Building Progressive Web Apps (PWA) with Angular in 2025

In 2025, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) have emerged as a game-changer in web development. Combining the best features of web and mobile applications, PWAs offer fast, reliable, and engaging user experiences. Angular, with its robust ecosystem and advanced tooling, stands out as an excellent choice for building PWAs. This article provides a comprehensive guide to building PWAs using Angular, covering everything from setup to deployment. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a fully functional PWA and the knowledge to create more in the future.

What Is a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

A Progressive Web App (PWA) is a type of web application that combines the best features of traditional web apps and native mobile apps. PWAs aim to deliver a seamless, app-like experience to users by utilizing modern web capabilities. They are designed to work on any platform that uses a standards-compliant browser, including desktop and mobile devices.

Key Features of PWAs

1. Progressive: Works for every user, regardless of browser choice, because it is built with progressive enhancement principles.
2. Responsive: Adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions, providing a consistent experience across devices.
3. App-like Experience: Mimics the look and feel of a native app with app-style interactions and navigation.
4. Offline Capabilities: Uses service workers to cache assets and data, enabling the app to function offline or with poor network connectivity.
5. Installable: Can be added to a device’s home screen without going through app stores, allowing users to “install” the app directly from the browser.
6. Secure: Served over HTTPS to ensure content integrity and protect sensitive user information.
7. Linkable: Can be shared via URLs, which ensures easy distribution without installation hurdles.
8. Fast: Provides quick loading times and smooth user experiences by leveraging caching and optimized resource management.

Benefits of PWAs

• Cross-platform compatibility: Works on any device with a compatible browser.
• Lower development cost: Single codebase for web and mobile experiences.
• Improved user engagement: Push notifications and offline capabilities enhance user interaction.
• No app store restrictions: Frees developers from app store approval processes and fees.

Examples of Popular PWAs

• Twitter Lite: Offers fast loading times and low data usage.
• Pinterest: Enhanced user engagement metrics after adopting a PWA.
• Uber: Lightweight app optimized for low-speed networks.

PWAs are an excellent choice for businesses and developers aiming to deliver high-quality experiences while reducing costs and reaching a broader audience.

Why Angular for PWAs?

Here’s why Angular is a strong choice for building Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), explained in detail with bullet points:

1. Built-in PWA Support via Angular CLI

• The Angular CLI provides commands to add PWA features (ng add @angular/pwa) effortlessly.
• Automatically generates essential PWA files, including a manifest.json and service worker configuration, streamlining the development process.

2. Service Worker Integration

• Angular has robust support for service workers, which enable caching, offline functionality, and background data synchronization.
• The Angular Service Worker package simplifies implementing these features with minimal configuration.

3. Structured Framework

• Angular’s component-based architecture ensures modular and reusable code, making it easy to maintain and scale.
• Ideal for large-scale PWAs with complex user interactions.

4. Performance Optimization

• Ahead-of-Time (AOT) Compilation: Angular compiles HTML and TypeScript into efficient JavaScript code during the build phase, reducing app load times.
• Optimized for speed and performance, critical for PWAs aiming to deliver fast, app-like experiences.

5. Reactive Programming with RxJS

• Angular uses RxJS for reactive programming, making it easier to manage asynchronous data streams.
• Perfect for dynamic PWAs that rely heavily on real-time updates and interactions.

6. Cross-platform Compatibility

• Angular supports responsive design and universal rendering (Angular Universal), ensuring PWAs work seamlessly across different devices and platforms.

7. Strong Ecosystem and Community Support

• Angular’s comprehensive documentation, tooling, and active developer community make it easier to resolve issues and stay updated with best practices.

8. Secure and Reliable

• Angular enforces strict coding practices and has built-in security features like DOM sanitization to prevent vulnerabilities like Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
• Supports HTTPS, a requirement for PWA deployment.

9. Extensive Testing Tools

• Angular’s integrated testing tools (like Jasmine and Karma) allow developers to build well-tested, stable PWAs.

10. SEO and Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

• With Angular Universal, developers can enhance the SEO performance of PWAs by enabling server-side rendering, making the app indexable by search engines.

These features make Angular a powerful and versatile framework for building scalable, responsive, and high-performance PWAs.

Setting Up an Angular Project for PWA

Prerequisites

• Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• Angular CLI (install using npm install -g @angular/cli)
• A code editor (e.g., VS Code)

If you are new to angular refer How an Angular App gets Loaded and Started – Full Stack Tutorials Hub.

Step 1: Create a New Angular Project

ng new angular-pwa-demo
cd angular-pwa-demo

Choose routing and your preferred CSS preprocessor during the setup.

Step 2: Add PWA Support

Angular CLI makes it easy to add PWA features. Run:

ng add @angular/pwa

This command updates your app with:

• A manifest.webmanifest file for metadata.
• Service workers for caching.
• Updates to the angular.json file.

Step 3: Verify PWA Configuration

Check angular.json for these additions:

"serviceWorker": true,
"assets": [
  "src/favicon.ico",
  "src/assets",
  "src/manifest.webmanifest"
]

Building a PDA Application with Customer Form Fields

Functional Requirements

We’ll build a simple Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) application with the following features:

1. A customer form to collect user data.
2. Save the data to Firestore DB.
3. Offline capabilities using PWA features.

Step 1: Set Up Components and Services

Generate Components and Services

ng generate component customer-form
ng generate service firestore

Implement Firestore Service

src/app/firestore.service.ts:

import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
import { AngularFirestore } from '@angular/fire/compat/firestore';

@Injectable({
  providedIn: 'root',
})
export class FirestoreService {
  private collectionName = 'customers';

  constructor(private firestore: AngularFirestore) {}

  /**
   * Save customer data to Firestore.
   * @param data - Customer data object (e.g., { name: string, email: string, phone: string })
   */
  saveCustomerData(data: { name: string; email: string; phone: string }): Promise<void> {
    return this.firestore
      .collection(this.collectionName)
      .add(data)
      .then(() => {
        console.log('Customer data saved successfully:', data);
      })
      .catch((error) => {
        console.error('Error saving customer data:', error);
      });
  }
}

Step 2: Design the Customer Form

src/app/customer-form/customer-form.component.html:

<div class="customer-form">
  <h1>Customer Form</h1>
  <form (ngSubmit)="onSubmit()" #customerForm="ngForm">
    <label for="name">Name:</label>
    <input type="text" id="name" name="name" [(ngModel)]="customer.name" required />

    <label for="email">Email:</label>
    <input type="email" id="email" name="email" [(ngModel)]="customer.email" required />

    <label for="phone">Phone:</label>
    <input type="tel" id="phone" name="phone" [(ngModel)]="customer.phone" required />

    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
  </form>
</div>

src/app/customer-form/customer-form.component.ts:

import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { FirestoreService } from '../firestore.service';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-customer-form',
  templateUrl: './customer-form.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./customer-form.component.css'],
})
export class CustomerFormComponent {
  customer = {
    name: '',
    email: '',
    phone: '',
  };

  constructor(private firestoreService: FirestoreService) {}

  /**
   * Submits the customer form data.
   */
  onSubmit(): void {
    this.firestoreService
      .saveCustomerData(this.customer)
      .then(() => {
        alert('Customer data saved successfully!');
        this.resetForm();
      })
      .catch((error) => {
        alert('Failed to save customer data. Please try again.');
        console.error(error);
      });
  }

  /**
   * Resets the form fields.
   */
  private resetForm(): void {
    this.customer = { name: '', email: '', phone: '' };
  }
}

Step 3: Add Firestore Configuration

Update src/environments/environment.ts with your Firebase project details:

export const environment = {
  production: false,
  firebaseConfig: {
    apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    authDomain: 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID.firebaseapp.com',
    projectId: 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID',
    storageBucket: 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID.appspot.com',
    messagingSenderId: 'YOUR_SENDER_ID',
    appId: 'YOUR_APP_ID',
  },
};

Install Firebase dependencies:

npm install firebase @angular/fire

Initialize Firebase in app.module.ts:

import { AngularFireModule } from '@angular/fire/compat';
import { environment } from '../environments/environment';

@NgModule({
  declarations: [
    AppComponent,
    CustomerFormComponent
  ],
  imports: [
    BrowserModule,
    AngularFireModule.initializeApp(environment.firebaseConfig),
  ],
  providers: [],
  bootstrap: [AppComponent],
})
export class AppModule {}

Deploying the Angular PWA

Step 1: Choose a Hosting Provider

Popular options include:

• Firebase Hosting
• Netlify
• Vercel
• GitHub Pages

Deploying with Firebase Hosting

1. Install Firebase CLI:

npm install -g firebase-tools

2.Log in to Firebase:

firebase login

3.Initialize Firebase Hosting:

firebase init hosting

4.Deploy:

firebase deploy

Firebase Console Configuration

Make sure you have the following:

1. Firebase Project: Created in the Firebase console.
2. Firestore Database: Enabled Firestore in the project.
3. Firestore Rules: Updated Firestore security rules for read/write permissions.

Example Firestore Database Structure

After saving data, Firestore will create a new document under the customers collection. Each document will have the following fields:

• name (string)
• email (string)
• phone (string)

Testing the Application

Test offline functionality by disabling the internet connection and submitting the form again. Ensure queued data is uploaded when connectivity is restored.

Fill out the customer form and submit it.

Verify that the data is saved in your Firestore database.

To learn new features of angular with latest release of angular 18 refer What’s New in Angular 18? Key Features and Improvements – Full Stack Tutorials Hub .

Conclusion

With this guide, you’ve learned how to:

1. Build a PWA with Angular.
2. Create a PDA application with customer form fields.
3. Save data to Firestore DB.
4. Deploy and test your application.

PWAs combined with Firebase make a powerful stack for modern web development, enabling offline capabilities and seamless data storage.

External Resources

• Angular Official Documentation
• PWA Overview by Google
• Firebase Documentation
• AngularFire Library
• PWA Checklist