Pwa Basics | Intermediate Vuejs

Building Progressive Web Apps with VueJS

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) combine the best of web and mobile applications, offering a seamless and engaging user experience. This guide covers the basics of building PWAs with VueJS.

Key Points:

PWAs provide features like offline support, push notifications, and home screen installation.
VueJS makes it easy to build PWAs using the Vue CLI and its PWA plugin.
PWAs enhance the user experience by providing a fast, reliable, and engaging application.

Setting Up the Vue PWA Plugin

To start building a PWA with VueJS, you need to set up the Vue CLI and install the PWA plugin:


// Install Vue CLI globally if not already installed
$ npm install -g @vue/cli

// Create a new Vue project
$ vue create my-pwa-app

// Navigate to the project directory
$ cd my-pwa-app

// Add the PWA plugin to the project
$ vue add pwa

Configuring the PWA

The Vue PWA plugin adds a manifest.json and a service worker to your project. Configure these files to customize your PWA:


// manifest.json
{
  "name": "My PWA App",
  "short_name": "PWA App",
  "start_url": ".",
  "display": "standalone",
  "background_color": "#ffffff",
  "theme_color": "#4DBA87",
  "icons": [
    {
      "src": "./img/icons/android-chrome-192x192.png",
      "sizes": "192x192",
      "type": "image/png"
    },
    {
      "src": "./img/icons/android-chrome-512x512.png",
      "sizes": "512x512",
      "type": "image/png"
    }
  ]
}

// Register the service worker in main.js
import './registerServiceWorker';

Offline Support

One of the key features of PWAs is offline support. The Vue PWA plugin sets up a service worker to cache your application's assets and enable offline functionality:


// Service worker registration in registerServiceWorker.js
import { register } from 'register-service-worker';

if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') {
  register(`${process.env.BASE_URL}service-worker.js`, {
    ready() {
      console.log('App is being served from cache by a service worker.');
    },
    registered() {
      console.log('Service worker has been registered.');
    },
    cached() {
      console.log('Content has been cached for offline use.');
    },
    updatefound() {
      console.log('New content is downloading.');
    },
    updated() {
      console.log('New content is available; please refresh.');
    },
    offline() {
      console.log('No internet connection found. App is running in offline mode.');
    },
    error(error) {
      console.error('Error during service worker registration:', error);
    }
  });
}

Adding Push Notifications

PWAs can also leverage push notifications to engage users. You can add push notifications using Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM):


// Set up Firebase Cloud Messaging in your Firebase project
1. Go to the Firebase Console: https://console.firebase.google.com/
2. Create a new project or use an existing one.
3. Navigate to Project Settings > Cloud Messaging.
4. Obtain the server key and sender ID.

// Install Firebase in your Vue project
$ npm install firebase

// Initialize Firebase and set up FCM in main.js
import firebase from 'firebase/app';
import 'firebase/messaging';

const firebaseConfig = {
  apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  authDomain: 'YOUR_AUTH_DOMAIN',
  projectId: 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID',
  storageBucket: 'YOUR_STORAGE_BUCKET',
  messagingSenderId: 'YOUR_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID',
  appId: 'YOUR_APP_ID'
};

firebase.initializeApp(firebaseConfig);

const messaging = firebase.messaging();

messaging.requestPermission().then(() => {
  console.log('Notification permission granted.');
  return messaging.getToken();
}).then(token => {
  console.log('FCM Token:', token);
}).catch(error => {
  console.error('Error getting FCM token:', error);
});

messaging.onMessage(payload => {
  console.log('Message received:', payload);
  // Customize notification here
});

Testing Your PWA

Test your PWA using Chrome DevTools to ensure it meets PWA standards and provides a good user experience:


// Open Chrome DevTools
1. Open your app in Google Chrome.
2. Open Chrome DevTools (F12 or right-click > Inspect).
3. Go to the "Application" tab.
4. Check the "Service Workers" section to ensure the service worker is registered.
5. Check the "Manifest" section to ensure the manifest is correctly configured.
6. Use the "Lighthouse" tab to audit your PWA for best practices and performance.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices when building PWAs with VueJS:

Optimize Performance: Ensure your app loads quickly and efficiently, even on slow networks.
Provide a Responsive Design: Design your app to work well on different screen sizes and orientations.
Ensure Accessibility: Make your app accessible to users with disabilities by following accessibility best practices.
Test Offline Functionality: Thoroughly test your app's offline functionality to ensure it works seamlessly without an internet connection.
Engage Users: Use push notifications and other features to keep users engaged and informed.

Summary

This guide provided an overview of building Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with VueJS, including setting up the Vue PWA plugin, configuring the PWA, adding offline support, implementing push notifications, testing your PWA, and best practices. By following these steps, you can create engaging, reliable, and performant PWAs with VueJS.

VueJS - PWA Basics