Why Progressive Web Apps Are Interesting

The web and mobile applications have been moving toward each other for years. A website can now do much more than display documents, while native mobile applications have taught users to expect speed, offline access, notifications, and an icon on the home screen. Progressive Web Apps are an attempt to bring some of those expectations to the browser.

The idea is still new, but several pieces are becoming available. Service workers can let a web application control how network requests are handled and can make parts of an application work offline. A web app manifest can describe how an application should appear when it is added to a device. HTTPS is also becoming more important because many of these features require a secure connection.

What I like about this direction is that the web keeps its strongest property: a link is enough to enter. A user does not necessarily need to search an app store, wait for an installation, or accept a large package before seeing what the application does. If the experience is useful, the site can gradually feel more like an installed application.

There are still limits. Browser support is not equal, especially across mobile platforms. Native applications have deeper access to device features, and performance can matter for demanding software. I do not think the browser will replace every native application.

Still, Progressive Web Apps ask a useful question. How much of the convenience of an app can be delivered without losing the openness of the web? I like technologies that improve an existing platform instead of forcing every problem into a completely new one.

The web has survived partly because it is difficult to control from one place. If it can become more capable without losing that character, the result may be more important than one new framework or device.