PWA and SPA: similarities and differences

PWA and SPA are both good solutions for modern companies. In this post, we'll look at the pros and cons of both types of applications and discuss when to use them.

Both progressive web applications (PWA) and single-page applications (SPA) are very popular. The two types of apps are fairly similar, but there are important differences.

What is a PWA?

A progressive web application (PWA) is a combination of web and native applications. PWAs can work offline and can send push notifications to keep in touch with followers. They load in a similar way to a web page and can be added to the home screen of a mobile phone or tablet.

They also have the advantage of being highly secure thanks to the HTTP protocol and can work without an internet connection. They require significantly less investment in time and money to develop, so they can be completed much faster with less expenditure. They are close to traditional apps in terms of user experience, but without general shortcomings. 

In PWA, the Service Worker is responsible for resource optimisation, offline work, and data synchronisation in the background. The PWA also includes the Web App Manifest, which contains descriptions, names and icons related to the web application. In addition, we should also mention HTTPS for security and the Application Shell architecture for speed.

What is SPA?

A single-page application's operating mechanism is different from that of a PWA. It does not load a completely new page, but dynamically rewrites the content of the website based on the server's data. The working principle is like that of Google Docs, for example, the main interface does not change, only the content you want to enter. This is because it allows for much faster interactions and an enhanced user experience.

SPAs have won over many large companies, including Google, Netflix, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

The advantage of SPA is that the page speed can be increased significantly, allowing a quick response to user interactions. Performance can be stabilised and navigation between pages is much smoother.

The disadvantage is that it is programmed using JavaScript and if the user is blocked in the browser, no content is displayed. This type of app is not the most advantageous from an SEO point of view and is also difficult to scale. These apps are more vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, making them easier for hackers to deal with.

Which one is better? It depends!

Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at a few aspects!

SEO

Search engine optimisation is essential for websites. It can help businesses to get ahead in the search results, which is a huge competitive advantage. Since SPA uses AJAX to load content, it is not exactly beneficial from an SEO perspective. In contrast, PWA is more like a website and performs well from a search engine optimization perspective.

Load time

In terms of page load time, PWA is the better choice. While SPAs have an average page load time of 10 seconds, PWAs have an average page load time of only 2 seconds.

Security

The SPA is questionable from a security point of view because of JavaScript, as it is much easier to fall prey to hackers than PWA. The latter runs under HTTPS, which ensures that data exchanges between client and server cannot be manipulated.

User experience

The user experience of traditional web applications and websites is far below that of PWAs and SPAs. With PWA, content access and functionality can be done at the same time, making it a slightly better choice than SPA.

Availability

The advantage of progressive web applications over SPA in this area is that they can operate offline. Not to mention that they can be added to the home screen with a single click, which is also a plus point compared to single-page applications.

SPAs and PWAs are very similar in terms of architecture. Both provide an immersive experience for the application, but in many ways, the PWA is the more fortunate choice.

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