Spring GDS 25th Anniversary
A logistics company that ships to 190 countries built something to ship to itself.
PWA (Progressive Web App)
What is a PWA?
A Progressive Web App is a website that behaves like an installed application. It runs in the browser but can be added to a home screen, work offline, send push notifications, and load instantly on repeat visits. No app store, no download, no separate codebase for each platform.
Three things make it possible. A service worker, which is a script the browser runs in the background to cache assets and intercept network requests. A web app manifest, a small JSON file that tells the device how to install and display the app. And HTTPS, which the whole model requires. Compared to a native app, a PWA loses some access to deep device features and trades a little raw performance. It gains reach, a single codebase, and updates that ship without an app store review. A field technician working in a basement with no signal can keep logging inspections in a PWA, and the data syncs the moment connectivity returns.
PWAs sit between a traditional responsive site and a native mobile app. They suit content, commerce, and tools where install friction and store gatekeeping hurt more than the missing native APIs.
PWAs at Dallonses
We reach for a PWA when a client needs app-like reach without maintaining three codebases. One product team came to us spending half its budget keeping iOS, Android, and web in sync for a tool that was mostly forms and dashboards. We rebuilt it as a single progressive web app. The install prompt, the offline cache, the push channel all came from the web platform, and the maintenance load dropped to one stack.
Service workers are easy to ship and hard to ship well. A stale cache that serves old prices or a sync that silently drops data does more damage than no offline support at all. So we treat caching strategy, update flow, and conflict handling as core engineering, not a plugin you switch on. Our mobile app development and web development work runs through the same review and testing discipline, whether the output is native or a PWA.
Wondering if a PWA fits your product, or whether you genuinely need native? Let's work it out.
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