Describing Your Progressive Web App with a Web Manifest File
Last week I wrote about creating a baseline of progressive web application images. Unlike a tootsie pop it takes 17 images to properly cover the primary device and viewport sizes.
What I did not cover is what a web manifest file is and why it matters.
A web manifest file provides meta data to the browser, telling it how to theme the add to home screen experience so your brand is properly representing after you earn the deeper customer relationship.
Don't confuse the web manifest file with the appCache manifest file. They serve two completely different purposes. The appCache describes how a web site should cache assets.
Native apps have enjoyed a natural advantage over web sites because their icons are on the homescreen, after they have been installed. After an app is downloaded from the app store its icon is added to the user’s homescreen. This presence not only makes access to the app easier, it represents a deeper engagement between the customer and the business.
The web manifest is a JSON file containing a series of properties used to describe the progressive web app to the platform. The platform knows how to find the manifest because it is referenced in the HEAD.