[Feature Request]: Integrating Node's native MessageChannel Api into Electron

[SimonSiefke]

Preflight Checklist

• I have read the Contributing Guidelines for this project.
• I agree to follow the Code of Conduct that this project adheres to.
• I have searched the issue tracker for a feature request that matches the one I want to file, without success.

Problem Description

For some time now, Node has had the MessageChannel Api.

const { port1, port2 } = new MessageChannel();
port1.on("message", (message) => console.log("received", message));
port2.postMessage({ foo: "bar" });

This Api is very similar - if not exactly the same - as Electrons MessageChannelMain, however currently both have limitations:

Property	MessageChannel	MessageChannelMain
Port can be transferred to BrowserWindow	no	yes
Port can be transferred to Worker Thread	yes	no
Port can be transferred to Child Process	no	no

Proposed Solution

The proposed solution would be to support Node's native MessageChannel Api, specifically being able to transfer a MessagePort from/to Browser Windows. MessageChannelMain could be deprecated/removed.

Having just one api will greatly simplify development of electron applications:

// Main process
const { port1, port2 } = new MessageChannel()
w.webContents.postMessage('port', null, [port2])
const worker = new Worker("./worker.js");
worker.postMessage(port1, [port1]);


// Renderer process
const { ipcRenderer } = require('electron')
ipcRenderer.on('port', (e) => {
  const port2 = e.ports[0]
  port2.postMessage({ message: 'ping' }) // communicate directly with Worker Process
})


// Worker Process
port1.postMessage({ message: 'pong' })  // communicate directly with BrowserWindow

Property	MessageChannel
Port can be transferred to Browser Window	yes
Port can be transferred to Worker Thread	yes
Port can be transferred to Child Process	no

Alternatives Considered

None

Additional Information

No response

[Sankingraitus]

@sanking

[paralin]

I guess that transferring a MessageChannel MessagePort to main via a contextBridge function is a no-go today?

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70786104/

[paralin]

Transferring MessagePort over the ContextBridge is not supported:

#27024

Transferring MessagePort from preload -> main is supported.
Transferring functions over ContextBridge is supported.

^ Just to clarify to anyone looking at this in future.