Auto-Update (Desktop Apps)

Auto-update is the machinery that lets an installed desktop app replace itself with a newer version without the user re-downloading anything. For Electron apps this is usually electron-updater: the app checks a feed (an S3 bucket or a GitHub Releases page), downloads the new installer in the background, and applies it on the next restart.

Two rules keep a feed healthy. Versions must be strictly ascending, because updaters only ever move forward; publishing a lower or equal version silently strands the fleet. And every published build must be code signed consistently, since macOS and Windows both refuse to apply an update whose signature doesn't match the installed app.

The failure modes are quiet: an expired certificate, a feed URL that moved, or a version collision doesn't crash anything, it just leaves users pinned to an old build indefinitely. That's why update infrastructure is a disproportionate share of desktop maintenance, as covered in code signing and auto-updates explained.

Deskifier apps update on two layers: your web content updates the moment you deploy, and the native shell updates itself from a managed feed with versioning handled server-side.