May 7th: How do Service Workers Work?
Only recently did designer Frances Berriman and Google Chrome engineer Alex Russell coin the term “progressive web apps.” In 2015 the pair introduced PWAs as a way to describe how apps will leverage new features supported by modern browsers, including service workers and web app manifests, which allow users to still use their native operating system (OS), but upgrade their web apps to progressive web applications.
In order to provide rich experiences and high performance, native mobile apps must sacrifice storage space, real-time updates and search engine visibility. Traditional web apps endure lack of native compile executable and dependence on unreliable web connectivity. Service workers attempt to give PWAs the best of both.
This week, InRhythm Engineer, Anna Brakowska dives deep into The Magic of Service Workers.
Are you passionate about PWAs? How has the implementation of service workers enhanced the way your users experience your product? Share your thoughts with @GetInRhythm or on the InRhythmU blog.
Thanks and Keep Growing,
Gunjan Doshi
CEO, InRhythm
The Magic of Service Workers
(12 min. read)
“If you heard of PWAs, you also heard of service workers, but what are they, how do they work, and what does it have to with anything?””
What We’re Reading Around the Web
Service Workers and SEO
(5 min. read)
Search Engine Land
“”Did you know that browsers have had superpowers since about 1996? They have! When he was developing JavaScript for Netscape, Brendan Eich ‘invented the javascript: URL along with JavaScript in 1995, and intended that javascript: URLs could be used as any other kind of URL, including being bookmark-able.’ That means you could write a script into a link (e.g. Bookmark Me!), bookmark that script (put a little button on the browser’s bookmark bar, for instance), and run that code on any page you’re browsing. Check out this subreddit for some fun examples.”
Take UX to the Next Level for PWAs
(5 min. read)
Medium
“There were stand-alone web products and there were apps, but now there’s also the hybrid breed of progressive web apps (PWA) that’s getting more popular for their ability to deliver app-like experience but in the browser. Their platform independence is attractive for developers since it means less time and costs involved. They are also alluring to users since they don’t need to be downloaded, aren’t intensive on hardware resources, and can even be used offline while still offering sufficient functionality.”
Should Your Business Get a PWA?
(3 min. read)
TechHQ
“Thanks to help from ‘service workers’, PWAs work even if users are offline or on low-quality networks. A service worker is a snippet of code, a script that runs in the background and helps a PWA function. It’s one of its critical building blocks. Service workers help PWAs do things like send notifications to users and stay up-to-date.Service workers help provide an engaging experience while offline and ensure that your application loads quickly.”
Chrome 75 Beta Displays Service Workers
(2 min. read)
9to5Google
“Service workers are increasingly leveraged by today’s websites to create powerful experiences. This includes push notifications and background syncing, as well as offline apps. Given that they run in the background, and have no corresponding web page or user interaction, Chrome 75 will now display service workers in the Task Manager (Settings > More Tools).”
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