register-service-worker vs sw-toolbox vs sw-precache
Service Worker Libraries Comparison
1 Year
register-service-workersw-toolboxsw-precacheSimilar Packages:
What's Service Worker Libraries?

Service Worker Libraries are tools that help developers implement service workers in web applications. Service workers are scripts that run in the background, separate from the web page, and enable features like offline support, background sync, and push notifications. These libraries simplify the process of registering service workers, managing caching strategies, and handling network requests, making it easier to build Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with enhanced performance and reliability. register-service-worker focuses on simplifying the registration process and providing a straightforward API for managing service workers. sw-precache automates the generation of a service worker script that precaches specified assets, ensuring they are available offline. sw-toolbox offers a set of caching strategies and utilities for managing network requests, allowing developers to implement custom caching logic easily.

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register-service-worker166,476657-225 years agoMIT
sw-toolbox128,6973,599-568 years agoApache-2.0
sw-precache117,2495,212-587 years agoApache-2.0
Feature Comparison: register-service-worker vs sw-toolbox vs sw-precache

Caching Mechanism

  • register-service-worker:

    register-service-worker does not handle caching directly. It focuses on simplifying the registration and management of service workers, leaving caching implementation up to the developer.

  • sw-toolbox:

    sw-toolbox provides a flexible caching mechanism that allows developers to define custom caching strategies for different types of network requests. It supports on-the-fly caching, precaching, and dynamic caching, giving developers more control over how resources are cached.

  • sw-precache:

    sw-precache automatically generates a service worker that precaches assets based on a configuration file. It uses a default caching strategy to store files in the cache during the service worker installation phase, ensuring they are available offline.

Ease of Setup

  • register-service-worker:

    register-service-worker is easy to set up and requires minimal configuration. It provides a simple API for registering service workers and handling updates, making it accessible for developers with varying levels of experience.

  • sw-toolbox:

    sw-toolbox requires more setup and configuration compared to the other two packages. Developers need to define caching strategies and integrate the toolbox into their service worker, which may be challenging for beginners.

  • sw-precache:

    sw-precache requires some configuration to specify which assets should be precached, but it automates the generation of the service worker script. This makes it relatively easy to implement offline support without writing extensive code.

Customization

  • register-service-worker:

    register-service-worker offers limited customization options, as it is primarily focused on registration and management. Developers have the flexibility to customize the service worker script, but the library itself does not provide extensive customizable features.

  • sw-toolbox:

    sw-toolbox is highly customizable, allowing developers to define their caching strategies, set cache expiration rules, and implement custom logic for handling network requests. This flexibility makes it suitable for projects that require more advanced caching solutions.

  • sw-precache:

    sw-precache allows customization of the precaching process through configuration options, such as specifying which files to cache and setting cache expiration policies. However, the customization is mostly related to the precaching behavior rather than the service worker logic itself.

Code Example

  • register-service-worker:

    Simple Service Worker Registration with register-service-worker

    import { register } from 'register-service-worker';
    
    register('/sw.js', {
      ready() {
        console.log('App is being served from cache by a service worker.');
      },
      registered() {
        console.log('Service worker has been registered.');
      },
      cached() {
        console.log('Content has been cached for offline use.');
      },
      updatefound() {
        console.log('A new service worker is being installed.');
      },
      updated() {
        console.log('New content is available; please refresh.');
      },
      offline() {
        console.log('No internet connection. App is offline.');
      },
      error(error) {
        console.error('Error during service worker registration:', error);
      },
    });
    
  • sw-toolbox:

    Custom Caching with sw-toolbox

    // sw.js
    importScripts('https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/sw-toolbox/3.6.1/sw-toolbox.js');
    
    // Precaching example
    sw-toolbox.precache(['/index.html', '/styles.css', '/script.js']);
    
    // Custom caching strategy for images
    sw-toolbox.router.put(/\.png$/, sw-toolbox.cacheFirst, { cache: { name: 'images-cache', maxAgeSeconds: 86400 } });
    
    // Fetching from network with fallback
    sw-toolbox.router.get('/api/', sw-toolbox.networkFirst);
    
  • sw-precache:

    Automatic Precaching with sw-precache

    // sw-precache-config.js
    module.exports = {
      staticFileGlobs: [
        'dist/**/*.{html,js,css,png,jpg,gif,svg}',
      ],
      stripPrefix: 'dist/',
      runtimeCaching: [{
        urlPattern: /api/, // Example for runtime caching
        handler: 'networkFirst',
      }],
    };
    
How to Choose: register-service-worker vs sw-toolbox vs sw-precache
  • register-service-worker:

    Choose register-service-worker if you want a simple and lightweight solution for registering service workers with minimal configuration. It is ideal for projects that need basic service worker functionality without the complexity of managing caching strategies.

  • sw-toolbox:

    Choose sw-toolbox if you need more control over caching strategies and want to implement custom logic for handling network requests. It is best for projects that require flexible caching solutions and are willing to write more code to manage how resources are cached and retrieved.

  • sw-precache:

    Choose sw-precache if you need to automatically generate a service worker that precaches assets during the build process. It is suitable for applications that require offline support and want to ensure specific files are cached without manually writing caching logic.

README for register-service-worker

register-service-worker

A script to simplify service worker registration with hooks for common events.

Usage

Note: this script uses ES modules export and is expected to be used with a client side bundler that can handle ES modules syntax.

import { register } from 'register-service-worker'

register('/service-worker.js', {
  registrationOptions: { scope: './' },
  ready (registration) {
    console.log('Service worker is active.')
  },
  registered (registration) {
    console.log('Service worker has been registered.')
  },
  cached (registration) {
    console.log('Content has been cached for offline use.')
  },
  updatefound (registration) {
    console.log('New content is downloading.')
  },
  updated (registration) {
    console.log('New content is available; please refresh.')
  },
  offline () {
    console.log('No internet connection found. App is running in offline mode.')
  },
  error (error) {
    console.error('Error during service worker registration:', error)
  }
})

The ready, registered, cached, updatefound and updated events passes a ServiceWorkerRegistration instance in their arguments.

The registrationOptions object will be passed as the second argument to ServiceWorkerContainer.register()