RailsConf 2023 - Building an offline experience with a Rails-powered PWA by Alicia Rojas

To create an offline experience with a Rails-powered PWA, consider the following:

• Build an application that can work both online and offline
• Use service workers to handle requests and cache responses
• Utilize Workbox strategies and IndexedDB for caching and storage
• Implement a cache handler to set up a service worker
• Use stimuli to populate templates with data and store records in IndexedDB
• Configure service workers to intercept requests and retrieve responses from cache
• Use BackgroundSync to perform CRUD actions while offline and sync with the server when connected
• Consider using a manifest to configure the PWA’s behavior
• Update views to include offline support using the Rails generate PwView command
• Use a Stimulus controller to handle CRUD actions while offline
• Implement a toggle to control online/offline mode
• Ensure server-side rendering is used for better performance
• Use a library like Workbox to simplify service worker setup and caching
• Consider implementing offline support for forms and manually sync data
• Use a tool like rails generate pillow install to create a PWA-ready view

Additional considerations:

• Some browsers may not support BackgroundSync
• Be mindful of browser compatibility when using PWAs
• Use a simple, minimalistic approach to develop PWAs
• Consider implementing an offline fallback for assets
• Utilize the app manifest to configure PWA behavior
• Cache responses to improve page performance
• Store records in IndexedDB for offline use