Use an Application Cache (Deprecated)

The application cache allows users to access websites and applications while offline. The benefit is that users can access them while offline and there is no requirement for network connectivity. Additionally, because the user is accessing resources cached in the browser, they load faster. One of the caveats with the application cache is that, if not configured properly, the browser would continue to serve the cached version, even if the server were updated.

While the application cache functionality tried to provide a straightforward way for developers to create a way for users to use their application while offline, it was clunky to work with and broke often. To solve this problem, service workers were introduced. Service workers are JavaScript scripts that are separate from a web page, but work in the background, caching or fetching resources from the cache and delivering messages. Service workers are behind features like push notifications, background syncing, and messaging. Service workers are network proxies that communicate with the browser, offering the functionality to control how requests from your web pages are managed. This also provides a faster, more efficient way to get content to load faster, regardless of the user’s network conditions. Setting up a service worker can be a time-consuming task, as there are a lot of specific requirements that need to be met, but this is the way most mobile applications today are being built, so they are going to be sticking around for a while.