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Despite my best efforts and I still have no idea what a Progressive Web App is and why I need to use one. Seems like it's just a website that fits a certain acc

Despite my best efforts and I still have no idea what a Progressive Web App is and why I need to use one. Seems like it's just a website that fits a certain accessibility criteria. It also seems like a hassle to get working correctly offline based on what I have read.

xd1936 3y ago
You can think of it like a web app that's been coded to have extra features when "added to the homescreen". When added, the app can work offline, doesn't have an address bar/back button/etc, gets the ability to access device sensors, can send push notifications, etc. A well-made PWA usually looks and feels just like a native app.
- BadHumans 3y ago
  What if I only want an app that works offline? Is there a reason to use a PWA? For example, I want to make a simple notes app that has no reason to need connectivity.
  - usrusr 3y ago
    If you don't have a complete Apple development environment, PWA is the best shot you have getting that little offline note taking to run on an iPhone.
    - BadHumans 3y ago
      That's not what I'm asking about. Whether it's Apple, Android, or desktop, if I just want to make an offline app why would I use a PWA?
      - usrusr 3y ago
        If you only want to target one platform, and if you are already completely set up for native development for that platform, then yes, there's nothing to gain from going PWA instead of native. Other than the learning experience of course, which you might consider valuable unless know for sure that all your future projects will remain on that one single platform.
      - willsmith72 3y ago
        the argument isn't why use a PWA, it's why use a native app? in most cases, a team wants their product to be easily installable, live on the home screen, and have access to all native APIs. right now, the best way to do that is a native app the cost to that is going through the app store, meaning paying apple for the dev license, paying apple a percentage of sales, adhering to the app store rules, allowing extra time before release to get apple approval, difficulty updating because you need apple's approval and the user to update it, needing apple hardware, separate codebase/dev skills for android/ios, etc. if you don't need those pros above, you could maybe get away with a PWA, and avoid all of that hassle. in most cases, you can't, but avoiding all of that stuff is the value prop for a pwa
        BadHumans 3y ago
        I don't care whether something is a native app or a PWA. If I can create something that works completely offline without a ton of hassle then that is the option I will go with. If it is easier to do that with a PWA then great! And the question is definitely "why use a PWA?" Native apps are the established norm and if you want to change that then the case needs to be made as to why.
        xd1936 3y ago
        If you want an app that works offline without a ton of hassle, then PWAs are the easiest way to write something that's multiplatform. As a bonus, updates to your app are totally under your control and distributed as quickly as you want them to be.

xd1936 3y ago

You can think of it like a web app that's been coded to have extra features when "added to the homescreen". When added, the app can work offline, doesn't have an address bar/back button/etc, gets the ability to access device sensors, can send push notifications, etc. A well-made PWA usually looks and feels just like a native app.

BadHumans 3y ago
What if I only want an app that works offline? Is there a reason to use a PWA? For example, I want to make a simple notes app that has no reason to need connectivity.
- usrusr 3y ago
  If you don't have a complete Apple development environment, PWA is the best shot you have getting that little offline note taking to run on an iPhone.
  - BadHumans 3y ago
    That's not what I'm asking about. Whether it's Apple, Android, or desktop, if I just want to make an offline app why would I use a PWA?
    - usrusr 3y ago
      If you only want to target one platform, and if you are already completely set up for native development for that platform, then yes, there's nothing to gain from going PWA instead of native. Other than the learning experience of course, which you might consider valuable unless know for sure that all your future projects will remain on that one single platform.
    - willsmith72 3y ago
      the argument isn't why use a PWA, it's why use a native app? in most cases, a team wants their product to be easily installable, live on the home screen, and have access to all native APIs. right now, the best way to do that is a native app the cost to that is going through the app store, meaning paying apple for the dev license, paying apple a percentage of sales, adhering to the app store rules, allowing extra time before release to get apple approval, difficulty updating because you need apple's approval and the user to update it, needing apple hardware, separate codebase/dev skills for android/ios, etc. if you don't need those pros above, you could maybe get away with a PWA, and avoid all of that hassle. in most cases, you can't, but avoiding all of that stuff is the value prop for a pwa
      - BadHumans 3y ago
        I don't care whether something is a native app or a PWA. If I can create something that works completely offline without a ton of hassle then that is the option I will go with. If it is easier to do that with a PWA then great! And the question is definitely "why use a PWA?" Native apps are the established norm and if you want to change that then the case needs to be made as to why.
        xd1936 3y ago
        If you want an app that works offline without a ton of hassle, then PWAs are the easiest way to write something that's multiplatform. As a bonus, updates to your app are totally under your control and distributed as quickly as you want them to be.