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progressive-web-app

Included with Lifetime
$97 forever

Build Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with offline support, installability, and caching strategies. Trigger whenever the user mentions PWA, service workers, web app manifests, Workbox, 'add to home screen', or wants their web app to work offline, feel native, or be installable.

Web Devpwaweb-devservice-workerfrontendofflinecaching

What this skill does


# Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

## Overview

A Progressive Web App is a web application that uses modern browser capabilities to deliver a fast, reliable, and installable experience — even on unreliable networks. The three required pillars are:

1. **HTTPS** — Required in production for service workers to register (localhost is exempt for development).
2. **Web App Manifest** (`manifest.json`) — Makes the app installable and defines its appearance on device home screens.
3. **Service Worker** (`sw.js`) — A background script that intercepts network requests, manages caches, and enables offline functionality.

## When to Use This Skill

- Use when the user wants their web app to work offline or on unreliable networks.
- Use when building a mobile-first web project where users should be able to install the app to their home screen.
- Use when the user asks about caching strategies, service workers, or improving web app performance and resilience.
- Use when the user mentions Workbox, web app manifests, background sync, or push notifications for the web.
- Use when the user asks "can my website be installed like an app?" or "how do I make my site work offline?" — even if they don't use the word PWA.

## Deliverables Checklist

Every PWA implementation must include these files at minimum:

- [ ] `index.html` — Links manifest, registers service worker
- [ ] `manifest.json` — Full app metadata and icon set
- [ ] `sw.js` — Service worker with install, activate, and fetch handlers
- [ ] `app.js` — Main app logic with SW registration and install prompt handling
- [ ] `offline.html` — Fallback page shown when navigation fails offline (required — missing file will cause install to fail)

---

## Step 1: Web App Manifest (`manifest.json`)

Defines how the app appears when installed. Must be linked from `<head>` via `<link rel="manifest">`.

```json
{
  "name": "My Awesome PWA",
  "short_name": "MyPWA",
  "description": "A fast, offline-capable Progressive Web App.",
  "start_url": "/",
  "scope": "/",
  "display": "standalone",
  "orientation": "portrait-primary",
  "background_color": "#ffffff",
  "theme_color": "#0055ff",
  "icons": [
    {
      "src": "/assets/icons/icon-192x192.png",
      "sizes": "192x192",
      "type": "image/png",
      "purpose": "any maskable"
    },
    {
      "src": "/assets/icons/icon-512x512.png",
      "sizes": "512x512",
      "type": "image/png",
      "purpose": "any maskable"
    }
  ],
  "screenshots": [
    {
      "src": "/assets/screenshots/desktop.png",
      "sizes": "1280x720",
      "type": "image/png",
      "form_factor": "wide"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Key fields:**
- `display`: `standalone` hides browser UI; `minimal-ui` shows minimal controls; `browser` is standard tab.
- `purpose: "maskable"` on icons enables adaptive icons on Android (safe zone matters — keep content in center 80%).
- `screenshots` is optional but required for Chrome's enhanced install dialog on desktop.

---

## Step 2: HTML Shell (`index.html`)

```html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>My Awesome PWA</title>

  <!-- PWA manifest -->
  <link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">

  <!-- Theme color for browser chrome -->
  <meta name="theme-color" content="#0055ff">

  <!-- iOS-specific (Safari doesn't fully use manifest) -->
  <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes">
  <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="default">
  <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="MyPWA">
  <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/assets/icons/icon-192x192.png">

  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/styles.css">
</head>
<body>
  <div id="app">
    <header><h1>My PWA</h1></header>
    <main id="content">Loading...</main>
    <!-- Optional: install button, hidden by default -->
    <button id="install-btn" hidden>Install App</button>
  </div>
  <script src="/app.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
```

---

## Step 3: Service Worker Registration & Install Prompt (`app.js`)

```javascript
// ─── Service Worker Registration ───────────────────────────────────────────
if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
  window.addEventListener('load', async () => {
    try {
      const registration = await navigator.serviceWorker.register('/sw.js');
      console.log('[App] SW registered, scope:', registration.scope);
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('[App] SW registration failed:', err);
    }
  });
}

// ─── Install Prompt (Add to Home Screen) ───────────────────────────────────
let deferredPrompt;
const installBtn = document.getElementById('install-btn'); // may be null if omitted

// Capture the browser's install prompt — it fires before the browser's own UI
window.addEventListener('beforeinstallprompt', (e) => {
  e.preventDefault(); // Stop automatic mini-infobar on mobile
  deferredPrompt = e;
  if (installBtn) installBtn.hidden = false; // Show your custom install button
});

if (installBtn) {
  installBtn.addEventListener('click', async () => {
    if (!deferredPrompt) return;
    deferredPrompt.prompt();
    const { outcome } = await deferredPrompt.userChoice;
    console.log('[App] Install outcome:', outcome);
    deferredPrompt = null;
    installBtn.hidden = true;
  });
}
// Fires when the app is installed (via browser or your button)
window.addEventListener('appinstalled', () => {
  console.log('[App] PWA installed successfully');
  installBtn.hidden = true;
});
```

---

## Step 4: Service Worker (`sw.js`)

### Cache Versioning (critical — always increment on deploy)

```javascript
const CACHE_VERSION = 'v1';
const STATIC_CACHE = `static-${CACHE_VERSION}`;
const DYNAMIC_CACHE = `dynamic-${CACHE_VERSION}`;

// Files to pre-cache during install (the "App Shell")
const APP_SHELL = [
  '/',
  '/index.html',
  '/styles.css',
  '/app.js',
  '/assets/icons/icon-192x192.png',
  '/offline.html', // Fallback page shown when network is unavailable
];
```

### Install — Pre-cache the App Shell

```javascript
self.addEventListener('install', (event) => {
  console.log('[SW] Installing...');
  event.waitUntil(
    caches.open(STATIC_CACHE).then((cache) => {
      console.log('[SW] Pre-caching app shell');
      return cache.addAll(APP_SHELL);
    })
  );
  // Activate immediately without waiting for old SW to die
  self.skipWaiting();
});
```

### Activate — Clean Up Old Caches

```javascript
self.addEventListener('activate', (event) => {
  console.log('[SW] Activating...');
  event.waitUntil(
    caches.keys().then((cacheNames) => {
      return Promise.all(
        cacheNames
          .filter((name) => name !== STATIC_CACHE && name !== DYNAMIC_CACHE)
          .map((name) => {
            console.log('[SW] Deleting old cache:', name);
            return caches.delete(name);
          })
      );
    })
  );
  // Take control of all pages immediately
  self.clients.claim();
});
```

### Fetch — Caching Strategies

Choose the right strategy per resource type:

```javascript
self.addEventListener('fetch', (event) => {
  const { request } = event;
  const url = new URL(request.url);

  // Only handle GET requests from our own origin
  if (request.method !== 'GET' || url.origin !== location.origin) return;

  // Strategy A: Cache-First (for static assets — fast, tolerates stale)
  if (url.pathname.match(/\.(css|js|png|jpg|svg|woff2)$/)) {
    event.respondWith(cacheFirst(request));
    return;
  }

  // Strategy B: Network-First (for HTML pages — fresh, falls back to cache)
  if (request.headers.get('Accept')?.includes('text/html')) {
    event.respondWith(networkFirst(request));
    return;
  }

  // Strategy C: Stale-While-Revalidate (for API data — fast and eventually fresh)
  if (url.pathname.startsWith('/api/')) {
    event.respondWith(staleWhileRevalidate(request));
    return;
  }
});

// ─── Strategy Implementations ──────────────────────────────────────────────

async function cacheFirst(request) {
  const cached = await caches.ma
Files: 1
Size: 12.6 KB
Complexity: 22/100
Category: Web Dev
Source: https://github.com/sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills/tree/main/plugins/antigravity-awesome-skills/skills/progressive-web-app

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