SAP Spartacus - progressive web applications, progressive web applications

Spartacus It's based on Angular Of JavaScript Solution , Mainly run in the browser . It is progressive Web Applications (PWA) One of , In turn, it represents the symbiotic relationship between responsive websites and Applications . What exactly does this mean ,SAP Spartacus What are the advantages and disadvantages of ？

Progressive type Web Applications (PWA)、 What is the difference between native applications and standard browser access ？ What are the advantages and disadvantages of each ？

Let's start with the usual access methods ——“ Normal visit ” The server renders through the browser HTML page ： If the browser queries a page , The server will report to the corresponding HTML The page provides any style sheet （CSS） and JavaScript. After receiving the content , The browser will display the full page and perform any actions JavaScript. Any navigation within the page will cause all content to reload .

Native applications are fundamentally different from web pages . They usually use device dependent frameworks （iOS Of Android or Swift） To achieve , And based on the operating system on the end user's equipment . Applications usually go through API Interface and back-end communication , To reload and store data in its memory .

For customers , The implementation of native applications means that in addition to websites , You must also develop a separate application for the device . This means that you can't use the same code . however , Native applications provide users with the best user experience on mobile devices . They can be built well offline , And provide full access to device functions , for example GPS、 Camera, etc .

On the other hand , Single page application (SPA) Or its extension (PWA) It's still a web page . Unlike the usual access , This page is actually only composed of JavaScript form , also —— seeing the name of a thing one thinks of its function —— By a single HTML Page composition .

therefore , When the browser first requests , The server always provides the same page . Usually broader JavaScript Then represent the content and dynamically exchange the elements on the page . in other words ： After that, the server only loads the required data —— Depends on which URL And the data requested by the user . Anything the server has queried is cached locally , And when it needs to be used again .

Such applications make users feel more fluent , Because it won't reload the page . Besides , You can very specifically control what data must be loaded . PWA Usually, you can also access various device functions . However ,JavaScript The heavy use of is an obstacle to search engines and old devices . therefore , Server side rendering is often used ： take JavaScript Convert to... On the server HTML, And used with common access methods . However , Once the page is loaded , All accesses occur without reloading the page .

It must also first be installed by the store customer PWA. Compared with an e-store that can be accessed without an application through a standard browser , Isn't this an additional obstacle ？ As a customer , I'll find it more convenient .

PWA Mainly a website , No installation required . however , It can be saved as an icon on the device like an application . Because of its website like nature , Unlike classic applications , It doesn't need to be updated .

Access through native applications is now phased out , isn't it? ？

It depends on the relevant application . however , For many companies , Develop additional native applications （ Apply to Android、iOS、Windows And various device versions ） It will bring too much financial and organizational burden .

PWA Yes SAP Commerce What are the specific benefits of enterprise customers ？

SAP The business system is headless , Easy access from other systems . Use PWA, You can load content very specifically , It can also make people happy Google Better evaluate performance . Websites and devices only need one application . Besides , Use the updated front-end frame , Increased attractiveness to employees .

PWA What are the benefits to end customers ？

PWA The benefits to end customers are obvious ： Smoother 、 Faster user experience , And according to the implementation , It can better adapt the interface to the size of the device .

Migrate from accelerator to PWA How high is the cost of ？ How much time and cost should I estimate ？

This has changed a lot , Depending on the initial situation . however , The work required does not depend on the number of parts , It depends on the existing code structure and page structure and their complexity .

Angular How safe ？

stay PWA、SPA And in the modern framework , Apply the same security aspects as traditional websites . however ,Angular And other frameworks provide functionality that makes it easier to implement these aspects . You must also ensure security on the server - And there is no need to store sensitive data in the client .

Spartacus Yes SAP Commerce What does the customer mean ？

because PWA（ namely Spartacus） The complexity is much higher , It requires different and deeper JavaScript Knowledge and state-of-the-art front-end framework . Whether server-side rendering is required and SAP Commerce Whether to run locally ？ then , for example , Additional infrastructure and customized development and deployment processes are required .

What does this mean for my upgrade strategy ？ Should new developments be related to Spartacus Together ？

in my opinion , You should consider using Spartacus Instead of . however , According to the frame conditions and requirements , You may need to take a different path .

SAP Spartacus Relatively young , Several aspects may have been solved in an overly crude way . You have to consider things like server-side rendering . Especially if migrating to the cloud cannot （ also ） Conduct . If you bring your solution close to an accelerator or standard , Then switch to Spartacus It might make sense .

The transition to SAP Spartacus What it means to my organization ？

Spartacus be based on PWA（ Progressive type Web Applications ） Principle and Angular technology . Many companies use... Based jQuery Or similar relatively simple JavaScript Working in an accelerator . PWA Represents a significant increase in complexity , Because it also has classic application elements , For example, routing 、 Security 、 Persistence and asynchrony . Therefore, front-end developers need better JavaScript And application development skills .

SAP Commerce (Hybris) The development process and interfaces are also different , You need to refactor according to code quality . If you want to run in a local environment Spartacus, You must implement server-side rendering and the required infrastructure according to your requirements . The same applies to related deployment processes . SAP This has been supported in the cloud .