What is a PWA and why do we need it?
You know it’s been a long time since the advent of smartphones, and hand in hand came to the usage of native applications. In the present day, can you imagine your day without using a single app?(I know I can’t!) Along with that, there is also an upsurge in business organizations to create a native app of their own. It might be easy to say, but it takes a lot of toil in the maintenance and development of a native app and also becomes a costly affair. However, with the help of PWA (Progressive Web App) you can solve this issue as it combines native applications with the technology of the web.
What does PWA mean?
Starting with the basics, PWA stands for a progressive web app. These are apps made with the help of web technologies like CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, however, infused with the touch of native app’s functionality. After recent additions to it, now one can easily turn a website into a PWA. Therefore, it’s become much easier and faster to build a progressive web app over a time-consuming native application for your website. The best thing about PWA is that it binds the features that native apps have like offline support or even push notifications and has additional features to put a cherry on top.
These days, most online e-commerce websites are using progressive web apps(because, why not?!). For example, if you look at Flipkart’s website, you can easily open the website on your smartphone and it even lets you save it to the home screen. Now, after saving it if you open it from the home screen, it works just the same as any other app you install. You don’t have to open a new tab on Chrome to use, and neither it has a difference in functioning in Android or iPhone. They are gaining popularity with every passing day and within a few years, most business organizations will follow the same path for their benefit.
The difference between native and progressive web apps:
For a normal application on your phone which you download from the play store or App Store for Android and iOS respectively, are mainly built by programming languages that depend on the platform you’re using. If you’re using a phone that is built on the iOS environment then the apps are made using Swift and for the android operating system, apps are created using Java or Kotlin. There will always be shortcuts however limitations are bound to come with them. To create a native app for all platforms, one needs to have optimum knowledge of the technologies.
However, there is something that will give you the taste of both of them, a progressive web app. As these apps run on web browsers, you can easily save them on your home screen and have the same functionality as native apps on your phone.
Browsers on one hand don’t get access to the underlying hardware and software details of your phone, making it more flexible. Thus, users will be more engaged with web-based applications over a native one.
What is the necessity of progressive web apps?
You understand that most applications on the web are made with different programming languages than native mobile applications. You won’t be finding any language that works for both native apps or web apps at the same time. The fundamental difference between native apps and web apps is on the front side of web development.
For example, native applications require platform-specific programming languages however for applications on the web we need HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, there are other languages like React, Angular, PHP to create web apps. Most native apps for Android build with the help of Java or Kotlin, while Swift is used to create IOS apps. However, some may say, we can use third-party apps like Camaron to code, but again you’ve to change into native languages before they are compiled.
However, there are several limitations to PWA like: -
a) Constant need for internet connectivity.
b) Uses web server for loading the web pages using the browser.
c) Very limited access to resources of your device.
d) It does not support Native notifications
Even if you talk about the performance of web applications, it declines if you don’t have strong internet connectivity. A statistic states at present over fifty percent of the world population is still using the 2G internet (Shocking, but true). However, the remedy of the above-mentioned problems is directly solved with the help of progressive web apps.
Characteristics of progressive web apps are
Faster
The experience you’ll be having while using a progressive web app will be much faster than a native app. It works consistently smoothly from the moment you download it and start interacting with the functionalities of the app. It works so fast because you can easily cache the data, and you can restart the app without starting the network.
Better User experience
As you already know, the feel and functionality of progressive web apps are almost similar to native apps. As they lay on the home screen and also send push notifications. Therefore, the experience is smooth and integrated.
It has a reliable experience
The best thing is with the help of service workers you get a message on the screen when there is some problem with your internet connectivity.
Keeps the user engaged
Another significant thing about progressive web apps is the ability to send notifications to the user, it helps to keep your customers engaged with new content and offers. Thus, the traffic will be better.
