Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) combine the best of web and mobile apps, providing a seamless, fast, and reliable user experience. Next.js makes it easy to build PWAs with features like server-side rendering and automatic code splitting.

Why Progressive Web Apps?

• Offline support via service workers
• App-like experience (add to home screen)
• Improved performance through caching

Setting up Next.js with TypeScript

npx create-next-app@latest my-pwa-app --typescript
cd my-pwa-app

Adding PWA Capabilities

We'll use the next-pwa package to enable PWA features.

1. Install next-pwa

npm install next-pwa

2. Configure next-pwa

Create a next.config.js file:

const withPWA = require("next-pwa");
module.exports = withPWA(
  dest: "public",
  register: true,
  skipWaiting: true,
  buildExcludes: [/middleware-manifest.json$/],
);

3. Set Up the Web Manifest

Create public/manifest.json:

  "name": "My PWA App",
  "short_name": "PWAApp",
  "icons": [
    
      "src": "/icons/icon-192x192.png",
      "sizes": "192x192",
      "type": "image/png"
    ,
    
      "src": "/icons/icon-512x512.png",
      "sizes": "512x512",
      "type": "image/png"
    
  ],
  "start_url": "/",
  "display": "standalone",
  "theme_color": "#ffffff",
  "background_color": "#ffffff"

4. Add Icons

Place icons in the public/icons directory as specified in the manifest.

5. Verify Service Worker

npm run build && npm run start

Visit http://localhost:3000 and check the Application tab in DevTools to verify the service worker.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can convert your Next.js app into a PWA, enhancing user experience with offline support, push notifications, and improved performance.