A PSA on PWAs
Like many of my posts, I came across the term “PWA” by way of job postings. As I mentioned in my NoSQL piece, a lot of coding and software can be intimidating — to both developers and non-developers — given all the acronyms and terminology.
Back to the main topic — it was some time ago that I saw a job posting state that, as a preferred qualification, applicants know how to build a PWA. This led me to think, “What is a PWA?”
What is a PWA?
To put it simply, a PWA is a Progressive Web Application. MDN defines these as “web apps that use emerging web browser APIs and features along with traditional progressive enhancement strategy to bring a native app-like user experience to cross-platform web applications.” Kevin Farrugia from Smashing Magazine says that a Progressive Web Application is “a website built using web technologies but that acts and feels like an app”.
That’s well and all, but how do I know if I’m building one? How do I go about building one? Are all websites nowadays PWAs?
What makes a PWA?
The three qualifications that make for a Progressive Web App are “Secure contexts (HTTPS), one or more Service Workers, and a manifest file.” (MDN)
In addition, PWA users “will be able to immediately start using it, eliminating the unnecessary downloading and installation stages.” (Smashing Magazine).
What are the benefits to PWAs?
PWAs run faster than traditional websites. Most people don’t want to download an app, and want web apps that provide a similar interface and experience. In fact, you can probably think of a few companies that provide an entirely different web experience compared to their app.
In addition to a faster load time, companies may see an increase in engagement, interaction, and users if they move towards this type of application. Progressive Web App provides a breakdown of several companies that are now PWAs:
“Debenhams saw a 40% increase in revenue”
“Alibaba saw a 76% higher conversion across browsers”
“Lancôme had a 17% increase in conversion”
Finally, a PWA has the following advantages: they are “discoverable, installable, linkable, network independent, progressive, re-engageable, responsive, and safe.” (MDN) In short, a Progressive Web Application should be able to be searched for on a search engine. They should be functional despite Internet connection, work across all types of browsers and devices, take the extra security measure of using https, and able to be shared.
If you’d like to do additional reading, please check out the resources below. I also linked the PWA Developer Guide by MDN if you would like to get started with creating your own.
In the meantime, I’ll be working on refactoring my own site to be a Progressive Web App.
