People are spending more time on their smartphones as compared to desktop or laptops. This change in user behavior has had a significant impact on the dynamics of mobile websites.
People are spending more time on their smartphones as compared to desktop or laptops. This change in user behavior has had a significant impact on the dynamics of mobile websites. Even Google has acknowledged this fact and started giving more importance to mobile-friendly websites in its SEO rankings.
Progressive Web Apps Development is becoming the future of Mobile Web by picking up steam and many corporate firms are adopting the technology. Many big-ticket firms like Flipkart, Alibaba, and Pinterest have experienced positive results when they implemented Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
At Prismetric, we provide progressive web app development services and have noticed a substantial uptick in the number of companies enquiring for PWA. Hence, to help out people looking for more information on the topic of PWAs, we decided to provide a little more information than just the basics that can help you understand the importance and feasibility of the technology.
PWAs are proving to be a game-changing technology in Mobile Web
Overview of PWA
PWAs are essentially mobile websites that apply modern technology to deliver an experience similar to that of a native app. PWAs are much simpler to build as compared to mobile apps if the developers have knowledge of HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. PWAs even allow their users to work offline (in some cases where it is not required to be online) and receive push notifications. It can also access device hardware that makes it more competent than your regular mobile website.
With PWA, the mobile web design has reached its 3rd stage. In the First Stage, the websites were static, then came the Responsive Design Model of websites and now PWA is pushing the limits of mobile web design by challenging previous assumptions about mobile web design, transforming the landscape into a dynamic interplay: web app vs website. Now the mobile web application with the PWA technology has a different set of rules wherein the apps can run in the offline mode (depends on the functionality) and the storage limitations of smartphones also apply in an altogether different manner with PWAs.
Frameworks to build a Progressive Web Application
Once the decision of building a PWA is made, the next step is to decide the framework to be used to build your application. There are certain factors that a PWA development service provider checks before deciding on the framework. Here, we have covered some of the most popular ones to provide you an idea about the thought process that goes into making such a decision.
React
React is an open-source web development framework released by Facebook. It has an extensive JavaScript library, good support from the developer community, and has the support of a technology behemoth, Facebook. By using React, the developers can build flexible and scalable PWAs. You can hire expert React developers to help you in building an exquisite PWA.
Angular
One of the most popular frameworks for building a PWA, Angular was introduced by Google way back in 2009. Using Angular, developers can create reliable, robust, and responsive PWAs. Using the service worker component of Angular, even novice developers can build high-quality PWAs.
Vue
Vue is relatively new to the world of programming. Vue has one of the fastest-growing libraries amongst all the frameworks mentioned. One of the major advantages of Vue is that it has a simplistic coding framework and allows high-speed rendering. Using additional packages, the developers can easily scale-up your app in Vue. It is pretty easy for the developers to learn Vue, as the framework is very simple and the concepts are similar to react and angular. (Add the link of Angular VS React Vs Vue here)
The various components of a PWA
There are four important components that make PWA special.
Web Manifest
This is a JSON file that provides the basic Meta information about the PWA. It contains information regarding the app icon, name, background color, etc.
Icon
Like a mobile app, the PWA also contains an icon using which, the user will be able to distinguish one PWA from the other. The icons can be viewed on the mobile screen of a user once the user installs the PWA.
Service Workers
Service workers allow the PWAs to download and cache certain files on the device of the user. The site loads much faster, the next time the user access the same website.
Advantages of PWAs
Works Offline
We have all faced the situation when we needed the internet most and were stuck in an area with the low network coverage. Well, PWAs can solve your problem as they have the ability to work offline. PWAs load almost instantly and save the information when you last used the application.
PWAs use service workers, which are the connection point between the app, the browser, and the network. The PWAs cache the actual response and provide you with the requisite information even when you are offline.
High Flexibility
The PWAs are not constrained by a browser or a particular device(Android or iOS). They provide instant access via all browsers, have equal loading speed, and shareable content.
PWAs can also utilize the functionalities of a mobile app. Like Mobile Apps, PWAs also allows the developers to install features like push notifications and full-screen functionality. PWAs are responsive, meaning that they auto-adjusts according to the layout of the device. Hence, whether it is a tablet, laptop, desktop, or a mobile, PWA will adjust itself to fit every device.
The flexibility that a PWA offers is unparalleled.
Easy to Learn and Update
Progressive web app developers do not need to learn or use new tools. All they need to know is Javascript.
Also, as PWAs are hosted on a web server, the developers do not need to build different versions of the same application. Developers can even auto-update the PWAs.
