Apache Cordova vs Capacitor: What are the differences?

Apache Cordova and Capacitor are both frameworks for building cross-platform mobile applications using web technologies. Let's explore the key differences between the two.

1. Cross-platform support: Apache Cordova is primarily focused on providing cross-platform support by packaging web applications into native mobile apps using WebView. It allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Capacitor, on the other hand, is built on top of Cordova but provides additional cross-platform support for features like InAppBrowser and Camera that are not available in Cordova by default.

2. Plugin architecture: Cordova follows a plugin-based architecture which allows developers to extend the functionality of their applications by adding plugins. These plugins provide access to native device features that are not available through web technologies alone. Capacitor also follows a similar plugin architecture but with a different approach. Instead of relying on Cordova plugins, Capacitor uses its own set of plugins which are built specifically for Capacitor and offer better performance and reliability.

3. Modern development workflow: Capacitor offers a more modern development workflow compared to Cordova. It allows developers to write modern TypeScript or ECMAScript 6+ code, use modern JavaScript frameworks like React or Angular, and leverage modern tooling such as webpack or Babel. Cordova, on the other hand, has a more mature ecosystem but is based on older web technologies and may require additional setup or configuration for modern development practices.

4. Native API access: Capacitor provides direct access to Native APIs, allowing developers to call native functionality directly from their JavaScript code. This eliminates the need for plugins in many cases and provides a more seamless integration with native platform features. Cordova, on the other hand, relies heavily on plugins for accessing native functionality, which may introduce some overhead and dependencies on third-party plugins.

5. Community and ecosystem: Cordova has been around for a longer time and has a larger community and ecosystem compared to Capacitor. This means that Cordova has a vast number of plugins and resources available for developers, making it easier to find solutions and add new features to applications. Capacitor, being relatively newer, has a smaller but growing community and may have fewer resources available compared to Cordova.

6. Migration from Cordova to Capacitor: Capacitor provides a migration tool that allows developers to easily migrate their existing Cordova projects to Capacitor. This makes it easier for developers to switch from Cordova to Capacitor without having to rewrite their code from scratch. Cordova, on the other hand, does not provide any official migration path to Capacitor, which may require developers to manually refactor their code when transitioning.

In summary, Apache Cordova is a well-established choice for cross-platform development, while Capacitor, with its focus on native features and performance, provides a modern alternative for building mobile applications using web technologies.