Add a progressive web app module to core

Created on 26 November 2016, over 8 years ago
Updated 24 June 2025, 13 days ago

Idea summary

What is the problem to solve?

This is the next step of the mobile initiative. The aim is to make all drupal website work beautifully in challenged networking conditions. This is a usability improvment, cue the numerous articles about improved engagement with PWA compared to native apps, especially in ecommerce websites.

Who is this for?

The usability improvement is aimed at site visitors, logged in or anonymous. The new module is aimed at Site owners, if they decide they want to have an offline available website, just activate the module and forget. Some settings should be available (possibility to choose which type of assets to cache).

Result: what will be the outcome?

Sites activating the module will be available offline. Not every page will be available, only the ones configured to always be available and the ones already visited. The "network unreachable" error page of browsers won't be seen on those site.

How can we know the desired result is achieved?

Need to track core module usage to see if people use it. Monitor feedback from places where internet is reliably bad. User feedback in events, client interest in sales meetings, etc.

--- Original report ---

Background

The mobile initiative has been a success in the D8 cycle. Now the web has moved on from mobile-first to offline-first. Google is pushing hard for the concept of progressive web apps, which is marketing talk for the mix of: HTTPS, manifest.json and serviceworker. And a realistic alternative to apps.

Proposal

Upgrade the pwa β†’ module to drupal, fix it, add a few more configuration options and add it as an experimental module. Magically providing an offline website for any HTTPS D8 site.

The manifest.json part of this issue is something that any website could use hence it makes sense to have in core alongside the rest: ✨ Extend site information page to generate a manifest.json file Needs work .

as an exemple see PWA exemple or PWA Rocks for a list of real life exemples.

✨ Feature request
Status

Needs review

Component

Idea

Created by

πŸ‡«πŸ‡·France nod_ Lille

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  • mobile

    Issue related to Drupal on mobile devices.

  • Usability

    Makes Drupal easier to use. Preferred over UX, D7UX, etc.

  • Accessibility

    It affects the ability of people with disabilities or special needs (such as blindness or color-blindness) to use Drupal.

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