The Future of Web Apps

PWAs: The Future of Web Apps

Progressive web applications success stories of big business giants are alluring various small and mid-sized businesses. Their on-going popularity has raised the arguments about the PWAs being the actual future of web apps.

Here are some of the top success stories of progressive web apps according to the PWA stats, a website providing community-driven data on PWAs.

• Bookmyshow’s PWA is 54 times smaller than its Android app and 108 times smaller than its iOS apps.
• Uber’s PWA takes 3 seconds to load on the 2G network.
• Pinterest engagements increased by 60% after they rebuilt their mobile site into a PWA.
• Tinder load time cuts to 4.69 seconds from 11.91 seconds.

You must be wondering, how progressive web apps can bring such drastic changes? To answer this question, you need to understand the basic definition of PWAs and the difference between web apps and progressive apps.

What are Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)?

PWAs are the apps which are developed using contemporary web technologies and capabilities. They provide a native app-like experience to its users. In simple language, these web apps are a hybrid of web pages (websites) and mobile applications.

All PWAs are websites written using Javascript, HTML, and CSS. All modern browsers support them which eliminates the need to install a development environment. They come with JSON file which informs the device and web browser that they are dealing with PWAs.

They work on a script known as Service Worker which is independent of the website and runs in the background. This provides push notifications, periodic background syncs, and rich office experiences.

Top benefits of PWAs:

Speed: Smooth navigation even on a low network and seamless loading of animations

Reliable: They work offline and load fast which makes them trustworthy

Engaging: They are capable of receiving push notifications and can be launched from the home screen.

How are PWAs different from native and hybrid applications?

Native applications are developed for a specific operating system like Android, iOS or windows. They interact with the features like camera, GPS, etc. which are in-built in the device.

Different programming languages are used for mobile app development on separate platforms while creating native apps. Like, Java for Android platform, C for iOS platform.

Hybrid applications are those which can run efficiently on all different platforms. The hybrid app development process is highly cost-effective and can be developed by using a single code language.

PWAs, on the other hand, are websites that have been made responsive for mobile phones. They do not require installation on a device which saves space. It is the most cost-effective of all and written in Javascript.

Undoubtedly, progressive web apps have an upper hand over the other two categories of applications. PWAs have eliminated the need for searching apps from web store apps and then downloading them.

These apps get installed instantaneously and can be discovered while browsing the web or via social media. There are many other advantageous features of PWAs that are going to define the future of web apps.

Here are the top features of Progressive web apps which prove that they are the actual future of web apps:

Offline Access:

PWA provides offline access to content. The core of these apps, “Service Worker” always works in the background whether you are online or offline. The previously visited websites can be reached seamlessly because of this feature.

Businesses are using these metro web apps technology in creative ways. The aptest progressive web app examples which run offline is The Guardian’s offline crossword game. You can play this game even if you do not have an internet connection.

Enhance Customer Engagement:

Have you seen prompts from PWAs asking whether you “allow” the website to send notifications or not? When you click on the allow button, you will get the notification about updates even when you are not serving that particular page.

Moreover, PWAs can be added to your home screen with only two taps. Some of these apps can also be set by web app developers to open a splash screen with a full screen and without an address bar. The color theme for the status bar can also be set.

Improve User Experience:

The benefits of PWAs improve the overall experience of the users. They do not have to wait for the page to be loaded and can enjoy their functionality even with low network availability. All the hindrances with native apps like the low speed of internet and less memory space to download apps have been resolved with these apps.

More Secure and Faster:

PWAs use HTTPS which saves all kinds of tampering with contents. This decreases the factor of insecurity to a great extent and makes progressive web apps highly secure in comparison to other applications.

The efficiency of PWAs is highly commendable when the parameter under review is speed. These apps load instantly and it does not matter at what speed your internet is working. The major reason behind this feature is PWAs’ capacity of information caching in the browser and app.

Responsive:

The responsive design has become a necessary feature to be provided by every software development company these days. If this important feature is ignored then your application will be restricted to only one platform and this can bring severe outcomes for your business.

A uniform experience is provided by these applications over all kinds of platforms. Moreover, they seek to provide a continuous experience over several devices by enabling their functioning to cross-platform support.

SEO-friendly:

The URLs of PWAs are SEO-friendly as they are similar to that of websites. This, in turn, makes them accessible by search engines. It enables the recording of user experiences as well as their analysis. The businesses can easily predict their users’ behavior through this data.

Low development costs:

The cost of the development of PWAs is way less than developing a native app for the Android or iOS platform. This cost-effective feature of progressive web apps makes them a popular choice for startups and small size businesses as well.

Along with other benefits of this technology, it can prove to be the best option for companies for getting better results at low cost. This is the reason that small businesses are shifting to PWAs from Android app development although native apps still provide a good user base.

Conclusion:

PWAs are capable of working on multiple platforms at a low cost. They are web-based and much faster and secure than their other counterparts. These highly advantageous features for the businesses are making them a popular custom software development service.

More and more websites are getting turned into PWAs making them the leader of web apps in contemporary times. Undoubtedly, they have a strong presence in the software industry market and pose to be a bright future of web apps!

Please share your views and suggestion in the comment section below. I am a researcher and constant learner who loves when someone reviews her articles.

The Future of Web Apps was originally published in Hacker Noon on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.