What software framework is Discord's desktop client built on?

Discord’s desktop client is built on the Electron software framework.

Electron lets developers package web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into cross-platform desktop applications. Discord uses that approach for its desktop client, rather than maintaining entirely separate user-interface codebases for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Electron combines the Chromium rendering engine with Node.js capabilities and native integrations. This gives Discord a browser-like interface while allowing desktop features such as notifications, file access, hardware integration, and the in-game overlay. Discord has described Electron as part of the collection of libraries used to deliver its desktop experience, alongside technologies such as WebRTC for real-time audio and video.

Electron is not the same thing as Discord’s entire technology stack. The client includes Discord-specific code, native modules, networking systems, and other libraries. Nor does the answer apply unchanged to every Discord app: mobile clients use mobile-platform technologies, while the browser version runs directly in a web browser. Electron is the framework associated specifically with Discord’s installed desktop client, which is why it supports multiple computer operating systems from a shared foundation.