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If you've ever built a website for mobile but never heard of PWAs (Progressive Web Apps), I recommend checking them out. In essence, adding 2 files can make the
by merek 9mo ago
If you've ever built a website for mobile but never heard of PWAs (Progressive Web Apps), I recommend checking them out. In essence, adding 2 files can make the site installable from a mobile browser and define caching behavior for offline functionality.
1. manifest.json: a JSON file that defines the app's name, icons, theme colors, and how it should launch when installed.
2. Service worker: a JS file that controls things like resource caching for offline usage
Unfortunately PWAs don't receive first class support compared to native apps. Still, I still hope to see wider adoption. I think for many not-too-complex apps, they can significantly lower the cost of development, and the development experience could be as simple as
- Building with HTML + JS + CSS. No clunky SDKs, reduced need to test on painfully slow emulators or expensive physical devices
- Installable from a browser. No need to maintain a listing in the Playstore/App Store, avoiding policy headaches, rent, etc.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/Tutorials/CycleTracker https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web...
- bdcravens 9mo agoPWAs have been around for several years, and have never caught on despite all the discussion about the evils of app stores, drama with side loading, etc. They're a fine solution, but not a good fit if you're expecting "normal" users to use the app.
- consumer451 9mo agoAlso, iOS really appears to go out of their way to make them work worse. For example, not loading new versions predictably, and the address bar not minimizing like it does on normal websites. I am sure there are many more.
- TheCleric 9mo agoConsidering Mozilla’s flagship browser (Firefox desktop) doesn’t even support the feature, I don’t exactly take that as a good sign.
- wopian 9mo agoWhat? Firefox has supported the PWA standards for well over a decade at this point. One of my old sites installed itself as a persistent PWA that made zero external network requests when relaunched.