Progressive Web App with React: A Complete Guide

In a world of rapidly evolving technology, user demands speed, reliability, and a native like experience. So, if you want to stand out, you have to come up with a solution that perfectly aligns with modern-day web and app users. PWA (Progressive Web App) is one of the solutions that fills the gap between web and native experience.

When paired React + PWA, it stands for the gold standard in modern web app development. PWA came into the limelight and instantly became popular because of its great benefits. But how can you build a PWA? Read the full blog to learn step-by-step Progressive Web App development using React JavaScript technology.

What is a PWA (Progressive Web App)?

A Progressive Web App is a special kind of web app that adds features typical of native apps. It does not function as a framework but rather relies on a collection of techniques and tools that make a web app. To put it simply, PWA offers an app-like experience on the web browser.

Trustworthy: It opens right away and avoids the "downasaur," even when the network is unreliable or offline.

Quick: It reacts fast to user actions and delivers smooth animations without lag.

Interactive: It creates an engaging experience, feeling like a real app on any device, and users can save it on their home screens.

PWAs use modern web tools like Service Workers and the Web App Manifest to make these features possible.

Why Build a PWA?

The question comes to mind why PWAs are important, well, users can obtain a certain amount of advantages with PWA. Let’s have a look.

One Codebase for All Platforms: Write the code once and use it on the web, mobile apps (Android and iOS with wrappers or app stores), and desktop. This approach saves both time and money compared to cross-platform development.

Seamless Updates: Users get updates without waiting for app store approval. This keeps everyone on the most secure and up-to-date version without delays.

Better User Engagement: Popular PWAs like Pinterest and Twitter Lite have seen significant improvements in user interaction, time spent on their platforms, and conversion rates. Their speed and reliability play a huge role in these gains.

Direct Distribution: Share apps directly using a URL and skip complicated app store approvals and fees. Apps can still be added to app stores if desired.

So, there are a lot of benefits of building a PWA. It fills the gap between reach and engagement that comes with mobile and web applications.

Why Choose React for Progressive Web App Development?

Developing a Progressive Web App with React remains a strategic decision that blends two of the most powerful web technologies. Features offered by React perfectly align with the key goal of PWA, which leads to rapid development and a performing solution.

Robust Performance

React uses the virtual DOM, which is the fastest way to update only parts of the page without modifying the real DOM directly. Thus, the performance of React is excellent, providing users with a seamless experience free from any janky rendering. This is essential when creating a PWA.

Code Splitting

React makes it simple to split code, meaning the code needed for a specific view gets loaded. This can help reduce the time it takes for a page to load, which is essential to meet PWA speed needs.

SSR/SSG Support

Tools like Next.js support Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to show content during the first load, helping search engines see your content without delays.

Simplified Offline Data

React’s tools make it easier to manage app state, which is key to keeping data consistent and available when offline or syncing later.

Improved Developer Experience

React is declarative, and features like hot-reloading make building and updating UI components and App Shells faster and smoother.

How to Build a PWA with React?

Follow the steps below to build a PWA using ReactJS technology.

Set Up Project

Use Create React App (CRA) with the PWA template:

Run:

  
npx create-react-app my-app --template cra-template-pwa
   

For Typescript Run:

  
npx create-react-app my-app --template cra-template-pwa-typescript
 

Configure the Web App Manifest

Open public/manifest.json and change the metadata so it fits your app. These details help set up the splash screen and the home screen icon.

  
{
  "short_name": "MyPWA",
  "name": "My Awesome React PWA",
  "start_url": ".",
  "display": "standalone",
  "theme_color": "#000000",
  "background_color": "#ffffff",
  "icons": [
    // Include various sizes like 192x192, 512x512
    {
      "src": "icon-192x192.png",
      "sizes": "192x192",
      "type": "image/png"
    }
  ]
}
  

Register the Service Worker

In a typical CRA app, the Service Worker does not register by default. You need to register it to enable PWA features.

Go through src/index.js and find the following;

  
serviceWorkerRegistration.unregister();
    

Change it to:

  
serviceWorkerRegistration.register();
    

Implement Offline Capability

Use Workbox included with CRA to store assets and API responses.

Example: Save static files in service-worker.js for faster loading.

Check offline functionality by turning off the internet and seeing if the app works.

Production Build and Deploy

Run:

  
npm run build
     

Deploy the build folder to a hosting service with HTTPS

Testing

Try using tools like Lighthouse to check performance, accessibility, and if the PWA meets standards. Improve it by making bundles smaller, loading components when needed, and compressing files.

Maintain & Update

Update service workers often, keep track of cache versions, and check analytics to maintain the PWA's performance and security.

Real World Case Study

Talking about one of our clients, The Man Company was dealing with a poor mobile and web experience, which directly impacted their user experience and overall sales. Hence, the client contacted Lucent Innovation to provide the right solution.

And our experts delivered a robust PWA for The Man Company that helped the client increase page visits and conversion rates, and optimize page load times. This resulted in higher sales and lower development costs.

Challenges and Limitations of Progressive Web Apps

There are certain challenges associated with progressive web app development that one should watch out for.

• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) function on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. However, iOS Safari lacks proper support for background sync, push notifications, and install prompts.
• Some hardware features, such as Bluetooth, NFC, advanced camera options, and biometric login, aren’t accessible to PWAs. This makes them unsuitable for specific types of applications.
• Client-side rendering, along with service workers, might disrupt search engine indexing. Developers often solve this by using server-side rendering or prerendering methods.
• To ensure PWAs work offline and adapt well to weak network conditions, developers need to design and test with care.

PWA vs Native App: Key Differences

Discover the core trade-offs between Progressive Web App (PWA) and native/hybrid apps to choose the right architecture for your next project.

Best Practices to Develop PWA using React

Follow the given tactics to build a secure, performant, and future-ready PWA.

• Utilized service workers to cache offline content and sync data when the app comes back online
• Create a web app manifest that includes app information for installability and how it will look when users install your PWA.
• Build a responsive user interface adaptable to different screen sizes and devices.
• Use compression, lazy loading, and CDNs to optimize your assets and improve your PWA performance.
• Implement HTTPS and Content Security Policies as part of your overall security strategy.
• Use progressive enhancement to ensure your PWA works on all browsers.
• Test the performance, accessibility, and offline capabilities of your PWA regularly with tools like Lighthouse.
• Use an application shell architecture for your PWA to make it load quickly and pull any new content into the user interface after the initial load.
• When using React to build your PWA, start with a PWA-ready template such as Create React App's PWA template and create modular components so that they are easier to maintain over time.
• Use push notifications and background syncing as a way to improve user engagement and the reliability of your PWA.

Conclusion

Using React to create Progressive Web Apps is the next step in the development of web applications. Because of React's ultra-quick Virtual DOM and the dependability of Service Workers, which ensures superior performance compared to traditional web or hybrid applications, and delivers speed, reliability, and user engagement.

The benefits of upgrading to Progressive Web Apps include improved SEO rankings and increased user engagement through native-style app installation and push notifications. These improvements will lead to enhanced business, as well as increased revenue.

Future-proof your product with PWA solutions. Connect with Lucent Innovation to hire React.js developers who holds expertise in building Progressive Web Apps that give a native-like user experience.