Cross-platform technology is a must-have skill for front-end people. Today, I will explain to you the three major mobile cross-platform solutions mainstream in the industry in recent years:
Web natural cross-platform: Web App, PWA (Progressive Web Apps), Hybrid App, PHA (Progress Hybrid App) can all achieve cross-platform, WebView is a cross-platform solution based on the browser kernel, by embedding in mobile applications A browser component that can use HTML, CSS and JavaScript to build the application interface and logic. This solution can quickly develop applications and has certain cross-platform capabilities, because WebView basically has good support on different platforms. However, because the performance of WebView is inferior to that of native applications, and it cannot be fully integrated into the characteristics of the operating system, it may not be suitable for use in some scenarios that require high performance and user experience.
Containerized Native cross-end: This solution is mainly based on the capabilities of native applications. By packaging the business logic of the application into a container, it can be adapted and rendered on different platforms to achieve cross-platform. This solution usually uses a unified development language and framework, such as React Native, Flutter, Ionic, etc., to write application logic, and expose the native API to developers through the bridging layer. In this way, code reuse can be achieved to a certain extent, and the performance is better, which can better integrate into the characteristics of the operating system. However, since the underlying components and functions are still used, additional work may be required for some specific platform adaptations.
Small program cross-platform solution: Small program cross-platform is a relatively new cross-platform solution. The small program frameworks of giants such as WeChat and Alipay are not unified, so there are a series of cross-small program framework solutions such as FinClip, Taro, and kbone. . Mini Programs provide a relatively closed development environment and runtime. Developers can use a unified technology stack (such as development methods based on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) to build applications and run them on different platforms.
The Web was born to be cross-platform
Cross-platform is an inherent advantage of the Web. Both browsers and WebView are standardized Web containers under the W3C specification, so Web pages can be easily delivered to external browsers, internal WebViews, and WebViews provided by other apps.
From the perspective of cost, the Web solution is considered to be the best choice for cross-platform, mainly for the following reasons:
1. Unified development technology: The main technologies used in Web development include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These technologies are cross-platform standards, and almost all operating systems and devices support Web browsers. Developers can use a unified development technology, avoiding learning and mastering specific technologies and tools of multiple platforms, and reducing development costs.
2. Code reuse and maintenance: Web applications can adapt to screens of different sizes and resolutions through responsive design and adaptive layout. This means that developers can use the same code base and user interface design to build a consistent application experience on different platforms, avoiding repeated writing and maintenance of code for multiple platforms, and reducing development costs and workload.
3. Convenient deployment and update: Web applications run based on browsers, without the need for review and release through the application store, and can be deployed and updated directly through the Internet. In this way, developers can bring applications to the market faster, and quickly fix bugs or introduce new functions when needed, reducing the cost of deployment and maintenance.
4. Cross-platform compatibility: After extensive testing and practice, Web standards have good cross-platform compatibility. In most cases, web applications work fine on different browsers and operating systems. This reduces the cost of adaptation and debugging for different platforms and speeds up development iterations.
Although the web solution has advantages in terms of cost, it also needs to be aware of some limitations, such as relatively low performance and inability to directly access all device functions. Therefore, when choosing a cross-platform solution, other factors need to be considered comprehensively, such as performance requirements, user experience and functional requirements, as well as the specific circumstances of the project.
Containerized Native cross-end
In addition to the natural cross-terminal of the Web, another unified multi-terminal idea is to customize Native as a standard container, so that the same code can run in each standard container, for example:
Android container: Native shell App
iOS container: Native shell App
Web Container: Web Runtime
React Native spans Android, iOS, Web, and Windows, Weex spans Android, iOS, and Web, and Flutter crosses Android, iOS, Web, and Linux in a similar way.
From a technical point of view, RN and Weex provide a JavaScript runtime environment and a layout engine in the Native container, and the rendering layer uses Native controls, so there are still system differences in UI interaction. The Flutter solution is more thorough, and even the rendering layer is replaced with self-drawing UI controls based on the graphics engine, so as to ensure the cross-terminal consistency of UI interaction. However, since the containerized
Native solution starts from Native, there is no cross-terminal talent, except If we want to find a way to support the Web, we still face a more difficult problem-cross-App.
Small program cross-platform solution
The Mini Program cross-platform solution is a development method that allows developers to use a set of codes to build applications based on the Mini Program framework and run them on different platforms. The following introduces several mainstream mini-program cross-platform solutions:
WeChat Mini Program: WeChat Mini Program is the most common mini program platform, and developers can use WeChat Developer Tools and WeChat Mini Program Framework (based on Vue.js) for development. WeChat applets support running on WeChat clients, and provide rich native components and APIs, as well as various development and debugging tools.
Alipay Mini Program: Alipay Mini Program is a small program platform owned by Alibaba, which is similar to WeChat Mini Program. Developers can use Alipay developer tools and Alipay applet framework (based on React) for development. The Alipay applet also provides a series of native components and APIs, as well as development and debugging tools.
FinClip small program platform: There is no uniform standard for the small program frameworks of various domestic companies, and it is difficult to reuse small programs between platforms, so there is a technology such as FinClip to meet the needs of cross-app delivery. FinClip is a cross-platform solution for small programs, which provides an integrated solution that allows developers to embed small programs into other applications or web pages. In addition, FinClip provides a rich access interface for native capabilities. Developers can access the native functions of the device through the FinClip Bridge API, such as cameras, geographic locations, and sensors. This enables applets to gain more functionality and a better user experience.
By using the FinClip applet cross-platform solution, developers can share the same set of applet codes in different applications and platforms to achieve unified development and maintenance, while gaining the advantages of native capability access and cross-domain communication. This can improve development efficiency, reduce development costs, and provide users with better experience and functionality.
These small program cross-platform solutions provide corresponding development tools and frameworks, and developers can use a unified development language (such as JavaScript) and technology stack for development. Developers can use the component libraries, APIs, and tools provided by these solutions to quickly build cross-platform applet applications, reducing the workload of repeated development and maintenance. At the same time, these solutions also provide rich access to native functions and development and debugging tools, so that developers can better adapt to different platforms and provide high-quality user experience.