What is Cordova?

Cordova is an open-source platform that lets you build mobile apps using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It wraps your web code in a native container so the app can run on iOS, Android, and other phones just like a regular native app.

Let's break it down

  • Open-source: Free for anyone to use, modify, and share.
  • Platform: A set of tools and libraries that help you create something.
  • Build mobile apps: Make programs that run on smartphones and tablets.
  • Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript): The same languages used to create websites.
  • Wraps your web code: Puts your website-style code inside a thin native “shell.”
  • Native container: A small piece of code that talks to the phone’s operating system.
  • iOS, Android, etc.: The major mobile operating systems you can target.

Why does it matter?

Cordova lets developers reuse the skills they already have from web development to create real mobile apps, saving time and money. It also makes it easier to maintain one codebase that works on many devices, rather than writing separate apps for each platform.

Where is it used?

  • A small business creates a cross-platform inventory-tracking app without hiring separate iOS and Android developers.
  • A university builds a campus-event app that works on both student iPhones and Android phones using a single web-based codebase.
  • An open-source community releases a health-monitoring app that can be quickly adapted for new devices by updating the web code.
  • A startup prototypes a location-based game by leveraging Cordova’s plugins for GPS and camera access.

Good things about it

  • Reuse existing web development skills.
  • Write once, run on many platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, etc.).
  • Large plugin ecosystem for accessing native device features (camera, GPS, contacts).
  • Free and supported by a vibrant community.
  • Faster development cycles compared to building separate native apps.

Not-so-good things

  • Performance can be slower than fully native apps, especially for graphics-intensive tasks.
  • Reliance on plugins; if a needed plugin isn’t maintained, you may need to write native code yourself.
  • UI may feel less “native” unless extra effort is made to match platform guidelines.
  • Debugging can be more complex because issues may arise in the web layer, the native wrapper, or the bridge between them.