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Beginning Progressive Web App Development

Creating a Native App Experience on the Web

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Dennis Sheppard

    1. Tinley Park, USA

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  • Provide end users with "native app-like" speed, reliability, and engagement—all right from the web

  • Drastically increase the reliability and performance of web applications

  • Set up service workers to cache an app’s assets and data so users can interact even while offline

  • Follow along as a full application is converted from a traditional web app into a progressive web app

  • Learn how to start developing a progressive web app from scratch with the most popular JavaScript frameworks

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
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  2. Intro to PWAs and Tooling

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Introduction to Progressive Web Apps

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 3-10

    3. Tools to Measure Progressive Web Apps

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 11-20

  3. PWA Features

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Service Workers

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 23-43

    3. Caching and Offline Functionality with Service Workers

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 45-71

    4. Background Sync for Offline Apps with Service Workers

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 73-93

    5. Adding your App to the Home Screen with Web App Manifest

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 95-107

    6. Notifications

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 109-137

    7. App Shell Architecture and Loading Performance

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 139-153

    8. Exploring HTTP/2 and Server Push

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 155-172

  4. Putting the Features to Use

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173
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    2. Turning a Real App into a PWA

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 175-208

    3. PWAs From the Start

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 209-240

  5. Leveling Up Your PWA

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 241-241
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    2. Leveling Up Your PWA

      • Dennis Sheppard
      Pages 243-259

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 261-266
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Keywords

About this book

Build fast, reliable web applications using the latest web development technologies. This book provides step-by-step learning through the process of transforming a “traditional” web app into a high-performing progressive web app, leveraging principles and lessons taught throughout the book. You will learn to improve the performance, reliability, reach, and user engagement of mobile web applications through the use of specific, practical examples.

Because most non-trivial web applications developed today use JavaScript frameworks, you will learn about the most popular frameworks offering a PWA right out of the box, including React, Preact, Vue.js, Angular, and Ionic. You also will learn which tools to enlist to measure your application’s performance, such as Google’s Lighthouse.

Beginning Progressive Web App Development includes best practices to make your app work even when an end user has a poor or no Internet connection, and to send notifications and reminders with the Notification and Push APIs to keep your users engaged. You will come away with an understanding of the technologies—application shells, server push technology, and caching—that will allow you to rapidly deliver content to your users.

As important as it is to provide mobile users with a great experience, the principles of PWAs are not limited to smartphones. Most of what you will learn in this book is directly applicable to web applications on all screen sizes. 

What You'll Learn

  • Achieve nearly instant loading times
  • Implement service workers to make your app load faster and work while users are offline
  • Keep users engaged with web notifications
  • Measure the performance and reach of your web applications
  • Transform your existing web app into a progressive web app
  • Create a progressive web app from scratch
  • Understand what building a truly fast web app entails with Google’s PRPL pattern  

Who This Book Is For

Web developers with prior JavaScript experience

Authors and Affiliations

  • Tinley Park, USA

    Dennis Sheppard

About the author

Dennis Sheppard is the VP of Technology at NextTier Education, a startup dedicated to helping students navigate the college selection process. Long before that, though, Dennis graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a computer science degree, and went on to develop and architect software for almost a dozen different industries. With over 10 years of professional software development experience, he has built his share of web applications, for both mobile and desktop. Because of that, Dennis strongly believes in the power of Progressive Web Apps to further help the tech world reach those who do not have access to the fastest networks and latest and greatest phones. He was born and raised in the deep south, but migrated to the suburbs of Chicago where he lives with his wife, a set of twins who are growing up way too fast, and an arthritic but playful golden retriever.

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