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If you’re just starting out with hybrid mobile apps, you might feel a bit lost. Online definitions can be ambiguous and guides will often lack updated information. That’s why, in this article, we’ll do our best to help you understand what hybrid mobile apps are, and what solutions are worth your attention in mid-2018.
So, you’ve decided to build a mobile application. You’ve done some research and contacted dozens of companies that specialize in creating native apps. Then, you got dozens of estimates with random numbers on them.
Unsatisfied with the results, you shifted your attention to non-native solutions. But, a couple of weeks later, after hours spent online, you don’t feel any wiser. Words like “hybrid”, “cross-platform” and “a mobile web app” are swirling around in your head. Most of the articles promised the earth, but they quite often present contradictory theories, which exacerbates the situation and makes you chase your own tail.
Hybrid, cross-platform, React Native, Xamarin… ???
In order to learn the basics of hybrid mobile app development, let’s start at the very beginning.
Definitions
Cross-platform
By definition, cross-platform software works with many platforms. This can be a single code base running on various OS with no special preparations (like Java). It might also be the same app — with the same business logic, the same branding etc. — but written as two separate native apps, one for iOS and one for Android. All in all, “cross-platform” is a very ambiguous term.
Hybrid
Hybrid mobile apps (or simply, “hybrids”) are a subset of cross-platform software, and they have no clear definition.
Traditional hybrids are web applications wrapped in a sort of a native container.
Developers build a kind of a single-page website, make it mobile-friendly, and put it into that container. Finally, they connect it to some smartphone/tablet hardware. Voila! A web app pretending to be a mobile one is born, with one code for every platform. The container (the wrapping) comes with a framework of choice (such as Apache Cordova, Ionic, etc.).
Modern hybrids are different. They are not web apps, but actual mobile applications, written in JavaScript and translated into a set of native instructions — during runtime. Seems nice, doesn’t it? But what are the options?
Frameworks and languages
Here are the available hybrid app development tools:
- Xamarin is a set of tools (framework) in which developers code using C# and .NET
- React Native is a framework in which developers build products using JavaScript and React
- NativeScript is a framework in which developers build code in JavaScript and Angular
- Cordova/PhoneGap/Ionic are frameworks in which developers use HTML, CSS and JavaScript
What’s on the market
Business-wise, software must work, as well as be user-friendly and future-proof. Technology plays a second role. However, some technology choices have business consequences. Below, we’ve listed a couple of major decisions you can make when it comes to hybrid mobile apps.
Websites & progressive web apps (PWA)
Today’s websites are no longer just static content with a bunch of forms and links. Contemporary web apps compete with desktop and mobile software in fields of UX and functionality. And yet, not everything works the same way on a mobile phone. When it comes to working in the background, Bluetooth, battery information or iOS FaceID, web apps are a no-go.
A progressive web app (PWA) is a new concept which, to some extent, combines web and native approaches. It’s a web application that can work offline to some degree, with an icon visible on the home screen. Its limitations, however, stay the same. The app’s behaviour and capabilities depend heavily on the platform. It’s an interesting concept that can evolve and improve, but, first, it needs time to mature (iOS has just started supporting PWAs as of version 11.3).
You need to remember that PWA is nothing more but a website with push notifications pretending to be a mobile app (
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of Bitcoin Insider. Every investment and trading move involves risk - this is especially true for cryptocurrencies given their volatility. We strongly advise our readers to conduct their own research when making a decision.