Capacitor
An open source runtime that packages a web app as native iOS and Android apps, with plugins for device features.
Your HTML, CSS and JavaScript run in a native web view, and plugins expose the camera, files, push notifications and other native APIs. One codebase can serve the web, both stores and, with other wrappers, the desktop. It suits content and business apps well; graphics-heavy apps or ones built around platform-specific UI are better served natively.
Related terms
- TWA (Trusted Web Activity): An Android way to ship a web app as a store app: the browser shows your site full screen inside an app package.
- PWA (progressive web app): A website with a manifest and a service worker, so it can be installed, work offline and be packaged for app stores.
- Build vs buy: The choice between paying for a ready-made product and building your own software, including what each costs over time.
