All the tools available for web development are also helpful for progressive web app development, including libraries, frameworks, code editors, builders, developer tools, debuggers, and more. But when working with PWA-specific abilities, such as installability, service workers, offline support, and more, certain tools for PWA are extra helpful. Let's see them in action.
Simulators and devices
As mentioned in the Foundations chapter, you should use agnostic design patterns to offer the best experience to every user in every context. However, it's good practice to test your experiences on different devices.
You probably won't own dozens of physical devices, including iPhones, Android phones, tablets, and desktops or laptops with different operating systems. That's why simulators and emulators exist.
Simple simulators
Most developer tools within browsers let you test your PWAs in different screen sizes or network conditions while using a single desktop browser engine. Some of these tools can also force a different user agent under these simulations.
Some available simulators are:
- Chromium DevTools: Device Mode, network throttling and several sensor simulations available
- Firefox Developer Tools: Responsive Design Mode
- Safari Web Inspector: Responsive Design Mode