How to add worker thread in Electron JS?

Question

How do we add worker thread in Electron JS? I have tried below which works fine in dev mode.

const worker = new Worker(path.join(__dirname, 'worker.js'));

But this causes error when the app is packaged, it is looking for worker.js inside app.asar. Even with the worker.js included in build/files.

my solution was to unpack the workers but I can't require my modules, only node native modules. I also tried the cluster module, but it forks the entire electron process and causes bugs. May you can share your technic ? — LeonanCarvalho, Mar 16 '21 at 12:41
I required only 2 workers, so I just created 2 more renderer process without any UI, it was also easier to interact with the renderer process since we could use electron's IPC modules. — Ram Kumar, Mar 17 '21 at 13:40
I know this has been posted more than two years ago, but how did you communicate between the two render processes? I am currently facing your exact issue at the moment. — Barbarian772, Apr 19 '23 at 06:48
Hey, I actually have the same problem. Is there any solution available? — Wokers, Apr 20 '23 at 14:15

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 25 '23 at 10:05

1

I actually have found the answer on Webpack documentation.

new Worker(new URL('./worker.js', import.meta.url));

and it worked for me. https://webpack.js.org/guides/web-workers/

answered Apr 25 '23 at 10:05

Wokers

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Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Apr 28 '23 at 03:20

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 20 '23 at 20:52

You probably need to do a patch like this instead of using __dirname, because __dirname will resolve to the ASAR when in production, as you have found:

const { app } = require('electron');

const rootPath = app.isPackaged ? app.getAppPath() : __dirname;
const worker = new Worker(path.join(rootPath, 'worker.js'));

https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/app#appispackaged-readonly

Note that based on your exact setup you may need to navigate up or down a folder in your production app, in which case you can use something like:

const rootPath = app.isPackaged ? app.getAppPath() : path.join(__dirname, '..');

How to add worker thread in Electron JS?

2 Answers2