Developers can now either choose to use Angular, React, or Vue.js in their development, or use Ionic on its own. Ionic version 4 saw the framework become independent of Angular. There is also an extended version curated by Ionic’s team, called Enterprise Edition. Ionic is available as a free set, called Community Edition. Ionic also offers Ionic Native, a library of Cordova plugins designed to support standard APIs and integration. It acts as a bridge between WebView and the device’s operating system. Apache Cordova gives Ionic apps access to native APIs. It relies on its own APIs instead of platform-specific ones.Ĭordova provides these APIs as plugins to access native functions like built-in camera, gyroscope, or sensors.

Cordova is a tool for building mobile apps using web technologies. Ionic also makes use of Apache Cordova plugins. WebView is an app component that renders web pages and displays them as native apps. Ionic allows frontend developers to create web pages that run inside WebView and in a browser. It requires Node.js installed to function as part of a larger JavaScript ecosystem. Since its creation, over five million apps have been developed using Ionic. It is the world's most popular cross-platform mobile development technology stack. Ionic is also backend agnostic, connecting to AWS, Azure, and Firebase. Developers can choose to forego a framework and build purely in JavaScript. Later versions use web components that pair with additional popular JavaScript frameworks, including Angular, React, or Vue. The first versions of Ionic were tightly coupled with Angular, a popular frontend framework used for building dynamic web pages and PWAs. Those familiar with web development can create apps and add them to an app store. Ionic uses standardized web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Ionic is an open-source UI software development kit for cross-platform app development. Read more: Which Mobile App Development Process Should You Choose? What is Ionic App Development?

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