PWA Applications: Opportunities and Challenges for Your Project
This article explores Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) and how they can benefit your project
A PWA is essentially your website transformed into a full-fledged application. It boasts a fast interface, offline functionality, push notifications, and access to device capabilities like the camera and sensors. PWAs are accessible via a browser on both desktop and mobile devices without needing installation and support all popular operating systems. To develop a PWA, your site must be built from scratch, avoiding out-of-the-box solutions.
Differences Between PWAs and Native Applications
It's crucial not to confuse these terms, as they utilize different technologies, purposes, and architectures. Let's compare them to understand their differences better.
App Downloading
A PWA is a version of your website that users can download from the internet and install on their phone as a regular app. In contrast, native apps are programmed specifically for iOS or Android platforms and are downloaded from marketplaces.
Promotion
A key difference stems from the above point: PWAs cannot be promoted through app marketplaces (App Store or Play Market). This means you cannot list your app on these platforms, limiting its visibility through ratings, reviews, or download counts.
Access to Device Capabilities
When developing a mobile app, you must specify in the requirements the device elements you intend to access (e.g., geolocation, camera). Native approaches have no such limitations, allowing full access to needed data.
PWAs face restrictions on the components they can interact with (NFC, Bluetooth, advanced camera controls, etc.). These limitations might make developing your product with PWA technology challenging, potentially necessitating a native solution for comprehensive functionality.
When to Consider Developing a PWA Application
Given that a Progressive Web App (PWA) serves as an alternative to a mobile application, it's essential to recognize that such an application can excellently substitute the native option for projects without complex logic. This insight is particularly valuable for startup founders venturing into the digital space, seeking to harness technology efficiently.
Ideal Use Cases for PWAs:
Online Media
Developing a PWA for an information resource can increase the number of articles read, as the mobile application will always be at hand. Furthermore, a news resource won't occupy phone memory since all data is stored on the website's server.
Order Placement
A PWA can be utilized for an order form on a water delivery company's website, simplifying the process for clients who won't need to search for the supplier's site; they can simply launch the form from their smartphone's home screen to place an order.
E-commerce
A personal account for an online store can also be developed as a PWA, providing convenience in monitoring order statuses and handling other frequent tasks.
Service Provision
Regardless of your business type, be it cleaning services or tech repair, a PWA ensures you stay connected with users. Push notifications can inform customers about new promotions or remind them of scheduled appointments.
Practically any application, from a B2B portal to a beauty salon booking form, can be implemented as a PWA. Thus, opting for PWA development is wise whenever users can benefit from the capabilities of progressive applications.
Advantages of PWAs
PWAs offer benefits both for users and businesses, enhancing the digital experience.
User Advantages
User-friendly Interface: Pages switch instantly, with navigation and control buttons following native standards.
Adaptive: PWAs adjust to mobile screens, tablets, laptops, and desktops.
Offline Functionality: They work with slow internet connections and even offline.
Device Capabilities: Integration with cameras, Bluetooth, sensors, and other hardware.
Secure Data Exchange: Utilizes the HTTPS protocol for secure data exchange.
Low Storage Requirement: Occupies minimal memory on the device, typically up to 1 MB.
Home Screen Icon: The PWA icon can be added to the smartphone's home screen alongside apps from the AppStore and Google Play.
Business Advantages
Cross-platform Solution: Develop a single solution for all platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Marketing Strategy: Implement marketing strategies through push notifications.
Search Engine Indexing: PWAs are indexed by search engines.
Easy Distribution: Sharing a link is sufficient for distribution.
User Preference: According to Google, 50% of users find it more convenient to shop on websites than to download an app.
These advantages also directly contribute to the overall user benefits. Consequently, a company's profit is directly tied to the user experience of its clients, highlighting the importance of considering PWAs in the strategic planning of startups aiming for growth and engagement in the digital ecosystem.
Challenges of PWA Applications
If a PWA utilizes the hardware capabilities of the device, it consumes battery power faster than a regular website. Despite their advantages, there's a noticeable difference in capabilities and convenience between PWAs and native apps, especially on iOS. Apple has been gradually implementing support for features in progressive web applications, but as of now, PWAs on iPhone and iPad operate with limitations. Specifically, on iOS, PWA technology does not support:
Bluetooth, including iBeacon location technology;
TouchID fingerprint scanner;
FaceID facial recognition technology;
ARKit for augmented reality applications;
Altimeter;
Battery status information;
A maximum cache size of 50 MB for PWAs (which is usually sufficient);
Cache is cleared after 7 days of non-use, requiring the application to be reloaded;
Safari browser does not support motion sensor data access.
On iOS, PWAs also face challenges with background synchronization and push notifications, the latter of which can be mitigated through SMS notifications integration.
Moreover, there's no support for live data streaming from the camera on iOS, creating difficulties in tasks such as QR code scanning.
How PWA Applications Work
PWAs are built on four main technologies: Service Worker, App Shell, HTTPS, and Web App Manifest.
Service Worker
In a standard internet application, there are two layers: frontend (what the user sees in the browser) and backend (handles data processing logic on the server).
With PWAs, a third layer is introduced - the Service Worker. This JavaScript file is processed by the browser similar to the frontend but can perform tasks traditionally requiring server connection.
Service Workers enable push notifications, caching, and complex data operations. They store requests and data in the device's cache, speeding up PWAs by saving data transfer time, enabling offline functionality, and allowing background synchronization.
For example, in traditional web applications, sending a message requires waiting for the server to process the operation, which can be slow with a poor connection. If you close the tab, the message won't be sent. PWAs continue processing your request even with the browser closed, and as soon as a connection is available, the application automatically sends the message (or transfers money, files, etc.). This is background synchronization.
Browser Compatibility
Service Workers are supported by major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and Opera.
App Shell
App Shell architecture involves caching the PWA's page shell on the device during the first visit. In subsequent uses, the page framework is retrieved from local cache, and only the content is loaded from the server. This architecture makes PWA interfaces as fast as native applications.
HTTPS
PWAs only operate over the secure HTTPS protocol, encrypting data transmission and making it harder for hackers to access.
For a web application to work over HTTPS, an SSL certificate must be activated in the hosting settings.
Web App Manifest
This file contains application data: window mode, name, icon, and more.
Application Updates
Since the application isn't located in marketplaces, updating the utility is a concern. Updates depend on the caching strategy. If the application always accesses the internet, updates will occur automatically. If data, such as design, is cached, updates can be implemented by notifying the user that an update is available. The user can then refresh the application.
For startup founders, understanding these technical aspects of PWAs can significantly impact the decision-making process regarding the digital strategy and user engagement methodologies of their ventures.
Stages of Progressive Web Application Development
IT projects, including the development of PWAs, undergo standard phases:
Research
This initial phase involves hypothesis testing, market research, and defining business objectives. It sets the groundwork for the project, ensuring that the solution addresses a real need in the market.
Technical Requirements
At this stage, it's crucial to decide on the type of application to be developed: a website, PWA, native mobile app, or products for multiple platforms simultaneously. We have discussed the differences between these types of applications in a previous article.
Design
The design phase focuses on creating the optimal architecture and interface for the application, tailored to solve the project's specific tasks effectively.
Style Development
This step involves finalizing high-fidelity mockups, creating logos, buttons, banners, and other graphics to ensure the app's visual appeal and brand consistency.
Programming
Writing the code for the frontend, service worker, and backend. Frontend development utilizes HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The service worker, being a JavaScript file, is developed using JavaScript frameworks; for example, our team specializes in React.js. The backend can be developed in any language, with our expertise lying in Node.js.
Testing
QA specialists undertake two critical tasks during this phase: ensuring users receive a high-quality product and identifying bugs when the cost of fixing them is relatively low.
Launch
The final step involves migrating to permanent hosting, connecting the domain, and final adjustments before going live.
Conclusions
The potential of PWA technology today is immense, allowing for the creation of applications for two platforms much faster than with native development methods. However, the complexity of the application and the restricted access to certain mobile app components might render your project unfeasible with PWA technology.
For startup founders, understanding these stages and considering PWA's capabilities and limitations is crucial in making informed decisions about their digital strategy.
Free technical consultation for websites developing
To determine whether PWA technology is suitable for your project, you can book a quick sync up with our CTO.
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