Is a progressive web application the future?
21. 02. 2022
•
3 min
Time is money.
Today, we want to make as much software as possible with the least amount of effort. Large online stores are developing their own smartphone applications.
But what are the advantages of a progressive app for a business?
Benefits of a mobile application for business
The great majority of us have a mobile device that we carry with us at all times. We check our e-mails, read the news, and shop online.
Many larger businesses have developed their own mobile app. Why?
Because the mobile application, among other things, gives consumers more options. It provides us with more opportunities to interact with potential consumers. It provides us with total creative control over our programs.
Above all, it provides us with unique chances to interact with our consumers.
A mobile application, on the other hand, is a significant investment for a company. Yes, this is correct, as an application must be developed for at least two separate platforms (Android and iOS).
This is where a progressive web application may help since it can drastically lower the cost of development.
Progressive web application
A progressive web application (PWA) is a hybrid of a web app and a native app.
A progressive application is made up of a variety of technologies, browser APIs, and multiple processes rather than just one.
Access to user filesystem, user locations, push notifications, and WebRTC are some of the elements that may be employed in a progressive application.
Differences between a progressive web application and a native application
Progressive Web Application | Native application | |
---|---|---|
Programming languages | Used HTML, JavaScript, CSS | Objective-C, Swift for iOS and Java, Kotlin for Android |
Cost of development | Low (need only a web developer, updates reach users faster) | High (different programming languages require different developers) |
Distribution | Via the website (user only needs URL and browser) | Various app stores (App Store, Huawei App Gallery, Google Play) |
Discoverability | SEO (application can be found by searching in a search engine - the application is indexed) | ASO (application can only be detected within the application market) |
Security | Uses HTTPS | It has more security options than PWA. |
Performance | The progressive application depends on the browser | Native applications are faster than web applications |
Functions | The progressive application cannot use all the features of the phone | Native app has access to all phone features and deeper access. |
Conclusion
When we have a small budget to work with and we don't have any demanding components in the program, a progressive application pays off to create.
However, we start constructing a native application when we require more sophisticated features with access to the user's device's native capabilities, and we need more complicated user apps if we want to have more security functions or start producing games.
Progressive apps, in my view, will become more common in the near future since they minimize the cost of developing a mobile app for a firm and because each browser adds new capabilities every day.
Let's connect