Cordova, also known as Apache Cordova, is a framework used to develop mobile applications. It was formerly known as PhoneGap and Apache Callback. It allows software programmers to build hybrid web applications for mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and others through CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript rather than depending upon platform-specific APIs such as Android, iOS, or Windows Phone. It encapsulates CSS, HTML, and JavaScript programs depending upon the environment of the system in use. It has all the features of HTML and JavaScript and certain other additions as well to work with the device. The developed applications are hybrid. The developed applications are neither fully native mobile applications nor is it fully web-based. Since the layout is rendered with web views rather than the platform’s native UI framework, they are packaged as applications for distribution. They also have access to source or native device APIs. Version 1.9 made it possible to bring together both native and hybrid code snippets.
PhoneGap was a commercial version of Cordova with its ecosystem for Adobe.
Various other frameworks and tools are developed on Cordova, which includes Ionic, Monaca, VoltBuilder, TACO, Onsen UI, Visual Studio, GapDebug, App Builder, Cocoon, Framework, Evothings Studio, NSB or App Studio, Mobiscroll, and Telerik Platform. These tools do not use Phonegap for their core tools but instead, use Cordova.
Adobe, Blackberry, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla, and others made significant contributions to the development of the Apache Cordova Project. Apache Cordova applications use CSS3 and HTML5 to render and JavaScript for logic purposes. Accelerometer, camera, GPS, and other such underlying hardware are provided access through HTML5. Browsers do not support HTML5 device access consistently for mobile browsers, in particular for older versions of Android. Cordova embeds HTML5 code to the native WebView on the device to overcome such limitations. It uses foreign functions to interface the access to native resources.
Apache Cordova is capable of extending native plugins. It allows the developers to add many functionalities which can be called by JavaScript. This makes it capable of communicating directly between the native layer and the HTML5 webpage. The plugins make it possible to access the device’s accelerometer, camera, compass, file system, microphone, and such other devices.
Web-based applications lead Apache Cordova to execute slower than native applications with almost similar functionalities. The Adobe System notifies when the applications developed with Apache Cordova might get rejected by Apple because it is too slow or because it is not native enough. That means the appearance and the functionality are consistent with what the users might expect from the platform.
The free Cordova course offered by Great Learning will take you through various aspects of the subject. It will also speak about the multiple technologies that work hand in hand for the easy working of Apache Cordova. At the end of the course, you will come to an understanding of the technology and be capable of working with it efficiently. You can learn technologies such as CSS3 and HTML5 functionalities online for free. You will earn a certificate for Cordova after the successful completion of the course. Happy Learning!