Setting up PWA's involves a lot of moving parts, so I've decided to create a template repository, that I would always keep up to date, and it will enable me to get started quickly.

demo: https://material-pwa.vercel.app/

repository: https://github.com/ivandotv/nextjs-material-pwa

Layout

The application supports both desktop and mobile layouts.

The desktop layout has a sidebar on the left side that can open and close.

The mobile layout has two options.

• Traditional layout with a sidebar that can be swiped to open/close

• Modern layout where menu items are at the bottom

Theming

• There are two themes dark and light, and they can easily be customized.

Onboarding slideshow

I've also included an onboarding slideshow which is usually present in native apps. This is optional and it can easily be removed.

Service worker

The real hard part of creating PWA's is service worker integration, both in the build process and in production.
Service worker functionality is implemented with the excellent Workbox library

service worker setup

• Service worker is written in Typescript and it will be compiled together with the rest of the code. The service worker will precache all the routes, images, CSS, and google fonts. Every time the app is built new cache manifest is created.

When the service worker is installed, the application will show a prompt to reload the application so the new service worker can take over.

offline fallback

Offline fallback is provided, if navigation happens when there is no network, the fallback page will be shown. Please note that the fallback files must be pure html,css, and js (no react, or css-in-js libraries). Fallback files need to be placed in the public directory.

Also, there is network offline detection, if the browser loses network connection, there will be a notification inside the app that the application is offline. You can test this via the Chrome dev tools network tab.

installation prompt

The application also has a custom prompt for the installation of the app. Please note that the installation prompt only works on the desktop OS'es and Android, no IOS.

app shortcuts

The application also has set some demo shortcuts which show up if the application is installed.

Make sure to check out the demo:

demo: https://material-pwa.vercel.app/

repository: https://github.com/ivandotv/nextjs-material-pwa