Capacitor by Ionic
Capacitor is a cross-platform app runtime that allows developers to build web apps using HTML, CSS and JavaScript and deploy them to native iOS, Android and web. It includes a rich set of web APIs and allows wrapping web code into native code using plugins.
crossplatform
hybrid-app
ionic
capacitor
webview
Capacitor by Ionic: Cross-Platform App Runtime
Build, deploy, and manage cross-platform mobile apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with Capacitor by Ionic.
What is Capacitor by Ionic?
Capacitor by Ionic is an open source runtime that allows developers to build cross-platform native apps using web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It works by wrapping the web code into native containers to access device features on iOS, Android and the web.
Some key features of Capacitor include:
- Wraps web code into native apps with rich OS integrations for iOS, Android and web
- Provides native APIs for Camera, Geolocation, Network, Push Notifications, Haptics, Filesystem access and many more
- Easy to integrate and configure native plugins
- Live Reload support to see changes instantly
- Battle tested integrations for Ionic Framework but works with any web app framework
- MIT licensed open source project by Ionic with an active development community
By handling the native workflows and APIs itself, Capacitor allows web developers to focus on building great cross-platform apps using JavaScript without having to build custom native plugins or modules. The resulting apps also tend to perform better compared to Hybrid apps built with Cordova or PhoneGap since they run in native containers.
Capacitor by Ionic Features
Features
- Cross-platform - Build iOS, Android, and Web apps with one codebase
- Native APIs - Access native device features like Camera, Geolocation, Notifications, etc
- Plugin ecosystem - Extend functionality with community-built plugins
- Web Standards - Use web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Native Bridge - Call native code from JavaScript and vice versa
- Live Reload - Update code and see changes instantly
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Write once, deploy anywhere
Access native features through web standards
Large plugin ecosystem for added functionality
Fast development with live reload
Leverage knowledge of web development
Cons
Still requires native project setup for each platform
Not as performant as fully native code
Limitations of web vs native UI
Some more complex native features may lack plugin support
Official Links
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