I would go for a progressive web app (PWA), if feasable; if not I would use React native. I think PWAs is where we’re headed. For web devs this is a very tempting route, as it’s pretty easy to convert a tradtidtional web app to a PWA.
Not really, as I’ve never built one ;). But from reading about them and learning from colleagues who’ve built them, they are what I’d try if I had to do something spesifically for mobile.
In my opinion it’s part of the “mobile first” movement in the leading edge of web development. The perception of good frontend performance on mobile devices is increasingly driving architectural decisions on the frontend - example PRPL-pattern.
Yes PWAs creates new opportunities for web. From my perspective, we should apply pwa and mobile app together. For future pwa’s look promising. A serious web app still should care play , app store markets. Customers need time for understand a pwa. They still expect a app in play and app store. A webapp easily can turn a pwa.
Yep…! I need to publish an update to that article though, as it does not cover cache invalidation of the static assets, which can be really annoying.
Quick takeaways:
make sure your /sw.js file is never cached (set a cache-control: max-age=0 header)
I use the webpack-auto-inject-version plugin which makes sure the sw.js file is different on each release, and then hook into onupdatefound to actively purge the browser’s cache.
Well, if you want to deploy your website into an application from the very first go, then clearly, Progressive Web Apps will work perfectly for you. Native apps are time-consuming, they are also very costly and require maintenance after development.
In PWAs, you have most of the advantages that native apps offer. In fact, businesses who work online have started converting their websites into PWAs. Google itself is endorsing Progressive Web Apps. PWAs are taken as a combination of best web and mobile experience. Unlike Native Apps, PWAs can work on all platforms. You don’t need to develop an application for separate operating systems. A single PWA can support all existing operating systems.
The features of Progressive Web Apps set them apart from the Native Apps.
Progressive – Works anywhere, on any device. App-like – Gives almost an app-like experience.
Security – Safe TLS via HTTP. Discoverable – PWAs can be found on search engines.
Linkable – Apps can be shared by sending URLS. Offline Mode – PWAs can work without internet.
Fast – Increased page load & performance of apps. Responsive – Scalable UI & automatically adjustable for all devices. Installable – Allows app installation on home screen. User Engagement – Provides an immersive user experience to users.
Also, In PWA you can optimize your website on the web search engines. However, you can’t get the luxury of App store optimizing that is available is Native apps. Native apps cost both time and money. In contrast, Progressive Web Apps are cost-effective & easy to deploy.
We have a complete article on the same subject of what is PWA.
So, if you can get all the added features and also enjoy the native app-like feel that ensures enhanced UX, then remember that PWA is the best choice available for you.
