Developing Your First Progressive Web App

The days of technology changes at light speed. Something that is relevant and important today will not be so important the other day.

 

The website designer may have used the latest trend to create an upbeat and high performing website which must have enjoyed the traffic but if they fail to keep up with the pace then they might have to face loses in terms of reduced traffic and lesser business returns.

 

What has been up and kicking will become old and obsolete in no time. Thinking on these lines the focus of every web developers should not just be on creating a great website but should also be on improving it from time to time so that it is way ahead of the game.

 

Now in recent times, UX has been the center of the modern web development. It has been in process for quite sometimes and many factors have led to this.

 

The features and functionalities that were required are page loading speed, usability, readability, and design. The scenario has taken another turn and now along with these the users prefer a mobile web browsing option than desktop for any website.

 

This is an indication for a blogger or any e-commerce website store that they should schedule changes related to this so that they are not losing on the existing customers.

 

Creating a mobile friendly website is not a difficult task.

There are many online platforms where one can easily find a theme which is responsive and then there is Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test that can be used to receive added recommendations about ‘How to optimize the site for mobile’? The users who are thinking of making a sincere effort and thinking of taking things a level up should now use Progressive web App (PWA) to provide a memorable experience to the users.

 

Progressive Web App

The PWA used modern web technologies to start an app-like feature. The traditional mobile websites work by refreshing the whole page while it is loading new content which is not the case with Progressive Web App.

 

The PWA also does not require internet connectivity for making it accessible to the users. The users get an option of adding it to the home screen by making a shortcut which will allow it to be installed for future use. There were many discussions on the future of PWA and just in no time it has become the big thing.

 

It has attracted a lot of attention and due to its ease of development and the user’s experience it provides, it is a great source.

 

Before we move any further let’s find out what is a progressive web app?

It is an app that allows the web to work in an app form, it does not require refresh when the users reloads a page and also work without internet connectivity.

 

They can be installed in a device and the clients can make use of them by clicking on the icon on the home screen.

 

Due to the increased use and the latest buzz around it the technology the user is looking for various supporting tools to help them get the website in a mobile-friendly shape.

 

1) PAW. Rocks: – To the users who are planning to start the use of PWA there is a need to develop an understanding of what it offers.

 

This is a great tool that allows the users get a check and get a live action of what the website will look like at the end.

 

This helps the users to see what the PWA will actually look like. The developers can take inspiration from the available examples and help conceptualize the PWA and enable an understanding of what the PWA will provide the mobile users.

 

2) Knockout :- This is one is a very helpful tool which supports you with an MVVM bindings ( Model-View-View-Model. The best part about this platform is that it is open source tools and the users can use it for free.

 

The tool helps the users with a simplified coding of the JavaScript UIs. This is done by allowing them to define view and declare bindings which are controlled by it.

 

It is a JavaScript-based program which is compatible with all browsers and has web frameworks. There is a library that provides integration with the website which means that there is no need for huge rewrites.

 

3) PWABuilder: – Using a builder is the fastest way of doing anything. The PWABuilder is no different and it helps you to quickly build a service working which is available for all offline functionality.

 

It works by pulling and serving the “offline.html” from the web server if the users lose the connectivity. The PWA can be submitted to the app store for the operating system you are using (Android or iOS).

 

These builders are easy to use and all you have to do is insert the URL of the website and then fill in the details which will include the name, site description, icons etc.

 

The properties can be modified which includes the orientation of the screen, background color, and language etc. The platform creates an outcome based on the information given.

 

4) Angular JS:- The JavaScript in an introductory language which is learned by the students who are interested in web development.

 

AngularJS is a good net developer which should be used by you if you are a Java or .NET developer. There is a suitable environment provided for developers who are developing mobile or desktop apps.

 

5) Google Developers:- The right resources can help anyone create the right app. The Google developer might not be the easy tool to use from the list but for sure is effective and can be used with some efforts.

 

One needs to get the basics right to start using this tool and Google has a library of resources that can be used by the one who is interested in learning how to code.

 

There is a comprehensive guide that allows users to learn how to code and make it useful or them with simple steps.