A Brief Discussion on the Differences between Native Development, H5 Development, and Blended Development

At present, the mainstream apps on the market are divided into three types: native apps, web apps (i.e. HTML5), and hybrid apps. The corresponding custom development is native development, H5 development, and hybrid development. So what are the differences between these three development modes? Let's distinguish and compare each of these three based on their respective strengths and weaknesses!

1、 Native development

Native app development refers to the use of official development languages, libraries, and tools for app development on mobile platforms such as Android and iOS. For example, Android utilizes Java, Eclipse, and Android Studio; IOS is developed using Objective C and Xcode.

Simply put, native development is like building a house, where the foundation is first laid and then the beams, building structure, bricks, tiles, steel and cement, electrical wiring, etc. are all carefully designed. The same goes for native apps: every page, every function, every effect, every logic, and every step is written in code, layer by layer and segment by segment.

Advantages:

1. Can access all functions of the mobile phone (such as GPS, camera, etc.), and can achieve the most complete set of functions;

2. Fast running speed, high performance, and excellent user experience;

3. Supports a large number of graphics and animations, without lagging, with fast response time;

4. High compatibility, each code is carefully designed by programmers, generally without crashing, and can also prevent the occurrence of viruses and vulnerabilities;

5. It has an advantage in processing speed by quickly using the interfaces provided by the device.

Disadvantages:

1. The development time is long, ranging from about 2 months to about 5 months;

2. The production cost is high and the cost is high;

3. The portability is relatively poor. A native app needs to be developed separately for Android and iOS, and the same logic and interface need to be written in two sets;

4. Content restrictions (App Store restrictions);

5. When obtaining a new version, it is necessary to download the application update again.

2、 Web APP (HTML5) development

HTML5 application development is the use of web technology for app development. Web technology itself requires browser support for display and user interaction, so the main technologies used are HTML5, Java, CSS, etc.

Advantages:

1. Supports a wide range of devices, can be cross platform, and the code written can run on Android, IOS, and Windows simultaneously;

2. Low development cost and short cycle;

3. No content restrictions;

4. Suitable for displaying pages with long texts (such as news, guides, etc.) and rich formats (such as bold and diverse fonts);

5. Users can directly use the latest version (automatically updated, without the need for manual updates).

Disadvantages:

1. Due to the limitations of web technology itself, H5 mobile applications cannot directly access device hardware and offline storage, resulting in significant limitations in experience and performance;

2. High requirements for networking, unable to perform any offline operations;

3. Limited functionality;

4. The APP has slow response speed and poor page switching smoothness;

5. The support for images and animations is not high;

6. Poor user experience;

7. Unable to access phone hardware (camera, microphone, etc.).

3、 Mixed (native+H5) development

Hybrid App Development refers to the use of native and H5 development techniques to create a hybrid application when developing an app product, in order to improve efficiency and save costs. Simply put, this is the pattern of web pages, usually consisting of two parts: "HTML5 cloud website+APP application client".

Blended development is a development model that complements each other's strengths and weaknesses. The native code part uses Web View plugins or other frameworks to provide containers for H5, and the main business implementation and interface display of the program are implemented using web technologies related to H5. For example, apps such as JD.com, Taobao, and Today's Headlines are all developed using a hybrid development model.

Advantages:

1. High development efficiency and time-saving. The same set of code can be used for both Android and iOS;

2. Updating and deploying are relatively convenient, and each upgraded version only needs to be upgraded on the server side, without the need to upload to the App Store for review;

3. Easy code maintenance, fast version updates, and cost savings for products;

4. More features than the web version;

5. Can run offline.

Disadvantages:

1. Function/interface cannot be customized: all content is fixed and cannot change the interface or add functions;

2. Slow loading/high network requirements: Mixed APP data needs to be retrieved entirely from the server, and each page needs to be re downloaded, resulting in slow opening speed, high network usage, long buffering time, and easy user aversion;

3. Low security: The code is old and cannot be well compatible with the latest mobile phone systems, and the security is low. With the rapid development of the network and so many viruses, if not updated in real time and checked regularly, it is easy to create vulnerabilities and cause direct economic losses;

4. It is difficult to find high-end talents who understand both native development and H5 development.

summary

The above are the advantages and disadvantages of native development, H5 development, and hybrid development. In contrast, due to the increasingly evident personalized needs of modern people, there are more and more native app developments, and customized services can better meet the needs of consumers.