Start building Progressive Web Apps right now!

From now on, I’d first consider building a PWA before deciding to build an Android App

I’m actively hunting for a web developer job right now and had to build a portfolio website. So I thought, why not build a PWA so that I could learn something new as well as create my site?

There are many articles out there that tell you about how cool PWAs are. Google has its own codelab tutorial to help you get started with PWA. In this article I’m going to share my experience from building one.

In simple words, Progressive web applications are websites whose behavior is similar to mobile apps when browsed in smartphones. They can be directly added to your mobile home-screen without the need of installation from the app store. They work well even in poor internet connectivity.

When you open a website that is a PWA on a smartphone, you get an option to add it to your home-screen:

Add to Home screen option is similar to installing app from the play store, but quicker.

On adding the website to the Home Screen, the website is listed as one of the apps in the app tray:

My website is now an app!

Now let’s see how it behaves on clicking the app icon:

The website gives an app-like feel.

So how to choose whether to build a PWA or a native app?

I found this article helpful in deciding why PWA is a better solution.

1. The main advantage of PWA is that it works well even in areas of poor internet connectivity. Responsive web design makes it easy to build once and run on all devices instead of building seperate device specific apps.
2. If you want your app to be listed in play store/app store, then go for a native app. But PWAs are better in terms of discoverability through search engines.
3. If you are building high end gaming applications, native app is the option.
4. If your app’s functionality mainly involves searching, browsing and interacting with content (text, audio or video), go for PWA.

All said and done, I’m still new to this field. Whatever I have written here is my opinion. If there are any mistakes or criticisms, please comment them here, I’m willing to learn and improve.

Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. — William Pollard