Roles · Desktop Developer (Electron/Tauri) · Principal

What a Principal } should know

39 core skills, 54 in total. Expectations per skill, and what changes at the next level.

This page lists what a Principal } is expected to know and do, skill by skill. Core skills are the ones a manager and peers assess in a review cycle; the rest count only in self-assessment. Main areas: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Frontend Development.

39core skills
15additional skills
12skill areas
100%at Advanced or Expert
Assess myself as Principal Full role matrix

Core skills for a Principal

Grouped by area. The label on the right is the expected depth: Awareness, Working, Advanced or Expert.

Programming Fundamentals · 8

Shapes algorithmic standards for Electron desktop. Evaluates WASM vs native modules for computation. Defines performance architecture.

Shapes enterprise async standards for Electron. Evaluates Node.js async evolution. Defines concurrency architecture.

Shapes enterprise code quality standards for Electron. Coordinates quality across teams. Defines best practices.

Shapes enterprise data structure standards for Electron. Evaluates data layer solutions. Defines data architecture for the organization.

Shapes pattern catalog for the organization's Electron desktop. Adapts patterns for TypeScript/Node.js. Publishes best practices.

Shapes enterprise multi-process standards for Electron. Evaluates process model evolution. Defines concurrency architecture.

Shapes OOP standards for the organization's Electron desktop. Defines the balance between OOP and FP in TypeScript. Consults architects.

Shapes enterprise TypeScript standards for Electron. Evaluates TypeScript evolution. Defines type safety architecture.

Backend Development · 1

Shapes enterprise Node.js standards for Electron. Evaluates Node.js LTS strategy. Defines backend architecture for the organization.

Frontend Development · 8

Shapes enterprise build standards for Electron. Evaluates build tools evolution (Vite, Turbopack, rspack). Defines build architecture.

Shapes enterprise component testing standards. Evaluates testing approaches. Defines component quality model.

Modern CSS Expert

Shapes enterprise CSS standards for Electron desktop. Evaluates CSS approaches for desktop. Defines theming strategy.

React Core Expert

Shapes enterprise React standards for Electron desktop. Evaluates React evolution for desktop. Defines UI framework strategy.

Shapes enterprise state management standards for Electron. Evaluates state library evolution. Defines data flow architecture.

Tailwind CSS Expert

Shapes enterprise Tailwind standards for desktop. Evaluates Tailwind vs alternatives for desktop UI. Defines styling strategy.

Shapes enterprise Vite standards for Electron. Evaluates Vite roadmap for desktop. Defines build tooling strategy.

Web APIs Expert

Shapes enterprise Web API standards for Electron. Evaluates new Web APIs for desktop. Defines API architecture.

API & Integration · 2

Shapes enterprise API standards for Electron. Evaluates API patterns. Defines API architecture.

Shapes enterprise real-time standards for Electron. Evaluates WebSocket vs SSE vs WebRTC. Defines real-time architecture.

Cloud & Infrastructure · 1

Docker Expert

Shapes enterprise Docker standards for Electron. Evaluates container strategies. Defines infrastructure.

DevOps & CI/CD · 1

Shapes enterprise CI/CD standards for Electron. Evaluates CI platforms. Defines build infrastructure.

Testing & QA · 3

E2E Testing Expert

Shapes enterprise E2E standards for Electron. Evaluates E2E tools. Defines QA process.

Shapes enterprise integration testing standards for Electron. Defines test infrastructure strategy.

Unit Testing Expert

Shapes enterprise testing standards for Electron. Evaluates testing frameworks. Defines testing maturity model.

Security · 2

Shapes enterprise secure coding standards for Electron. Evaluates security tools. Defines secure development lifecycle.

AI-Assisted Development · 2

Shapes enterprise LLM strategy for Electron desktop. Defines AI governance.

Shapes enterprise AI coding strategy for Electron. Defines AI governance.

Observability & Monitoring · 1

Shapes enterprise observability standards for Electron. Defines data retention policies.

Version Control & Collaboration · 2

Code Review Expert

Shapes enterprise review standards for Electron. Defines review culture. Coordinates cross-team review.

Git Advanced Expert

Shapes enterprise Git strategy for Electron. Evaluates monorepo vs polyrepo. Defines Git governance.

Desktop Development · 8

Shapes enterprise update strategy for Electron. Designs centralized update infrastructure. Evaluates enterprise deployment (MDM, SCCM).

Electron Core Expert

Defines Electron platform strategy for the organization. Evaluates Electron vs Tauri vs CEF. Shapes enterprise standards for desktop web applications.

Shapes enterprise security standards for Electron. Evaluates Electron security roadmap. Defines compliance requirements for the organization.

Shapes enterprise IPC standards for Electron. Evaluates new IPC approaches (UtilityProcess, WebWorkers). Designs scalable IPC architecture.

MVVM Pattern Expert

Shapes architectural standards for the organization's Electron development. Evaluates architectural patterns for complex desktop. Defines enterprise architecture guidelines.

Shapes enterprise offline-first strategy for Electron. Evaluates sync engines (CRDTs, Replicache). Designs sync infrastructure.

Shapes enterprise plugin strategy for Electron. Designs plugin SDK and marketplace. Defines monetization model.

Additional skills

Not assessed by the team, but part of the self-assessment and the development plan.

Apache KafkaAPI DocumentationAWSCursor IDEDatabase IndexingGraphQL DesignKubernetes CoreNetwork FundamentalsOpenTelemetryPostgreSQLPrometheus & GrafanaPrompt Engineering for CodeRedisSystem Design FundamentalsTerraform
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} in the open competency matrix: 54 skills across 5 levels. The matrix is free for individuals and stays free.