What is PWA ?
PWA is the latest and greatest “keyword” added to your business vocabulary if you’re a web developer. Leading web application (PWA) is a new technology that has become extremely popular among IT enthusiasts and is in the spotlight. This technology has made the dream of installing web applications on mobile phones a reality. There are many articles on making PWA and its benefits, most of which are a bit misleading to convey the concept of this technology, especially for beginners. In this article, I will give an overview of PWA, which is a good start in the learning process of this technology.
What is PWA?
“PWA is a term used to describe a new software development method,” Wikipedia quotes. Advanced web applications are the same as regular web pages but appear in traditional applications or native mobile applications. “This new model of the application tries to combine the features of most modern browsers with the benefits of the mobile experience.” This quote from Wikipedia may be a bit vague and even contradictory to the definition of this technology. So we look at PWA informally and intimately.
PWA (Leading Web Application) is like an application downloaded and installed from the App Store or Play Store. When users visit, websites created as PWA sometimes display a “Add to Home Screen” message. PWA will be added to their mobile home screen if the user confirms this message. The next time the user logs in to the website via PWA created on the home screen, the browser controls and user interface are hidden, and the website is displayed to the user as a native application.
Compared to native applications, the web has always been thirsty for reliable performance. The web has always dreamed of having a place in the notifications panel and home screen, like apps. More than 40% of web users leave pages that load in more than 3 seconds. PWA is a solution to this “web obesity epidemic” that users face. PWA is a glorious bookmark that has managed to bridge this gap on the web. The whole PWA task is to remove the sensitivities and help the user easily access what he wants. Although PWA is a new and emerging technology, large companies have widely used it. You can see some of these companies in the image below.
The real credit for this seamless experience is thanks to a great technology called Service Worker, the backbone of any PWA. The service server is a script independent of the web page that the browser runs behind the scenes. Service workers intelligently crawl content, update content behind the scenes, send notifications, and provide attractive offline access to visited sites. This means that when you visit a site for the first time, the site and application will load much faster, even on weak networks.
Why is PWA important?
- They are sure
A PWA can provide valuable content to the user completely offline, regardless of network conditions. This level of offline performance depends on the application.
- They are reactive
PWAs are compatible with various screens to create a great user experience for users. An appropriate responsive design can guarantee that your application will run easily on various devices in the future.
- They are attractive
Before this technology, native applications were much more attractive than web applications. The presence of an icon on the home screen simplifies access to the application and push notifications to notify the user of important information that needs their attention. Now with PWA, web applications also enjoy all these benefits.
- They are safe
PWAs are secure by default. Active PWA technologies require applications provided over HTTPS.
- They have reduced costs.
For many companies, the cost of developing, testing, and maintaining software for multiple platforms is unreasonable. Gartner predicts that more than 20 percent of companies will abandon their mobile applications by next year, believing that PWA will be a viable alternative. Companies such as Alibaba have shown that their conversion rates and average sales have increased by simply focusing their efforts on one application instead of several native applications.
- One application, several platforms
The advanced web application enables you to create a better user experience for your users. With a comprehensive, global application, you will no longer need different development teams for different platforms. Your focus on just one distribution will improve the user experience of that application.
Conclusion
The web is the largest platform globally—the future of web applications. But we can not say that PWA will destroy the future of native applications. However, interest in the technology has been growing in the community, with large companies like Google and Microsoft supporting the new technology. Microsoft plans to introduce the next generation of applications, including Outlook and Teams, as PWA. PWAs are still in their infancy and face many challenges that need to be addressed. However, they have the power to change the way the web works.
