Languages such as C++, C# and even Python have long been used to create 

 applications for Windows.  However, this isn't commonplace for Node applications written in JavaScript.  Here's how and why I combined existing tools to create .exe files for Node.js using 

) are executable applications for the Windows platform.  They contain a set of low-level CPU instructions thatare sequentially executed once a user opens the file by double-clicking it.

The problem with distributing JavaScript apps

I originally ran into this problem when trying to distribute 

 to customers.  I used to transpile my TypeScript code to JavaScript, then instruct customers to install Node.js and Python (remember some packages need 

 to build when installing).  I would then send a zipped folder, containing the app.

This caused many headaches.  Sometimes Node.js wouldn't be added to the user's 

Other times, install scripts would fail, they would have 2 versions of Python etc... All in all, what should be a double click to start, could take nearly an hour of setup to get going.

Compiled binaries have a few advantages over zipped bundles of JavaScript.

. No need to zip anything or make sure files are in the right folder; once downloaded, you're good to go.  Users don't care about how the app works, they just want your app to work.  This cuts out all the associated problems with a fragmented app.

.  While JavaScript can be easily read, modified and reverse-engineered by anyone with the requisite knowledge, compiled binaries are far harder to read and edit.  After being transformed to bytecode, the inner workings of your app become unobtainable knowledge to everyone bar the few modders and reverse engineers.

.  Aside from some basic requirements such as a recent-ish install of Windows (7, 10 or 11), compiled apps will work regardless of where they are given they don't rely on external dependencies.  They also have added bonus of working on any hardware, just like JavaScript running on Node.

 build sizes.  Despite the fact that Node.js is bundled into the executable, the final build size for a moderately sized app ends up around 30MB - 40MB.  Simply the 

 folder for this project is substantially larger, sitting at 200MB, and that's not even including the size of Node.js.

This was the solution I needed.  Ever since implementing the extra step to build to 

 in my build script, I haven't once thought of going back.

Alternatively, you can completely customise the appearance of the final output with a few extra fields.

, meaning we don't have to duplicate information. 

You can tweak these values how you like to personalise the output 

I also recommend adding this script to your 

For TypeScript users, you can simplify specify your 

 file as the entry and everything will be handled for you.

 is simply an abstraction, inspired by combining the power of two packages; Vercel's 

 has since been deprecated, and I've now replaced it with Node's native 

 (Single Executable Applications) and Vercel's 

, while not 100% necessary, makes our lives a lot easier.  It bundles all our project files and dependencies into a single minified bundle.  While we don't need to do this for single file projects (without dependencies), I really hope this isn't your case.  

 can also handle transpiling TypeScript, which means we don't need to employ 

 as a pre-package script.  This is key as we reduce reliance and the need for the end-user to install programs and libraries such as Node.js and the associated modules from npm.

 performs the bulk of the work, allowing us to package JavaScript with the nide binary Node.js into one package. We can use this feature to create cross-platform apps, with options to target operating systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux, depending on which platform you are on.  Using 

, we can actually create fully functional executables right away.  However, currently 

 has no support for changing the appearance or properties of the output file.  This is where 

 is a tool that allows us to directly edit certain properties of any executable file.  In this case, we're modifying the output of our 

 build, adding additional info such as an author, copyright notice, version number and an icon.  Using 

 we can make our app not only function, but also look the part too.

Creating a Windows Executable File (.exe) from a Node.js app

When it comes to Javascript, especially when working in teams, linting and consistent code formatting are non-negotiable.  For years, ESLint was the solution to this problem, providing a highly configurable way to format and lint JavaScript code and its various flavours (such as Typescript & JSX).  Given the hundreds if not thousands of settings available, many turn to established configs like 

 as a base to build their own configs on top of.  From here, you can also publish your configuration as a package on NPM with the format 

 to easily re-use it and update it across projects.

JavaScript on both the web and the server is a constantly evolving language; with new APIs, language features, frameworks and runtimes being dropped seemingly every day.  However, what this means for linting is that new rules and parsers are constantly being added and updated to support all the new additions.  When you maintain your own config, keeping up with this barrage gets tricky.

I primarily work in Typescript, for the kind of self-documenting code that the type system offers, meaning that my ESLint config needs to support Typescript too.  Thus, any base config I choose to extend must support Typescript rules and include a Typescript parser to understand the language features not included in base JavaScript.  Furthermore, a config or parser you extend, not to mention ESLint itself will also have its own dependencies, creating a rapidly growing dependency tree for what should be a small part of your application development tooling.  In my case, my config 

 would pull down around 300 packages alone.  Yes, I also think that's pretty ridiculous.  It's moments like these that make me consider dropping JavaScript for good, until I realise its still the only way to develop a web app.

After hours of wrangling dependencies and config to update my 

, I finally gave up.  The straw that broke the camel's back was the aforementioned 

 that was recently deprecated as the original author found maintaining the repository to be too time consuming and relentless.  Now I'm not blaming the author or maintainers of 

, as without their work, other config authors would have a lot more work ahead of them to get up and running.  ESLint was updated to version 9, with the major version bump signalling a lot of breaking changes to existing plugins and configs.  While breaking changes is nothing unsurmountable, what is is updating the roughly 300 package that my config directly or indirectly depends upon.  Initially I waited until slowly one-by-one, packages updated to support 

, with each day bringing the ecosystem closer to the point when I could finally update my own config.  However, after days, weeks, months and now what is nearly a year, we still weren't ready.  That's when I got this message from a long-time colleague:

Written in Rust, the JavaScript tooling world's favourite child, 

 aims to replace ESLint and Prettier with a solution that learns from the mistakes of its predecessors.  Its main claim to fame ~35 times faster formatting and linting (which I can attest to, does hold up in real, large projects), but it also includes first-class support for Typescript and JSX - a must have for my use cases.  This is huge.  No longer do we need to import new parsers and configs to create a linting system that works for what are now ubiquitous technologies.

After thoroughly reading through the docs, I decided to start putting together my own config, migrating my settings from my old ESLint config.  While Biome does have a tool for this exact scenario, I found it didn't fare so well porting over various rules from obscure plugins, so I did what any sane person would and went through every default-disabled rule on Biome and flipped certain rules on one at a time.  This endeavour took the better part of an afternoon, but in the end I had my very own config, 

.  Sitting pretty at just under 100 lines of JSON, this config defined exactly how I wanted my code to look and behave.  That's it.  No plugins, no base configs, no dependencies.

The config has exactly one peer dependency, 

 aka, Biome itself.  As JavaScript develops and so does Biome, this means I will only have to follow one project; Biome.

Since creating this config, I've switched all my active projects both work and personal to Biome and have had no qualms.  The toolchain includes popular editor integrations, enabling red squigglies with accompanying and helpful warnings and automatic refactoring suggestions.  Furthermore, I mentioned earlier that Biome is fast.  At 

, we used to lint and format our ~30,000 line codebase with ESLint which would entail waiting around for 30 seconds while the JavaScript based linter slowly worked its way through the repo.  With Biome, the story is completely different, the entire project is linted and formatted in under 1 second.

Biome Forever (or at least for the foreseeable future...)

In conclusion, Biome emerges as a compelling alternative to ESLint and Prettier, offering a one-stop-shop for linting and formatting in JavaScript projects. Biome really excels in these areas:

: Biome is built with Rust, providing significant speed improvements over JavaScript-based tools. This results in faster linting and formatting processes, enhancing developer productivity.

: Biome offers out-of-the-box support for TypeScript and JSX, eliminating the need for additional parsers or configurations.

: Biome operates with zero configuration with sensible defaults, by the customisation is there if you want it.

: With Biome, the dependency tree is entirely eliminated, removing the bloated 

With all that said, this might read like an ad, but it truly isn't, I just enjoy the tech, and for my part, I'm happy to escape dependency hell.

Linting & Formatting are Non-Negotiable: Biome over ESLint

After packaging my Gameflip command-line applications into Windows executables (as explored in a 

), end users found it significantly easier to get up and running, with setup now being a single download.  This means that they no longer needed my help to set up a clunky Node.js environment and run JavaScript directly on their computer.  Great, right? Well, yes. However, it also meant that anyone with the executable and a mouse to double-click could run the app — including those who weren't my customers.

I discovered that my application had been spreading like wildfire between Gameflip sellers with compensation returning back to me for my hard work.  If only there was a way to ensure that my customers could use the software like normal, but those with pirated copies couldn't...

DRM or Digital Rights Management is the practice of locking down software or media to limit access.  It's primary goal is to stop (or more realistically, hinder and slow) piracy.  In terms of software applications, this generally means some form of licencing system.

The solution was to set-up a licencing server.  The goal of a licencing server is to determine whether an individual or specific copy of software should be allowed to run.  In my case, I don't care where a customer runs the software from — be it their desktop, laptop or even a friends computer — as long as they are a customer.

Licence keys are simply codes that a user can enter in to validate their purchase of a certain software application.  Traditionally, these keys were algorithmically validated offline, i.e. allowing use of the program without internet, but this method has gone out of fashion.  Todays, keys are often validated against a licencing server as this process is harder to reverse engineer en masse.

While account-bound licences may seem like a sensible way to ensure that only authorised users can use software, there's a catch.  It's well known that friends and family often share a login for Netflix.  What would stop someone from doing the same with an account for your software?  The answer is that the account has to be important or valuable.  For example; its rare that you'd see someone hand over their Google account to a friend due to how much personal information is stored there.  All your emails, documents, photos and more are sensitive and important.

Luckily, we can leverage the "importance" or "value" of services like Google or Microsoft accounts to make our licence accounts valuable too.  Instead of providing a separate login for our licencing account, we can instead use OAuth to login via the aforementioned methods.  This means that in order to share the licence, a customer would also need to share the login details to their Google account... less appealing.  While it is possible for someone to create a separate Google account for the sole purpose of sharing a licence, the barrier to entry for this kind of sharing is significantly higher and as we have established, DRM isn't foolproof, it's simply a way of making piracy more inconvenient than just paying for the software in the first place.

While it's all well and fine to ensure that you aren't being stolen from using DRM, with great power comes great responsibility.  The truth is, a large amount of software featuring DRM sucks.  These piracy prevention measures often come at the cost decreased usability.  Even the act of entering a licence key in first boot is more cumbersome than just starting the software.  The games industry is notorious for creating systems that lock customers out of their accounts, data and or hurting performance.  Just take a quick search of Denuvo to see what I'm talking about.

As developers, we must keep in mind that it is our job to implement DRM in a seamless way for customers.  There are 3 factors to consider:

Does the DRM implementation adversely affect the function of the application for customers?

Will that application still work when the licensing servers are offline or sunset?

Does the DRM actually discourage or inhibit attempts at piracy?

In nearly all cases, DRM makes the user experience of software worse not only for pirates, but also legitimate users — i.e. your customers.  Your customers are paying you for a worse experience when you add DRM.  It's no wonder there is so much pushback against developers that implement DRM in attempt to bolster their bottom line.

When we add DRM, we should really think about how it will affect the user experience.  For example, with my Gameflip bot, I simply ask a user to provide a link to their Gameflip profile when purchasing their licence, and from then on, the user experience is identically to that of the software before the licencing system was implemented.  This is because in order to use the Gameflip software, the user needs to configure their Gameflip API credentials.  Now, at each startup, the software can silently check that the logged in user has purchased a licence with my licencing server.  If the check comes back positive, then the user will have no idea it even happened.

In all, this simple check takes less than a second and only requires additional action from the user once — at the time of purchase.  The DRM friction for paying customers in this case is incredibly minimal, reducing the chance that the user experience will be harmed.

It's all well and good to provide reliable licencing servers in the short term, however its a complete fantasy to believe that we as developers will maintain a project forever.  One of the major arguments against DRM is what happens when the licencing servers go down?  The system could break down for any number of reasons; the company no longer wants to pay the cost of maintenance, they can't pay it, perhaps the server moves to a different address or the API spec changes.  When building licencing into our software, we can't just code for the happy path.  We need to allow for any passive licencing failure to pass through as a success.  What do I mean by this?

Failed to resolve domain? Licencing check ✅

Couldn't parse the response? Licencing check ✅

If there is any issue validating the licence, it should instantly be treated as a valid licence.  While this policy does allow for workarounds by those smart enough to intercept the response from the licencing server, the reality is, most users will simply just buy the software because it is easier.

The last thing to think about is the most fundamental of all.  After considering the paying customer experience and adapting your solution to suit, does it prevent piracy in a meaningful way at all?  Like seriously, if its trivial to work around, what the point in implementing DRM at all?  The process takes time, testing, and inevitably some annoyed users when you mess up in production.  Just taking a few minutes to brainstorm some potential workarounds or pitfalls could save you hours of work.

DRM isn't the cure-all for piracy, it's merely an speed bump.  It's an inconvenience that should make paying for your work the easier choice, while not passing on this burden to your customers.  For the sake of all of us, developers and customers alike, I ask that when you next implement DRM into your product, take the time to think about what responsible DRM looks like.

DRM is Killing Software – Fixing It as a Developer

If you're a game developer, gaming community administrator, or just an avid Rocket League player looking to integrate Rocket League stats, news, clubs, ranks, and item shops into your app or website, you're in the right place. In this guide, we'll delve into the details of how to utilize the 

 on Rapid API seems to be the only publicly available way to access import player info such as ranks.  Luckily, as shown from their home page, the API has great uptime and one of the best latencies I've ever seen on Rapid API.  The API offers a variety of endpoints, including:

Player ranks, stats, profiles, clubs & titles.

 and create a free account if you don't already have one. After logging in, search for "Rocket League" in the marketplace and subscribe to the API. Make a note of your API Key as we'll need this later.  You can also navigate directly to the 

Step 2: Testing in the Rapid API Playground

The RapidAPI platform features an interactive playground where you can test API endpoints before integrating them into your application. This is a fantastic feature as it allows you to experiment with different endpoints and understand the responses that you're likely to receive.  This is really crucial because we need to see what we can access through the API before we go out planning, designing and building features in our applications around this API.

Step 3: Using the RapidAPI Code Snippets to Integrate the API into Your Application

RapidAPI provides a handy tool for developers in the form of pre-built code snippets for a variety of programming languages and libraries. This feature significantly simplifies the process of integrating an API into your application, as you can simply copy the provided code and adjust it to fit your needs. Here's how you can use it to integrate the Rocket League API into your application:

Step 3.1: Navigating to the Code Snippets

After you've tested an endpoint and are satisfied with the response, look for the "Code Snippets" section on the right side of the screen in the RapidAPI playground. This section provides pre-built code snippets in several programming languages, including Node.js, Python, Java, and many more.

Choose the programming language or library that you're using in your application. For instance, if you're developing a Node.js application, you'll want to select the "Node.js (Axios)" option. After selecting an option, you'll see a code snippet appear.

Take a moment to read and understand the code snippet. It usually includes:

Importing the necessary libraries (e.g., axios for making HTTP requests).

Setting the request options (e.g., method, URL, headers, and parameters).

Making the request and handling the response.

For instance, a code snippet for the "Get Player Stats" endpoint might look like this:

Once you understand the code snippet, click the "Copy Code" button to copy it to your clipboard.

Step 3.5: Integrating the Code Snippet into Your Application

Finally, paste the code snippet into your application. Make sure to replace 

 with the actual player ID and your RapidAPI key. If necessary, adjust the code snippet to fit your application's needs. For instance, you might want to wrap the request in a function that you can call whenever you need to fetch a player's statistics.

Using the RapidAPI code snippets, integrating the Rocket League API—or any API on RapidAPI—into your application is as simple as copying and pasting a few lines of code. This feature can save you a significant amount of time and help you avoid potential mistakes.

We've just walked through a comprehensive guide to using the Rocket League API available on RapidAPI. We learned how to install necessary packages, fetch data including player stats, ranks, news, clubs, and titles. We also explored testing the API in the RapidAPI Playground and how to leverage the code snippets for quick and seamless integration into our applications.

By harnessing the power of RapidAPI's platform and Rocket League's API, you're able to extend the gaming experience, create engaging content for your users, or even develop unique analysis tools. Remember, the key to successfully integrating any API into your application is understanding the data it provides and how best to use that data in your specific context.

As always, when integrating a third-party API, be mindful of the API's usage policies, ensure to secure your keys, and handle user data responsibly.

If you're interested in game development or looking to build applications around Rocket League or similar games, APIs like this are a potent tool in your toolkit. They can provide a wealth of data and allow you to focus more on creating compelling user experiences instead of worrying about data gathering and management.

Now, you're all set to dive into your own Rocket League data project. Happy coding!

Rocket League API: Fetching Rocket League Ranks, Shops & Player Stats

, that connects sellers and buyers looking for in-game items and digital collectables.  With over 6 million users, Gameflip offers a huge audience and set of potential customers for sellers looking to flip their game items for cash.

However, in order to efficiently sell large volumes of items in competitive sections, you must master the art of being on the front page of Gameflip search results.

The Importance of Gameflip Search Rankings

Gameflip's in-built market search is by far the primary way potential customers can find your products.  This is because once a customer finds what they believe to be a good deal, they're unlike spend extra time flicking through endless pages of other listings.

This is especially pertinent in saturated Gameflip markets such as Rocket League items, where hundreds of sellers are competing to sell the in-game currency, credits to thousands of buyers.  On any given day, there can be over 5,000 listings for credits, meaning in order to sell products, your listings need to be seen first.

The easiest and quickest way to boost sales on Gameflip is by improving your listings.  Listings are what entices a buyer to purchase your products, so they need to be interesting, informative and clear.

The first thing a potential buyer will see before even clicking on your listing, let alone reading the title is the thumbnail.  While it may be tempting to use the default Gameflip thumbnails for convenience, your listing will simply blend into a sea of identical and boring offerings.  Instead, consider making your own, or finding custom thumbnails to use on your listings.

While using a custom thumbnail certainly sets you apart, here are some tips to make sure that you differentiate yourself in a positive way:

 to attract attention, but not too many to avoid overwhelming your customers.

.  Remember, thumbnails aren't very big, so any text can take up valuable real estate on your image.

Include an image of the product in the thumbnail

.  Buyers like to see what they're getting before they buy it, so it is essential that you make the picture of the product the primary focus of the image.

Add a logo or store name to your thumbnail

.  Gameflip doesn't show your store name when searching for items so it can be hard for buyers to identify trustworthy sellers or stores they have bought from before.  Using a name or logo helps bring back repeat customers who recognise your name.

Right away, titles should include the following key elements:

 that may be of special interest to a buyer.  For example, in Rocket League, these may be Special Edition or Paint.

 for listings where you are selling anything more than 1 of an item at once.

Descriptions are powerful tools that can drastically affect your sales on Gameflip if used correctly.  When writing descriptions, you want to try to answer any questions a buyer may have before they even ask them.  Including details such as how the item will be delivered, how quickly it will be delivered and any details on item quality of minor attributes.

You can also boost your search hits by including common names for the item that aren't already in the title.  This ensures buyers can still find your item even if they don't use the name in the title.

Attributes are the small tags attached to your listing that provide categorisations and extra information.  Attributes include:

Tags (special game-specific attributes, such as Paint, Certification, Type, Rarity etc)

These tags are used by Gameflip and buyers to filter and search for items.  If your listing is missing a relevant tag, it will be excluded from searches and you will miss out on extra sales.  Make sure you add all relevant tags and attributes to your listings to cover as many search filters as possible.

One of the most influential factors in determining the search ranking and visibility of a listing is how recent it is.  On Gameflip, newer listings always perform better.  Newer listings will of course be featured at the top of 

 sorting and are almost always at the top of 

(default) sorting.  Don't believe me? Go to 

 and select a category.  Any listing you pick on the front page will be posted a matter of minutes or seconds ago.

If you pay close attention, you'll notice many top sellers will delete and repost all their listings daily, or even more often.  Long time sellers do this to capitalize on how Gameflip promotes newer listings and pushes old ones to the bottom.  While this may seem tedious and a lot of unnecessary work, the results speak for themselves.

In order to reduce the amount of manual work, many sellers use 

 to automatically post listings.  This allows sellers to:

.  An automated listing can be posted in 2 or 3 seconds with minimal or no user input.

.  As mentioned earlier, ensuring that your listing features an informative description, accurate title and useful attributes is key to improving search rankings.  Automated scripts can generate these tags for sellers to reduce inconsistencies.

, or deleting and reposting listings improves search rankings.  Sellers who automatically bump their offers have more time to fulfil orders and interact with customers.

 can be purchased cheaply and are worthwhile investments for any seller looking to move more than a few items a week.

The world of in-game item reselling is notoriously shady as many scammers use the anonymity associated with pseudonyms online to swindle buyers out of cash.  While Gameflip is a very safe place to buy items due to their requirement for sellers to verify their identity, their buyer protections and refund program, some first-time buyers may be wary of buying in-game items for cash.

As a seller, you can build trust with a buyer in a number of ways:

.  An account verified by Gameflip is far more trustworthy than an unverified account as it shows you are a real and genuine person behind the store.  While you do have to provide some form of an ID, if you plan to take selling on Gameflip seriously, it is definitely worth it.

.  Gameflip's reputation system not only affects search rankings but also improves trust with buyers.  Creating a large set of positive reviews will improve your rating that is shown to all buyers.  The best way to build up a good rating is by selling many small items that can be quickly delivered.

  Using the mobile app, Gameflip allows you to set an "Online" status that appears on your posts and profile.  This will entice buyers to shop with you to receive faster delivery as they assume that you will be active and ready.

Using cohesive and professional-looking artwork.

  Make sure you add a professional-looking profile picture and banner to your profile to ensure you look the part to customers.  Having a consistent theme or design across our profile and listings demonstrates a level of effort that may set you apart.

Using these tips, tricks and tools you should be well prepared to sell on Gameflip like you've been doing it for years.  Every bit counts, so be sure to squeeze as much out of the means that Gameflip provides to promote your listings.  Good luck and happy selling!

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Creating a Windows Executable File (.exe) from a Node.js app

Linting & Formatting are Non-Negotiable: Biome over ESLint

DRM is Killing Software – Fixing It as a Developer

Rocket League API: Fetching Rocket League Ranks, Shops & Player Stats

How to Improve Sales and Search Rankings on Gameflip

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