Electron Forge

Electron Forge is a free, open-source tool for building and distributing Electron apps. It suits developers who want project setup, packaging, signing, and publishing in one workflow, with room to add custom build steps. Its range is compelling for conventional Node.js projects, but its dependency layout requirements can be a deal-breaker.

Overview

Forge connects the path from a new Electron project to platform-specific installers and published artifacts. The workflow can handle common distribution needs without requiring a separate tool for every stage, while plugins, Makers, and Publishers leave room for project-specific build and storage targets.

That flexibility comes with setup constraints. Forge requires Node.js 16.4.0 or later, Git, and a JavaScript package manager. Packaging also requires dependencies in an on-disk node_modules directory; symlinked dependencies and Yarn Plug'n'Play are not supported by its module resolver. Projects using those layouts must adjust their package manager configuration or choose a different approach.

Key features

The create-electron-app script scaffolds projects with first-party Webpack, Webpack with TypeScript, Vite, or Vite with TypeScript templates. Those templates include production bundling plugins and a development server, making them useful starting points for teams that want a working frontend build setup as part of project creation. Documentation also covers Parcel, React, React with TypeScript, and Vue 3.

Forge's Makers produce platform-specific formats including DMG, AppX, Flatpak, DEB, RPM, Snap, MSIX, MSI, ZIP, and Squirrel.Windows. This breadth makes Forge a practical fit when one Electron app needs packages for several operating systems. Signing guides cover Windows and macOS, and the Plugin API allows teams to add build logic or create their own Makers and Publishers.

Publishers send artifacts from the make command to distribution services, update servers, or storage such as an S3 bucket. The GitHub Publisher supports GitHub Releases and GitHub Enterprise with host configuration. Forge also documents automatic updates through a free Electron team service for open-source GitHub apps, static storage publishers, or a hosted update server. macOS automatic updates require a signed app. An Electronegativity plugin can check for misconfigurations and security anti-patterns.

Pricing

Electron Forge is open source and free. Its Electron Forge plan costs nothing, with no paid plans or usage limits stated. That makes it suitable for individual developers and teams that need a distribution workflow without a subscription.

Platforms

Forge targets Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its Makers cover formats such as DMG for macOS, AppX and MSI for Windows, and DEB, RPM, and Flatpak for Linux. The range is useful for desktop distribution across major operating systems, though the exact package format depends on the target platform and Maker.

Who it's for

Forge fits Electron developers who want to move from project scaffolding to packaging and distribution with minimal initial configuration, while retaining extension points for specialized workflows. It is less suitable for projects that depend on symlinked packages or Yarn Plug'n'Play and cannot adopt the recommended node-modules setup. The getting-started guide recommends node-modules mode for Yarn 2 or later and node-linker=hoisted for pnpm.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Scaffolding templates, packaging, signing guidance, and publishing options connect several distribution tasks in one workflow.
• Pros: Custom plugins, Makers, and Publishers support project-specific build logic and destinations.
• Pros: It is free and targets Windows, macOS, and Linux with a broad set of documented output formats.
• Cons: Packaging requires an on-disk node_modules directory, excluding symlinked dependencies and Yarn Plug'n'Play layouts.
• Cons: macOS automatic updates require a signed application, adding a prerequisite for that update path.

Alternatives

Choose Tauri Bundler if you need an open-source Rust library that wraps Rust executables in OS-specific bundles and can target Android and iOS as well as desktop platforms; its public API stability is not strictly SemVer.

makeself is a free option for creating self-extracting archives for Unix-compatible systems. For packaging Linux software, nFPM is another free alternative.

electron-builder and electron-packager are free alternatives for Electron apps targeting Linux, macOS, and Windows. electron-packager requires Node.js 22.12.0 or higher.

Consider InstallAware if its free Visual Studio edition fits your setup; it requires Visual Studio and is free for commercial use. IzPack is a free option under Apache License 2.0. NSIS is free for any use and creates Windows installers up to 2GB.

Browse more options in Software Packaging Tools.

Verdict

Electron Forge is a strong choice for Electron developers who want a free, extensible route from project scaffolding to signed packages and published updates across desktop platforms. Its main advantage is the breadth of that workflow; its main drawback is the requirement for a conventional on-disk dependency layout. Choose it if your project can meet that requirement, and look elsewhere if symlinks or Yarn Plug'n'Play are essential.