron-vite/vite-plugin-electron ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/vite-plugin-electron ↗