- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) is a web application that used to develop Web applications which is different than native mobile apps.
- It is quick, receive push notifications, access it offline, and install it on the home screen.
- Web-based progressive web apps are becoming an increasingly viable solution to many mobile applications.
- They are less costly and less time-consuming to develop and are more widely available.
- The responsiveness of PWAs makes them fit and display well on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.
- A service worker is a key component of PWAs that allows an app to provide offline sync, local caching, and communication between the worker thread and the main browser thread.
- Progressive Web Apps updates are automatic. The app does not notify its user about the upcoming updates and does not require user permission to update itself.
- A progressive Web App development makes the application load faster than a regular websites.
- The updates are independent, you don't need to visit the play store for an update.
- When there is no network access in PWA, the mobile browser uses the application's cache memory to run the PWA program while offline.
How Does a Progressive Web App Work?
- To make a web app a progressive app, a web app manifest, service worker and using HTTPS are the main requirements.
1. Web App Manifest
- A web app manifest adds native mobile app experience to a web application that includes a home app icon, splash screen, and launching an app from the icon in full-screen mode without a browser URL bar. The manifest also manages the app rotation and typography on different mobile screens.- Here example of manifest.json file:
2. Service Worker
- A service worker in PWA is responsible for running some tasks such as notifications, push messages, and sync in the background.- Here example of service_worker.js file:
- Some of the popular PWA apps include Facebook, Pinterest, Flipkart, Telegram, Google Maps, Uber, Starbucks, Twitter, Forbes, and Tinder.
