Capacitor is the NEW Cordova!
Hybrid apps are a real game changer when it comes to app development. Many of us know Apache Capacitor as the one of the leader of the market in hybrid app developer.
Cordova is one of the most cross mobile framework used by software developers worldwide nowadays. But since 2019 the usage of Cordova is decreasing from about 25% to 16% which is a big loss for the framework.[1]
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/869224/worldwide-software-developer-working-hours/
There is a new star at the horizont of the app development frameworks: Capacitor. Capacitor is an open source framework for realizing hybrid apps which was published in 2019. So it is relatively new in the market. It is often used with the open source UI-framework Ionic. Ionic is known for its native user interface and many pre-made UI-components.
The “problem” for Cordova is that Capacitor follows the same approach as Cordova.
But why do developers use Capacitor instead of Cordova?
I mean Cordova has been long on the market and many companies use Cordova like Untappd, Localeur and SparkCheese.[2]
Some good reasons why to use Capacitor instead of Cordova:
- Quick and easy setup
1 month ago, I started developing my very first hybrid app (an eggtimer). In the first place I tried to set up the project with Cordova. I think I spent almost one day to do this because I had so many bugs and compatibility problems with Cordova. I just didn’t want to work. That is why I gave Capacitor a try. The setup with Capacitor with Ionic & Angular was very easy and quick. I had no problems or bugs in my terminal showing.
2. Implement it on your existing project
Yes! You can implement Capacitor to your existing project. E. g. you can add hybrid and web to an existing native app. There is no need to make your project completely new. Basically, when you add Capacitor to your project to the tradition web view control you can add it on each plattform.[3]
3. Looks like a native app
Apps that are made with Capacitor and Ionic have a more native user interface then ones made with Cordova. Cordova Apps often don’t look native. This is a big advantage for Capacitor because a native user interface is very important for hybrid apps. Hybrid apps should look like native apps. If they are not look like them, then you could also make Progressive Web Apps or native apps.[3]
4. Better app performance
Last but not least: The Cordova app performance isn’t that good. Especially if you want to build an app with many functionalities or if your app has a huge data traffic / data usage. The time of installation of a cordova app can take 20% longer than usual apps. Additionally, the CPU is 106% more occupied than other apps. Therefore, the better alternative especially for larger apps would be Capacitor.[4]
There are many more reasons why you should better use Capacitor and why people might be use Capacitor instead of Cordova. Like I said in the beginning: Cordova will be less used! We will see what comes in the next years. Maybe Capacitor will be the new leader in the market of the app development frameworks.
What are you thinking about this topic? Please leave a clap and a comment :)
Here are some sources:
[1] Statista. (2022).
https://www.statista.com/statistics/869224/worldwide-software-developer-working-hours/
[2] Ottonova. (2020).
https://www.quora.com/What-are-examples-of-apps-built-using-Apache-Cordova-Were-they-successful-or-not
[3] Max Lynch. (2022). Capacitor vs Cordova: Hybrid Mobile App Development.
https://ionic.io/resources/articles/capacitor-vs-cordova-modern-hybrid-app-development
[4] Titanium SDK. (2022). Axway Documentation. https://docs.axway.com/bundle/Titanium_SDK_allOS_en/page/titanium_platform_overview.html
