Adding PWA features to your jQuery site in 2023
Find out how to add PWA features to your jQuery site in just a few minutes. Make your jQuery PWA work offline, make it installable across browsers and devices, and send push notifications without writing any code.
Getting started with jQuery & Progressier
-
1Sign up for Progressier
Click on the Get started button at the top of this page, and select JavaScript in the dropdown menu. Create a Progressier account or log in if you already have one.
-
2Add the script tag to your HTML
Add the script tag provided in the Progressier dashboard to your soon-to-be jQuery PWA. We recommend adding it between the
<head>and</head>section in your HTML template. If your jQuery app doesn't use a templating system, you'll have to add it to every page of your app. -
3Add the service worker file
Progressier also comes with a downloadable service worker file. If your jQuery app already uses a service worker, you can instead import it into your existing one using importScripts. The service worker makes your app work offline, handles delivery of push notifications, and is a necessary requirement for the installation prompt to be triggered by browsers.
-
4Install your PWA
Progressier makes your jQuery app an installable PWA across compatible devices and browsers (with a custom walkthrough on iOS), generates an install page, and gives you access to PWA promotion widgets.
-
5Configure push notifications
Last but not least, you can configure how and when users of your app should be prompted to allow push notifications. Push notifications are available in practically every major browser. With Progressier, you can send push notifications from our dashboard. You can also connect your own user data and send push notifications from our API programmatically.
Which PWA features does jQuery support?
Android Installation
Your jQuery PWA is installable on Android tablets or smartphones in a click.
iOS Installation
Let users add your jQuery PWA to their home screen with our custom iOS install prompt.
Windows Installation
Your PWA can be installed from Chrome and Edge to your users' Desktop and/or Taskbar.
macOS Installation
Progressier helps users add your jQuery PWA to their Docks for quick access.
Chrome OS Installation
Progressier is also a great solution to get your app installed on Chrome OS.
Install Page
A familiar app store installation experience bundled in a single-purpose page for your users.
Original Domain Installation
Your jQuery PWA can be installed from your existing domain.
Web App Manifest
Progressier generates a web app manifest for you based on your preferences automatically.
Service Worker
A service worker is a file that runs independently from the main browser thread and that allows to define how to cache and refresh resources. It's also the mechanism by which push notifications can be delivered to a user who's not on your site. Progressier lets you customize the service worker in details without having to write code.
Cache Static Resources
Progressier lets you build caching strategies without writing code so you can easily cache resources and make them accessible offline.
100% Offline-Ready
If you have full control over all the resources required for your website to work, you can make your site work 100% offline in Progressier without writing a single line of code.
Push Campaigns
Send push notifications to up to 1,000,000 users in one go within the Progressier dashboard or via the API.
Personalized Notifications
Send notifications to any particular user manually or programmatically. All your need is their email, their user ID or any other information that identifies them in your system.
Connect User Data
Link user data like emails, names, status to push subscriptions, so you can easily notify someone from your product directly or from our dashboard.
In-App PWA Promotion
A set of tools that allow you to promote installation of your PWA within the body of your app, including custom install buttons and floating action buttons.
Offline Alerts
Let users know when they lose their Internet connection.
Push Prompt on Standalone
Prompt users to allow push notifications right after they have installed your app. Less intrusive = better conversion rate.
Install & Push Analytics
See in real-time and track over time how users install your PWA and allow push notifications.
Programmatic PWA Creation
Create new Progressive Web Apps dynamically with our API on different domains or subdirectories.
Google Play & App Store Upload
Easily upload your app to Google Play or the App Store with our PWABuilder integration.
Why choose jQuery and Progressier for your PWA?
If you're considering whether you should create a new app with jQuery in 2023, the answer is probably no. jQuery is an ancient framework that no longer makes a lot of sense nowadays. Vanilla JavaScript has caught up with jQuery to the point where most of the features that made jQuery a convenient tool back in the day are now available natively in the browser.
That being said, jQuery is still used by 77.4% of websites so if you're on this page, there's a good chance your website is still using jQuery. Whether your site is built using jQuery, Vanilla JavaScript, or a more modern framework like React or Vue.js, you can build a fully-featured PWA. The choice of framework doesn't really matter, since the basic installation functionality of PWAs really only has three mandatory requirements, i.e. a domain secured by a SSL certificate, a service worker hosted at the root of your domain with a listener for the fetch event, and an app manifest.
Should you replace jQuery in your PWA?
As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I wouldn't recommend rewriting your app to remove dependencies on jQuery. I've done that once a few years ago, and this is a bigger effort than you'd think, especially if your app uses some of the many jQuery plugins or libraries available. And there's very little upside to making that change unless your app has become spaghetti code that prevents you from adding new features.
A better approach might be to eliminate jQuery dependencies bit by bit by only building features with native APIs from now on. For example, you can use the native document.querySelectorAll function available in every modern browser instead of the jQuery $ function.
Should I host jQuery on my domain?
An important part of the PWA functionality is the ability to make your app load and work offline. In general, it's easier to define caching strategies when the resources are hosted on your domain. Although it is generally recommended to use a CDN-hosted version of jQuery, I'd probably suggest it hosting on your own domain, so you can make sure it's always available when offline with the right caching strategies.
Does my jQuery PWA need to be a SPA?
A SPA, or Single Page App fetches data from a web server and rerenders its view accordingly, rather than loading distinct new pages. In my experience, many older apps built on jQuery aren't SPAs. And that's fine either way. SPA tend to look and feel a bit more native, but the traditional method also has its own advantages, e.g. with regards to SEO. A PWA built with jQuery does not need to be a SPA.
Ready to turn your jQuery app into a PWA?
Try our PWA builder free of charge for 14 days. No credit card required.
Get started See plans