What is a hybrid app?
Hybrid apps combine both web applications created for web browser and native applications that are designed for a particular platform and have to be installed on a device.
What differs hybrid apps from web apps:
- It runs as a real app, not as a web page;
- It can work offline;
- Integration with a file system of a device.
Hybrid mobile apps are usually developed using HTML, CSS and JavaScript and then wrapped in a native apps with the help of special platforms. The disadvantage of hybrid apps is that their speed depends on the speed of the browser; thus hybrid mobile apps are usually slower than native apps.
How to build a hybrid app:
There are two ways of building hybrid mobile apps:
WebView app
The code (HTML, CSS and JavaScript) runs in an embedded browser (WebView) that is wrapped in a native app.
Compiled hybrid app
The code is written in C# or JavaScript and then is compiled for each platform supported by the app.
Why is hybrid app development so attractive?
It is simple: you can build two-in-one – both iOS and Android apps without having to write separate code for each twice. As a result you have two apps for the same amount of time. Profit!