A progressive web application (PWA), or progressive web app, is a type of web app that can be installed on a device as a standalone application. PWAs are installed using the offline cache of the device’s web browser.
PWAs were introduced from 2016 as an alternative to native (device-specific) applications, with the advantage that they do not require separate bundling or distribution for different platforms. They can be used on a range of different systems, including desktop and mobile devices.
Because a PWA is delivered in the form of a webpage or website built using common web technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WebAssembly, it can work on any platform with a PWA-compatible browser.
Features
- Can be written using vanilla js, HTML, CSS
- Can be accessed via web address, not app store
- Can be installed on mobile home screen with custom icon (
manifest.jsonsetting) - Run on browser window and support an app-like view (no address bar/browser menus) (
manifest.jsonsetting) - Can access mobile device features
- Can be accessed when offline (Through
service-workers: intercepting requests and using cache API) - Can receive web push notifications