Progressive Web App, or PWA is a term used to denote a software development methodology where It is seen as a "hybrid". It evolves from regular web pages seen on websites from browsers and mobile applications like apps.
What it does, is to offer the best of browser features with the benefits of mobile experience.
PWA was originally proposed by Google in 2015. The term was first coined by a designer Frances Berriman and Google Chrome's engineer Alex Russell to describe new features supported by modern browsers, including Service Workers and Web App Manifests, that let users upgrade web apps to their native OS.
Since then, the project has attracted a lot of attention because of its relative ease of development and its advantages in giving a better user experience.
Think PWA as a website built using web technologies but acts and feels like an app. With its advancements, PWA with the availability to cache and push API, for example, allows developers to create web apps on home screen, receive push notifications and work offline.
Here, PWA can take the advantage of the web's much larger ecosystem that include plugins and its massive community. With the web app's relative ease and easiness to maintain, PWA combines all that with the effectiveness of native's mobile apps.
Progressive Web Apps, The Hybrid In Between
Web apps that need browser to run are easy to access Users no matter what device they use, can access their favorite internet service in no time without having to installing anything. On developers' side, web apps are easier to maintain.
But the popularity of web apps have slowed down with more robust mobile apps available.
Mobile apps don't have such drawbacks. They're relatively faster and perform much better on mobile. They can have push notifications and create engagement far better than websites. It's a lot easier to open an app than opening a browser. And because a well-designed app can have many of its resource data stored inside a device, it can run faster and consume much less data.
But a research has concluded that on average, an app loses about 20 percent of its users every step between the first user's interaction with the app and user starting to use the app. Also, mobile apps have their own learning curve.
Here is where PWA takes its advantages forward. Using PWA, users can start using apps immediately. This is possible because PWA eliminates the unnecessary downloading and installing steps.
The name "hybrid" name comes when PWA mimics the native mobile characteristics. While users can use it whenever they want, but when they return to the app, they will be prompted to install the app and upgrade it to have the full-screen experience. So PWA requires users to download, install and occupies space, as well as on home screens of the mobile devices. Because PWA shares its DNA with web apps, they run partially in the mobile browsers, but somehow they don't maintain the shared principles of the web.
This is why having PWA is like as easy as firing up a browser with no complications.
As a whole, PWA can bridge the gap between web apps and mobile apps by leveraging its collection of technologies, design concepts, and Web APIs that work in tandem. It can further propel mobile web forward and bring parity to web and mobile apps. For developers, PWA can make them reach more users beyond the confined space of app stores.
In the process, they might even push the mobile web forward, bring parity to web and native apps, and help mobile developers reach more users beyond the confines of the app stores. In short, PWA bring features users are expecting from native apps to the mobile browser experience in a way that uses standards-based technologies and run in a secure container accessible to anyone on the web.
Do You Need It?
The answer depends on many factors. People are already familiar with both mobile web apps and mobile apps. The thing about PWA is that it wants to make experience better by cutting down the process of having using a service to expect more returning users.
To understand PWA better, we should first understand its principles:
- They aren't linkable because they don't have a URL. WIthout URL, they aren't part of the web.
- They have markup and styling, making them accessible to human and search engine visitors.
- Having user interface with system capabilities.
- Open source, free to use.
Then there are PWA's characteristics according to Google:
- Progressive: Cross-browser and built with progressive enhancement in its core.
- Responsive: It can fit any screen resolution and size.
- Connectivity independent: With Service Workers, it can work offline or on low quality networks.
- App-like: Have the interactivity and feel of mobile apps with navigation with its app shell model.
- Fresh: Also because Service Workers, it can make contents up-to-date.
- Safe: Because it's served via HTTPS, it's secured.
- Discoverable: Having the ability of web apps, PWAs are identifiable as "applications", allowing search engines to index them.
- Re-engageable: Because of having features of mobile apps like push notifications.
- Installable: Allowing users to keep app they want on the homescreen without having to install it from the app store.
- Linkable: Doesn't require complex installation and can be easily shared via URL.
To answer whether your need PWA or not for your next project, or just create web-based apps or mobile apps, you should first consider who are your users and what are their most important actions.
Being "progressive," in PWA means it works in all browsers, and the experience is enhanced whenever the user's browser is updated with new and improved features and APIs. So there is no compromise in user experience with PWA if compared to ordinary websites or web apps.
But if you need functionalities like the ability to run offline, for example, PWA will make things better for you.
On the other hand, if you need certain features for critical actions, but aren't yet available due to the lack of cross-browser support, mobile apps should be a better solution. With them, you can guarantee the same experience for all of your users.
Conclusion
Progressive Web Apps are already having their equal parts of the new Web APIs, design patterns and marketing. As the mobile web we know comes closer to parity with mobile and native apps through app manifest and homescreen install support, PWA can create amazing mobile experience with less app drawbacks.
The future of the web isn't at PWA as it' practically everywhere. New evolving technologies are meant to aid the existing ones by covering up their weaknesses and boost their advantages. Technologies like PWA itself, is known as a technology stack where it powers a rapidly increasing number of service.
On the modern days of the internet, web technologies are used by millions of apps by billions of people. But so far, mobile web apps that were good at their job, are becoming the stripped-down experience of mobile apps. And for the real thing that makes the two apart, PWA wants to be there to provide its own way of solution by bringing the best of both worlds.