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The idea of Open Web Apps is to allow developers to create rich experiences that run across multiple devices and form factors (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc.) using the same Web standards and open technologies that many of them will be accustomed to already, such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. Essentially, Open Web Apps are no different than normal Web pages or sites — in fact, they can be hosted as standard websites and accessed in the normal way — but the app model offers some significant advantages. As well as standard Web technologies, Open Web Apps can be given additional metadata that allows supporting User Agents to discover, install, launch, and grant them additional privileges.
Firefox OS is one such platform that supports these extra features - if you want to develop Firefox OS apps, you've come to the right place! The following represents the journey we'd like to take you on as you create awesome apps. Click on areas of interest to learn more.
introductory material
- Introduction to open web apps
- A high-level introduction to the main subtopics of Open Web Apps; a good place to start.
- Open Web Apps and Web standards
- High-level view of the intentions behind Open Web Apps.
- App development for Web developers
- Tips for new Web app developers interested in converting their Web sites into Web apps.
- App development for mobile application developers
- Suggestions for developers of apps for other mobile platforms who would like to start building Open Web Apps.
in-depth guides
- Planning your app
- Start by planning your app — think about its purpose, target audience, and technologies needed. Sketch out its basic views and the paths between them. Think about a testing plan.
- App Layout
- All the guides and tutorials you could need to get ahead on effective layouts for responsive Open Web Apps.
- Designing your Web app
- Information regarding app and interface design practices.
- Developing your Web app
- How do build an app that does X? This section contains documentation about core app technologies, including the DOM, HTML5 and device APIs (WebAPIs).
- Publishing your app
- Guides to effectively publishing your app on the Firefox Marketplace, including documentation about taking advantage of features such as in-app payments.
- Frequently asked questions
- Questions that are often asked about Open Web Apps and the Firefox Marketplace. Find your answers here.
Tools for app developers
Technology reference documentation
Getting help from the community
If you still aren't sure how to do what you're trying to get done, feel free to join the conversation!
- Consult the webapps forum:
- Ask your question on the Open Web Apps IRC channel: #openwebapps