What is Cordova

What is Cordova

For detailed information about Cordova and its history, I recommend checking Wikipedia and the official website, click here

I’ll just give a brief introduction here. Cordova is a mobile application development framework that enables developers to use CSS3, HTML5, and Javascript to develop applications. It extends the capabilities of HTML and JavaScript on devices. Such applications are called hybrid apps - they are neither truly native applications (because all layout rendering is not done through the platform’s native UI framework, but through Web Views), nor simple web-apps (they are packaged as APPs and have the ability to access native device APIs).

Architecture Diagram

What is the Relationship Between Ionic and Cordova

We generally don’t use Cordova directly to develop hybrid applications, but use Ionic instead. Ionic is an open-source SDK for building Hybrid-apps, providing tools and services for development. Ionic is built on top of AngularJS and Cordova, so it’s clear that Ionic and Cordova are not at the same level.

What is Cordova Used For

Using Cordova, developers can use web development technologies to create app development, while leveraging the device’s underlying API access interfaces provided by Cordova to implement functions like camera, Bluetooth, etc. The existence of technologies like Ionic is to improve app development efficiency, providing us with a large number of component building blocks.