Don’t get confused about hybrid mobile application development. Read it first

Have someone suggested you the Hybrid Application Development for your business app? Are you confused what exactly it means? If yes, this post has reached just the right reader.

First of all, thank you to reach this page. Hybrid, as the word itself suggests, is the result of crossbreeding. In computing, crossbreeding is made possible when two technologies are used togetherto create something new. The hybrid app development means to use both native programming languages and web development technologies together in single app.

Java and Swift, for example, are native software languages; the first one is used for creating Android apps and second one for iPhone apps. Web technologies include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and, they all are basically used in website and web application developments. Hybrid is all about merging all these technologies at their places and creating a mobile app.

The Hybrid Application Development approach is little twisty. As users, you will not easily be able to spot that you are using a hybrid app. There are many blogs which say that Twitter, Evernote, Amazon Appstore, and Apple App store are based on hybrid technologies. The front-end, the part through which users interact with the app, is created using native programming language. It’s a tiny container that can be created with programming languages supported by a particular platform.

Major part of an hybrid app is created using combination of HTML, CSS and JavaScript but it’s hosted inside native app that uses device’s, web view (WebView in Android and UIWebView in iOS) which is in fact a browser window configured to run full screen.

Now you would surely want to know that why you should go for a hybrid app if it is still based on native technologies. The reason is that developing a native app is rather costlier in comparison of a hybrid app and if the app needs to be implemented on multiple platforms, the cost may often time become unaffordable for small-medium businesses.

Because major part of a hybrid app is created using web standards which are used in website development, the cost remains in control. Also there is no need of doing different web developments for different platforms because all device support similar web standards.

You have also heard of mobile websites but the problem with them is that they cannot use various device features like camera, sensors, GPS, etc. But Hybrid apps can solve this problem. Functioning of native part in hybrid app can be extended from merely being a container to using device’s features. With this approach, a hybrid app can also provide offline storage along with supporting swipe, pinch and spread features of a touch screen. Mobile website cannot support these features.

The major advantage of hybrid app over mobile website is that you cannot distribute a mobile website through App Store or Google Playstore but you can do this with your hybrid app.

I am working as a technical content writer for Rapidsoft Technologies a mobile and web app development company in India.