Web apps are not real applications; they are really websites that, in many ways, look and feel like native applications, but are not implemented as such. They are run by a browser and typically written in HTML5. Users first access them as they would access any web page: they navigate to a special URL and then have the option of “installing” them on their home screen by creating a bookmark to that page.
A web app is an application that uses a web browser to perform a particular function, unlike computer-based software programs that are run locally on the Operating System (OS) of the device. A PWA (progressive web app) is a modified version of a traditional web app that offers a quick, responsive, and native-like user interface.
How are Web Apps built?
The vast majority of Web App development is done using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5.
Unlike an iOS or Android app, there is no software development kit (SDK) for a developer to work with.
There are templates and frameworks for developing web apps like Angular, React, and Vue.js that you can use to get a quick start.
To understand it better, let’s cover a web app’s specifics:
Technology: built-in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, platform-agnostic.
Access to native API: not supported.
Distribution method: through web browsers.
Multi-platform capability: reusable codebase is distributed across multiple platforms.
Web app advantages:
- Easy for maintenance as only a common codebase can be reused across multiple platforms.
- Web apps can be developed for all platforms as long as they can run in an appropriate web browser.
- Less money is needed to develop compared to native apps.
- No need for approval; web apps can be released at any time and in any format.
- No need for manual updating; the newest versions automatically update when users open a web app.
Web app disadvantages:
- Web apps have a limited ability to leverage device features and hardware.
- Usage patterns and performance metrics are more difficult to collect since users interact with different web browsers.
- Less interactive and intuitive compared to native apps.
- Branding opportunities are fewer than native applications and hybrid applications, those with the availability of app store listing.
- When comparing the native app vs progressive web app, PWA ensures less security as they don’t have access to the device’s hardware components, thus not being able to implement additional layers of security.
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