CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptpythonnode.jspython-3.xelectron
Athena Wisdom
Athena Wisdom

Reputation: 6811

Communication between Electron Frontend and Python Backend

After developing a Python CLI app, I realized that it's time for it to have an Electron frontend.

How can the Electron app communicate with the Python app in response to a user action on the UI?

Update: Is it typical for the Python CLI app to be converted into a long-running server using like asyncio, and is Kafka for IPC an overkill?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 669

Answers (1)

Expurple
Expurple

Reputation: 921

It depends, but in general it should be possible to use the existing CLI for IPC. You can spawn the CLI app as a subprocess from Electron and communicate with it through standard text streams. Of course, this method is simplistic and works properly only if GUI "owns" a CLI instance and CLI does't need to live longer than the GUI. Also, things become more complicated if either app must be a singleton (e.g. a second GUI instance must connect to the same one CLI instance). In such cases, a server makes sense.

Upvotes: 1

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