How to Build a PWA With Angular Universal

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) combine the best of web and mobile applications, providing users with a fast, reliable, and engaging experience. Utilizing Angular Universal for server-side rendering, developers can create robust PWAs that load quickly and perform well. In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to build a PWA with Angular Universal.

Understanding PWAs and Angular Universal

Before diving into the development process, it’s essential to understand what PWAs are and how Angular Universal fits into the picture. PWAs offer offline functionality, push notifications, and a native-like experience on the web. Angular Universal enables server-side rendering, improving loading times and SEO performance.

Prerequisites

To build a PWA with Angular Universal, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

Node.js and npm installed
Angular CLI
Basic knowledge of Angular framework

Step 1: Creating a New Angular Project

Start by creating a new Angular project using Angular CLI. Open your terminal and run the following command:

ng new angular-pwa-demo --routing --style=scss

This command creates a new Angular project named angular-pwa-demo with routing and SCSS styling.

Step 2: Adding Angular PWA Support

Add PWA support to your project by running this command:

ng add @angular/pwa

This command automatically updates your project with the necessary configuration files and service worker setup, crucial for enabling PWA features.

Step 3: Adding Angular Universal

Integrate Angular Universal by running the following command:

ng add @nguniversal/express-engine

This command sets up server-side rendering in your project, allowing Angular to render pages on the server before sending them to the client.

Step 4: Configuring Server-Side Rendering

Once Angular Universal is added, configure your server module:

Open server.ts and ensure that it is set up to use your Angular application.
Modify src/main.server.ts to include routes and handle requests correctly.

Step 5: Building for Production

To build your application for production, execute the following command:

npm run build:ssr

This command generates server and browser builds necessary for deploying your PWA with Angular Universal.

Step 6: Running and Testing Your PWA

After building your application, you can run it locally to test its PWA functionalities:

npm run serve:ssr

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:4000 to see your PWA in action. Check service worker functionality by using the application tab in your browser’s developer tools.

Step 7: Deploying Your PWA

Once you’ve tested your app locally and everything works as expected, you can deploy your PWA to a hosting service. Popular options include Firebase Hosting, AWS, and Vercel. Follow the hosting service’s documentation to deploy your application.

Step 8: Enhancing Your PWA

To provide an even better experience for users, consider adding the following features:

Push Notifications: Use the Notifications API and service workers.
Performance Optimization: Leverage lazy loading and optimize images to improve loading times.
SEO Enhancements: Ensure your site is crawlable and indexed correctly by search engines.

Conclusion

Building a Progressive Web App with Angular Universal allows you to create a fast, engaging web experience that users will love. By following these steps, you can harness the power of both Angular and server-side rendering to build scalable, high-performance applications.

How to Build a PWA With Angular Universal