NIniutech·Jun 9, 2022
Before Electron (f.k.a. Atom-Shell), there was Node-Webkit (l.k.a. NW.js), which also was a foundation for plenty of apps: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/List-of-apps-and-companie...
In Sunsetting Atomnwjs
nw.js
JavaScript2012–2022
nwjs / nw.js
nw.js
Call all Node.js modules directly from DOM/WebWorker and enable a new way of writing applications with all Web technologies.
82Distinct people
92Mentions
0Explicit recommenders
41.1KGitHub stars
What to know before exploring
What it is
Call all Node.js modules directly from DOM/WebWorker and enable a new way of writing applications with all Web technologies.
GitHub
Where it is used
No documented product use was verified in the last source check.
What people are saying
No recommendation phrase was found in the indexed comments.
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Also in these discussions
- electron/electron · linked in 4 of the same discussions
Mentioned in the same Hacker News threads. That is not proof they are substitutes.
This week on Hacker News
Nov 7–Nov 14 UTC · Direct repository links and separately labeled related project stories. Indexed through 11/14/2026, 3:56:07 PM UTC.
No direct repository links were found in the indexed HN discussions over the past seven days. Older discussions are available below.
Mentions over time
HN mentions by year92 dated mentions
Observed mentions: 2012-05-12 13:46:26 UTC to 2022-06-09 09:54:49 UTC.
Counts come from the repository’s dated source evidence. Index cutoff: 2026-11-02 08:16:59 UTC.
View mention counts and date ranges
| Period | Start (UTC) | End (exclusive, UTC) | Mentions | Submissions | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2012-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 2013 | 2013-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2014-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 28 | 2 | 26 |
| 2014 | 2014-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 33 | 5 | 28 |
| 2015 | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 13 | 3 | 10 |
| 2016 | 2016-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2017-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2018-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2019-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2020-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2021-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2022-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2023-01-01 00:00:00 UTC | 2 | 0 | 2 |
What Hacker News says
92 sourcesThere is also NW.js (f.k.a. Node-Webkit), which was preceding Electron and was also a foundation for a lot of apps: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/List-of-apps-and-companie...
In Sunsetting AtomIf people complain about the binary size and/or memory usage, one tip would be to see if it'll run with either NW.js or Tauri, should be close to a drop-in replacement.
Tauri is even smaller than NW.js (I think ~600kb hello-world binary size) but uses Rust in it's toolchain way under the hood to build, so take that as either a positive or a negative.
https://github.com/tauri-apps/tauri
NW.js is essentially lighter-weight Electron.
https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js
Would be neat if it was a straighforward implementation and produced tiny self-containing cross-platform binaries.
Disclaimer: I also have no idea how gamedev works though, so this might not be applicable
In LEd: Open-Source 2D Level EditorIsn’t NW.js way better than Electron?
And they have a robust ecosystem
https://hackernoon.com/why-i-prefer-nw-js-over-electron-2018...
https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js
In Synchronous Messaging at Mozilla: The DecisionAgreed. I think NW.js is great (https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js). Especially the binary blob feature which can be used to compile JavaScript to V8 bytecode, and obfuscate portions of your source for security purposes.
In Electron 6.0Hi, you may find a solution in the "node-main" key of a nw.js application manifest without sandboxing, see the manifest format here https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/manifest-format
In Ask HN: Deploy a sandboxed desktop software?with node-webkit you can just point nw.exe at a package.json allowing the user to just have a single node-webkit install and can run multiple apps.
https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/
In Put your Electron app on a diet with ElectrinoNW.js v0.23 will support headless with Chromium 59. I've been collecting feature requests and sharing the plan. Please see https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/issues/769#issuecomment-259867... and https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/issues/769#issuecomment-294064...
In PhantomJS: Stepping down as maintainerI am curious about the possibility of this leading to source code protection in Electron.
The Electron team declined to support source code protection, judging it too difficult to implement. [0] NW.js supports the feature but with severe limitations that the Electron team understandably did not want to replicate. [1]
Roger Wang of NW.js fame recently tweeted that the NW.js implementation is about to get a whole lot better due to this new compiler landing in V8. [2]
Could this new development in V8 put source code protection back on the table for Electron? I posted this question to the official Electron discussion forums too a few days back, but I'd be curious to hear more input on the topic, thus posting it here as well. [3]
[0]: https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/3041
[1]: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/protect-javascript-so
Read the rest
Re: tested in production - NW.js has also a wealthy portfolio of apps: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/List-of-apps-and-companie...
In Run Chrome apps in ElectronWas recently looking for information on building desktop apps with Electron or NW.js. Found a few useful links regarding source code protection. In short: Documented method is v8 snapshots. They are compiled code, run slower and are not cross platform.
* Using v8 snapshots - https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/Protect-JavaScript-source...
* Electron thread about source code protection - https://github.com/atom/electron/issues/3041
The second link has a lot of comments with useful information. One of them mentions that v8 snapshot format is documented and also that the actual code is shipped with the snapshot for future optimizations. nw.js just removes the sourcecode from the snapshot.
I'm curious if there is any reliable means of source code protection for Electron or NW.js apps.
In Building a cross-platform desktop app with NW.js, React and FluxEndless list of interesting apps using nw.js
2 points · Open discussionJust one click through and you arrive at the README: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js (the website is clearly, unfortunately, geared towards people in the know).
nwjs (node-webkit formerly) is a Chromium wrapper that lets you deploy web apps as desktop apps, simple as that.
In Why we maintain desktop apps for OS X, Windows, and a web applicationYou simply zip the files and rename to dot nw. Then the first time the user runs the file, the user needs to select "open with nw.exe".
ref: https://github.com/nwjs/nw.js/wiki/How-to-package-and-distri...
You probably want to include an "install" script that:
* Download and install nwjs if it doesn't exist
* Make the "package" open with nw.exe
* optionally: Create a shortcut to the "package" on the desktop
* optionally: Set a icon for the shortcut
Or instruct the user on how to do it. Many files work that way, that you have to select a program to open it with, so the user probably already knows how to do it.
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