If you’re like most people responsible for managing your business’s eCommerce presence, you have likely heard about the new trend of developing Progressive Web Apps. But what is it? How does Magento PWA studio fit into all of this? Does building a Progressive Web App offer any advantages over regular web applications and mobile apps?
In this article, we’ll look at what Magento PWA Studio is and why businesses should consider using it for their eCommerce operations. We’ll help get you up to speed on the key Magento PWA studio features and benefits of Magento PWA, plus practical tips on how to successfully implement it in your organization. So read on – let’s dive deep into the world of Magento PWA!
Table of Contents
The Basics of Progressive Web Apps
What are Progressive Web Apps?
A PWA is a form of software that combines functions from applications and web pages. These programs seek to offer good user experiences and are regarded as a fantastic alternative to native apps. Customers don’t need to install PWAs on their mobile devices because they run in web browsers.
Businesses will explore new methods to communicate with clients thanks to progressive web applications. Such solutions reduce the need to create different apps for the web, iOS, and Android, or even to produce cross-platform solutions that don’t offer the optimal user experience. PWAs thus cut down on the time and money needed for web development.
Since 2018, Magento shop owners may also create progressive web applications. The same year, Magento announced PWA Studio, a collection of tools for creating and maintaining PWA storefronts. Owners of Magento 2 stores may now develop progressive web apps on the system they already employ.
Additionally, Adobe offers solutions that enable the migration of an existing store to Magento 2 PWA, but only for merchants using the most recent versions of the platform (2.3.X).
What is Magento PWA Studio Project?
The Magento PWA Studio project is a collection of developer tools for creating, deploying, and managing a PWA storefront on top of Magento 2.3 and later. It constructs a framework that adheres to Magento’s extensibility concept using contemporary technologies and frameworks.
PWA Studio comes with everything you need to create PWA stores that are compatible with Magento Open Source or Adobe Commerce. It has resources for setting up a development environment, building custom storefront components, and developing Magento 2 PWA extensions.
Benefits of PWA for Magento 2
The PWA technology is already in use by many businesses. Magento PWA is growing in popularity since Adobe invests a lot of time and energy into developing and improving the technology.
Here are some benefits of Magento 2 PWA for your business:
- Device agnosticism is Magento 2 PWA’s key advantage. Simply said, it implies that these programs run on any browser and device. Customers may use their preferred gadgets to browse an online business.
- PWAs and webpages have a lot of similar features. These include the highest ranks possible on search engines like Google, making them extremely available and adaptable to all people. Using SEO techniques, marketing initiatives, and paid advertisements will help you make them even easier to find. The main place to advertise traditional applications is through app stores.
- While PWAs may be downloaded from websites and installed on any device, native applications must be downloaded via app stores. As a result, using a URL to access the service eliminates the need to download the PWA.
- PWAs may be added to the Google Play Store and the App Store simultaneously. It is not necessary to create separate iOS and Android applications for that.
- Page Builder, which is now accessible in Magento PWA Studio and is considerably more improved in GoMage PWA Storefront, is a further benefit of Magento PWA. The integration of Page Builder now enables the rendering of CMS Pages with native content types. Simply said, you have greater control over the content and page components today.
- Because you must create distinct apps for Android and iOS, the expense of developing native mobile apps is considerable. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on two versions when it comes to Magento PWA.
What is Magento PWA studio – What does it provide?
PWA Studio is a useful collection of cutting-edge tools and technologies that enables you to construct, configure, and test your PWA storefront directly on the Magento backend.
There are 3 primary components.
- PWA buildpack
The PWA buildpack has tools for project setup, configuration management, and an extensible framework. Its library offers simple tools for environment configuration as well as more complex, comprehensive workflows that developers must set up and manage.
Between projects and within those projects, these arrangements vary. For instance, environments for development, testing, staging, and production are set up to accommodate various behaviors.
- Custom React hooks
Using hooks, we may build function components that reuse the same functionality across several class components. The libraries Venia and Peregrine both include a large number of pre-defined React hooks. React hooks may be used to set and retrieve data, as well as for the state management functionality.
- Venia theme package
Venia is the initial Magento PWA storefront that has been released. It was produced using PWA Studio’s tools and libraries as part of a bigger effort to make PWA technology more widely used.
Anyone may use the Venia storefront and the visual components as a starting point for developing their own PWA storefront project, just like Magento allows. Venia will function after installation on top of your current Magento 2 backend.
Advantages of Magento PWA Studio
Compatibility
Up to Magento 2.3 is supported by Magento PWA Studio. Since most Magento businesses now use Magento 2, this is quite advantageous for them.
Additionally, the PWA Studio is an Adobe – Magento supplier, which means it has built-in consistency with the Magento coding standard. This will assist prevent any code conflict concerns and allow PWA to operate without crashing on top of Magento.
Simpler integration into Magento
You receive a fully configured and ready-to-use package from the application builder. Developers that handle the configuration of the application builder can remain ahead for a few hours.
Developers may also remove and utilize specific PWA Studio for Magento components. This increases flexibility while also simplifying PWA development.
Additionally, the PWA studio offers a wide variety of pre-made pieces that are ready for usage right immediately. Nevertheless, they can be changed if required.
Out-of-the-box architecture and framework application
With PWA Studio’s out-of-the-box design, you may streamline the PWA building process with low effort and great accuracy. Other than the installation and configuration, which are both subject to change, the program is already constructed and ready for use.
Utilize this sturdy infrastructure, which Magento has extensively tested, to build your online store and get your business up and running faster. Or you may combine some unique ideas with our pre-built software to create a flexible framework that best satisfies your needs.
Fast updating and maintenance process
The Magento version and PWA studio undergo changes at the same time, thus it is not necessary to take the time to understand the Magento upgrades in order to adjust PWA operation to other PWA solutions.
This would make the process of upgrading and maintaining equipment easier and faster.
Disadvantages of Magento PWA Studio
Poor design Interface
The desktop and mobile storefronts are both boring, shady, and unsightly. You might not be satisfied with the general design, typeface, or color scheme.
Limited features
Unfortunately, the storefront lacks a number of Magento core features and is not mobile-friendly, which is unfortunate given how widespread mobile usage has become in recent years.
Limited compatibility with extensions
Due to Magento’s regular modifications, third-party extensions and add-ons may not be entirely compatible with PWA studio.
You need to wait for those developers to release new extensions, install them, and then use the extensions again to correct the issue.
The abstractions and compressibility
The Magento team made every effort to design PWA Studio as the most broadly applicable solution. As a result, developers would have to remove all the unnecessary code from their apps in order to increase the speed at which the page loads.
It may take some time to separate and clean up the chaotic and complex code structures that come with ready-made code solutions from PWA Studio due to their potential for excessive complexity and obvious errors.
What is Magento PWA studio – Who should use
For developers, Magento 2 PWA Studio is amazing
To begin with, PWA studio Magento 2 is updated often because it is an open-source project. It continuously adds new features, references theme enhancements, and quality upgrades and is independent of Magento updates.
As a result, it looks like Magento PWA Studio is the most trustworthy code source for developers looking to create PWA.
Additionally, Magento PWA Studio uses the Venia Storefront proof-of-concept, which will take the place of the Magento 2 front end and operate on top of the Magento 2 backend.
PWA storefronts are readily built by developers so that users may interact with them and make modifications as needed.
Without a doubt, in order to produce a typical PWA, the developers should make use of the free and certified codes from Magento PWA Studio.
It is not recommended for merchants to use Magento PWA Studio
First off, PWA integration is a challenging procedure that demands a high level of technical expertise. Therefore, it is difficult for a business owner to create a PWA using Magento PWA Studio without requiring developers.
The PWA theme, which even lacks many of the capabilities of the Magento default theme, only offers basic components. Therefore, if you build a new PWA using PWA Studio tools, it will take at least 3 to 4 months to add more fundamental functionalities.
Also, the development of any bespoke features might take an additional three to six months depending on your specific needs.
All things considered, Magento 2 PWA Studio may be a fantastic resource for you to learn from and utilize for other purposes if you are a developer. However, if you are a store owner, it might not be a good idea to choose this collection of tools to create your PWA.
The current Magento PWA Studio offerings are extremely few, which is the cause. If there are ten steps in converting your website to a PWA, employing PWA Studio tools only aids in the first one. And there is still a great distance to cover.
In Conclusion,
Magento PWA studio gives developers an effective platform to easily manage, develop and maintain their web applications. It supports a future-focused approach to mobile and web applications. And it comes with features that provide enhanced customer experiences like faster page loading times and improved performance.
Due to its usefulness in streamlining the development process, many organizations are quickly adopting this technology. So they can improve their product performance and strengthen their presence in the digital marketplace. If you’re looking for a more efficient way to power your digital content, Magento PWA Studio is the ultimate solution for providing top-notch customer experiences.
Also, if you want to know more about what is Magento PWA Studio and what it can do for you, our team of seasoned professionals at Magenest would be happy to answer any questions you may have; feel free to contact us anytime! Or you can easily refer to our multiple Magento services that can cover all of your online business’s aspects.
