Capacitor

Cross-platform native runtime that lets you build mobile applications for iOS, Android, and the web using a single codebase with standard web technologies. Capacitor wraps a web app in a native container and exposes a consistent JavaScript API to access device features, so teams can stay web-first while reaching native SDKs when needed.

Created and maintained by the Ionic team, Capacitor represents a modern evolution of hybrid apps. Unlike Cordova, it offers a lighter native bridge and first-class support for modern tooling and frameworks. Capacitor drops into any existing JavaScript project: React, Vue, Angular, or plain HTML and CSS.

Key capabilities:

• Single codebase targeting iOS, Android, and the web with minimal configuration
• Plugin API for native features: camera, geolocation, storage, notifications, haptics, and device info
• Official plugins maintained by the team plus community plugins for extended functionality
• Native project access so you can add custom Swift, Kotlin, or Java when required
• Works with any front-end framework or build tool, no lock-in to a specific stack

Web developers use Capacitor when they want to ship a Progressive Web App to app stores without learning native languages. Teams building internal tools or customer-facing apps can reuse existing web code and deploy to mobile with one workflow. The plugin architecture supports collaboration between web and native developers: JavaScript calls plugins that bridge to platform-specific implementations.