Ionic

Created by Drifty Co in 2013, Ionic is a web framework for rapid webapp developing. Its cross platform technology allows you to develop an app for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, etc. using HTML5, TypeScript and SASS.

The power of Ionic

Ionic is an ideal framework for the development of webapps for start-ups.

With practically the same codebase, you can have your webapp available for Web, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and even as PWA (Progressive Web App).

Regarding other technologies, Ionic offers a fast, flexible and easy to maintain development.

It adapts perfectly to Agile development methodologies, where part of a minimum functional product and week by week its functionality increases. In this way, the client can follow up on the detail of his project.

Why is it ideal for start-ups?

It is said that a start-up is a company whose business model has to be validated. 

In this validation period, most fail. 

And those that have survived do so because their value proposition and business model have changed significantly from the initial idea, the result of their adaptation to the market (a.k.a product-market fit).

Ionic is ideal to create developments for a start-up because:

• The use of the budget is maximized in adding value to the webapp.
• In relatively little time, you have a working solution
• Easily adapts to changes in the business model and/or value proposition
• If the requirements allow it, you can launch a PWA before an expensive app development for Android / iOS. This allows you to test the business idea much earlier. In addition, the associated marketing is cheaper than the marketing of apps in markets.

The natural evolution that we recommend for an app during the life of a start-up is:

1. Development of a PWA with Ionic that implements the MVP of the idea. This allows you to launch quickly to the market and promotion marketing is much cheaper than marketing apps in markets (Google Play or Apple Store). If special access to the hardware is required (eg Bluetooth connection), then it is necessary to go directly to step 2.
2. Adjustment and publication of the webapp for Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple Store). This step is recommended if your webapp has enough users and you want to have a greater presence.
3. Development of native app for each platform. If finally your business model looks solid and you have a significant number of users, a native development is recommended to make the most of the mobile terminal resources and the user experience is 100% satisfactory.

Pros and cons

The advantages have been clear: rapid development, flexible but robust, support for PWA.

These advantages are the result of the technology used in Ionic (version 3 and 4).

• Angular 4/5. This reactive technology simplifies the code to obtain a better response before events. This is ideal in systems with component-rich UI. TypeScript is used instead of JavaScript, which allows you to develop without making mistakes in coding time. This eventually eliminates many errors when dealing with data types.
• Use of others react engines. From Ionic 4 it is now possible to use another reactive environment other than Angular. Ionic thus becomes an agnostic environment. We use Vue.js as an alternative in projects that tend to have a smaller scope.
• Widget library. The large extensive library of widgets and out-of-the-box components that Ionic provides along with its ability to adapt not only to mobile devices but also to desktop applications, making it a tool with which you can quickly develop wireframes that then they will be used for the app itself.
• Theming with SASS. Thanks to the use of SASS and how the style code is structured in theme mode, it is very easy to adapt the design to the style that the app should have.

The drawbacks are few but important. The most important is the result of having a single codebase for all platforms: effectiveness.

The heart of Progressive Web Apps

Ionic was among the first to speak and support progressive web apps (PWA). 

No wonder since Ionic offered almost all the necessary requirements for a website to be PWA.

Following our own PWA development guide, with little additional effort you have a 100% operational PWA powered by Ionic.