- October 11, 2018
- Posted by: user
- Category: Strategic IT
Web development trend constantly evolving with the most advance platforms and modern technologies that ultimately deliver better user experience than ever before. Use of micro development making it possible to eliminate limitations accessing and using the app almost from any device that popularly termed as
“Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)”.
Progressive web solution combines best features, usability and viewing capabilities using web browsers and in-app mobile browsers, somewhat user can experience like a native mobile app at the same time. Progressive web app proven to be most effective and advantageous over traditional web app and native mobile apps.
Just few years back native mobile apps were considering to be for best user experience but frond end web technologies HTML5, CCS3, JavaScript significantly getting more capable and advanced to build hybrid mobile app and responsive web apps.
Progressive web apps are like an enhancement of existing web technologies that do not require separate bundling or distribution. It serves the key alternatively of native mobile app with a single web version that runs smoothly across all device and clients.
Advantages
Progressive
Build as core tenet with progressive enhancement for every user without restricting viewing, so can be best accessed without browser’s choice.
Like Mobile App
Feel like an app to the user with app-style interactions and navigation.
Safe
Serving with secure protocol – HTTPS to prevent snooping and ensure content hasn’t been tampered with.
Full Responsive
Best fit viewing experience across all devices desktop, laptop, tablet, mobiles
Discoverable
It is discoverable on internet search engine just like normal web using service worker scope to reach potential users.
Cost Effective
Development and maintenance cost is significantly very low in compare to native iOS, Android, Window, Blackberry Development. It is discoverable in search engine for new user acquisition in compare to native apps save marketing cost.
Publication of a progressive web app is as it would be for any other web page. Now, progressive web apps are supported by Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari browsers already.
Technologies
Commonly used technologies serving to create progressive web apps are service workers & manifest.
Service Workers
Service workers provide a scriptable network proxy in the web browser to manage the web/HTTP requests programmatically bridging between the network and device deliver content, even in offline mode deliver performance using cache mechanisms efficiently. Service workers components are effective to deliver performance for progressive web app like web and like a native mobile app.
Powers offline functionalities.
Key Properties of Service Workers:
Trigger and keep alive by events relationship
Synchronize data in the background
Event-driven with time limit scripting contexts and running at the origin
Natural endpoints for runtime services
A script URL & Generic in nature
Containing Registration
Allocated ID or UUID
Script resource map
Skip waiting for the flags
Service workers Benefit
Easily handles push notification
Capability to respond resource requests
Receive centralized updates
manifest.json
W3C defined web Manifest.js is the key component to build progressive web app. Manifest allows to place metadata associated with a web application including:
Links to app icons or image objects
Preferred URL to launch or open web app
Web App Name
Configuration of Data
Default Web App Orientation
Display mode enablement
An App Developer can enable user agents to build progressive web app just like native mobile experience by tweaking, settings or manipulating metadata of the web manifest files.
App shell architecture
Rapid loading become vital and service workers better manages it while storing “Shell” or “user interface” of the responsive web app. Shell provides an initial static frame, a layout boiler plate or architecture where web content loads progressively and dynamically that make user engagement possible despite varying on web connectivity.
Few notable examples of leading PWAs are Google Maps, Uber, Twitter lite, Instagram, Angular PWA Guide & View More…
Angular
Finally, Angular and Node.js are already making platforms available to build Progressive Web Apps – PWAs, Learn More
No wonder if native mobile app to be replaced by PWAs sooner like “An App for everything”.