Runtime Support: Electron & Muon

[daviddias]

More and more user's have been having trouble using js-ipfs with Electron due to the native module dependencies, see:

• electron-rebuild error #842
• electron app not found wrtc #835
• "assert is not defined" in Electron #852
• Run tests inside electron Node.js and Browser process as well #697

The solution found passes by following this example: https://github.com/electron/electron/blob/master/docs/tutorial/using-native-node-modules.md

We should include instructions to guide users to follow that and also run tests in Electron's Node.js Process + Browser process just to be sure #697

Update: I've started tackling this issue, follow the rest of the thread to check the state of things. tl;dr; You should be able to run js-ipfs in the browser process of Electron just fine if you webpack/browserify js-ipfs, running in the main process (aka Node.js) is stil a ❓ due to native dependencies.

[daviddias]

I believe that the short term solution is making libp2p recipe's pluggable on node boot so that libp2p-webrtc-star can be added if the user wants. Then I can break libp2p-webrtc-star into libp2p-webrtc-star-browser and libp2p-webrtc-star-nodejs, having the nodejs one installed a posteriori by the users if the user wants.

[daviddias]

What would others say it is the best approach here:

• a) Have two versions of webrtc-star published: -nodejs and -browser
• b) Support for DI of the wrtc module.

Initially, I was more thinking of a), but to avoid code duplication and double publishing to npm, I'm not more inclined to b).

The end result is the same if you are running js-ipfs in Node.js, it doesn't bring webrtc-star out of the box, however, if you:

const IPFS = require('ipfs')
const wrtc = require('wrtc')
const WStar = require('libp2p-webrtc-star'))

const node = new IPFS({
  libp2p: {
    modules: {
      transports: [
         new WStar(wrtc)
      ]
    }
  }
})

You get WebRTC in Node.js again.

This would take out all of the compilation issues with electron and enable users to use IPFS with the other transports.

[pgte]

except for wrtc, libp2p-webrtc-star doesn't seam to have any logic specific to any environment, so I suggest using DI, with detailed instructions specific for electron on js-ipfs..

[daviddias]

Ok, the first 🐉, wrtc, is slayed with #884.

I'm still seeing issues with other native dependencies. #884 adds an electron example so that it is quick to test. Any experienced electron devs out there that could check it as well?

@kenshyx, @josselinchevalay, @kyledrake, @negamaxi et all :)