What is Hybrid Application Development?
When beginning to choose your solution to create a new mobile application, you are often faced with a wide range of options but are unsure of where to begin. Is building your application solely with native solutions the right choice? Should your team look at only developing with web technologies? What about some of the hybrid application development solutions out there? These are among the many questions that arise when deliberating which path is best for your business.
A hybrid application (hybrid app) is one that combines elements of both native and Web applications. Native applications are developed for a specific platform and installed on a computing device. Web applications are generalized for multiple platforms and not installed locally but made available over the Internet through a browser. Its apps are often mentioned in the context of mobile computing.
Hybrid App Advantages
Hybrid application development is cost-effective and faster. It is the most sought-after approach thanks to the growth in the number of mobile users, app usage, device fragmentation, and more.
The most significant advantage of hybrid apps comes from their reduced development costs. The hybrid mobile development approach enables the targeting of multiple platforms without maintaining numerous code bases. Unlike native apps, hybrid applications use a single code base for various platforms.
Hybrid App Development offers a consistent and flawless user experience across iOS and Android platforms. Hybrid applications are about making it work for mobile by embracing the web. Further, the lightweight hybrid app UI helps in loading content and graphics quickly.
Technically, a hybrid app consists of an HTML5 web app within a native ‘wrapper.’ This is a mobile app written using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and then compiled into native iOS, Android, or other mobile platforms using wrapper technologies such as PhoneGap or Cordova.