Comparison of Cordova apps developed with V8.0.0 versus V7.1.0 and before

For up-to-date product documentation, see the IBM MobileFirst Foundation Developer Center.

Comparison of Cordova apps developed with V8.0.0 versus V7.1.0 and before

Compare Cordova apps developed with IBM MobileFirst™ Platform Foundation V8.0.0 and Cordova and hybrid apps developed with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1.

Feature Cordova app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V8.0.0 Cordova app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1 MobileFirst hybrid app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1
IDE Eclipse Studio
Eclipse plug-in and integration Yes. See IBM MobileFirst Studio plug-in for managing Cordova projects in Eclipse. Unsupported Yes (Proprietary)
Application Components Yes (Cordova)
Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization. See Apache Cordova Plugin Development Guide.
Yes (Cordova)
Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization. See Apache Cordova Plugin Development Guide.
Yes (Proprietary)
Project Templates Yes (Cordova)
Note:
Use the Apache Cordova cordova create --template command.
Yes (Cordova)
Note:
Use mfp cordova create --template or the Apache Cordova command cordova create --copy-from
Yes (Proprietary)
Dojo and jQuery IDE instrumentation Yes
Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that we can use in Cordova apps. See Dojo Documentation and jQuery Mobile documentation.
Yes
Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that we can use in Cordova apps. See Dojo Documentation and jQuery Mobile documentation.
Yes
Mobile UI Patterns Unsupported Unsupported Deprecated
Application sub types
Shell Component Unsupported
Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.
Unsupported Yes
Inner Hybrid Application Unsupported
Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.
Unsupported Yes
Application Features
Mobile OS iOS 8 or higher, Android 4.1 or higher, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows Phone 10. See System requirements. iOS 7 or higher, Android 4 or higher. See IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1 system requirements. iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8
Web applications Yes, as a JavaScript application developed without Apache Cordova. See Develop web applications. Unsupported Yes, as a desktopbrowser or mobilewebapp environment.
Direct Update Yes. See Update Cordova client apps directly. Yes Yes
MobileFirst Security Framework Yes Yes Yes
Application Authenticity Yes. See Enabling the application-authenticity security check. Yes Yes
Certificate pinning Yes. See Certificate pinning. No Yes
JSONStore Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-jsonstore plug-in. Yes Yes
FIPS 140-2 Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-fips plug-in.
Restriction: FIPS is supported for Android and iOS. FIPS is not supported for Windows. See Enabling FIPS 140-2.
No Yes
Encryption of web resources that are associated with the application within the application binary file. Yes. See Encrypting the web resources of your Cordova packages. No Yes
Verification of the integrity of web resources by using a checksum each time the app starts running. Yes. See Enabling the web resources checksum feature. Unsupported Yes
Specification of the app's target category (B2E or B2C) for addressable device license tracking. Yes. See Set the application license information. No Yes
Simple data sharing No Yes Yes
Single sign-on Yes
Note: Device single sign-on (SSO) is now supported by way of the new predefined enableSSO security-check application-descriptor configuration property. See Configure device single sign-on (SSO).
Yes Yes
MobileFirst application skins No
Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design.
No
Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design.
Yes
Environment optimizations Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. See Using merges to Customize Each Platform in the Apache Cordova documentation. Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. See Using merges to Customize Each Platform in the Apache Cordova documentation. Yes (Proprietary)
Push Notifications Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug-in.
Restriction: We can map predefined MobileFirst security checks only to the push.mobileclient scope. Custom security checks are not supported because JavaScript challenge handlers are not called.
Yes
Note: For Android, we must add the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug in. You don't need this plug in for iOS because the push client-side support for iOS is included in the core mfp plugin.
Yes
Cordova plug-ins management Yes Yes No
Mobile Browser Simulator Yes
Restriction: Not all MobileFirst JavaScript APIs are supported by the simulator but we can test calls to adapters with WLResourceRequest. See Previewing Cordova web resources with the Mobile Browser Simulator .
Yes Yes
Cordova platform management Yes (Cordova) Yes (Cordova) Yes (Proprietary)
MESSAGES (i18n) Yes Yes Yes
Token licensing Yes Yes Yes
Application optimizations
Minification Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools. See Minification.
Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Concatenation of JS and CSS Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Obfuscation Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Cordova)
Note: Use common open source tools.
Yes (Proprietary)
Android Pro Guard Yes
Note: IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V8.0.0 does not include the predefined proguard-project.txt configuration file for Android ProGuard obfuscation with a MobileFirst Android application.
Yes
Note: See Android documentation to enable Pro Guard.
Yes

Parent topic: Migrating existing Cordova and hybrid applications


Feature	Cordova app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V8.0.0	Cordova app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1	MobileFirst hybrid app with IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1
IDE Eclipse Studio
Eclipse plug-in and integration	Yes. See IBM MobileFirst Studio plug-in for managing Cordova projects in Eclipse.	Unsupported	Yes (Proprietary)
Application Components	Yes (Cordova) Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization. See Apache Cordova Plugin Development Guide.	Yes (Cordova) Note: Create your own Cordova plug-ins to manage application components in your organization. See Apache Cordova Plugin Development Guide.	Yes (Proprietary)
Project Templates	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use the Apache Cordova cordova create --template command.	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use mfp cordova create --template or the Apache Cordova command cordova create --copy-from	Yes (Proprietary)
Dojo and jQuery IDE instrumentation	Yes Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that we can use in Cordova apps. See Dojo Documentation and jQuery Mobile documentation.	Yes Note: Dojo and jQuery Mobile are JavaScript frameworks that we can use in Cordova apps. See Dojo Documentation and jQuery Mobile documentation.	Yes
Mobile UI Patterns	Unsupported	Unsupported	Deprecated
Application sub types
Shell Component	Unsupported Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.	Unsupported	Yes
Inner Hybrid Application	Unsupported Note: If the previous Hybrid app used shells and inner applications, it is recommended to adopt Cordova design patterns and implement the shell components as Cordova plug-ins, that can be shared across applications.	Unsupported	Yes
Application Features
Mobile OS	iOS 8 or higher, Android 4.1 or higher, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows Phone 10. See System requirements.	iOS 7 or higher, Android 4 or higher. See IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V7.1 system requirements.	iOS, Android, and Windows Phone 8
Web applications	Yes, as a JavaScript application developed without Apache Cordova. See Develop web applications.	Unsupported	Yes, as a desktopbrowser or mobilewebapp environment.
Direct Update	Yes. See Update Cordova client apps directly.	Yes	Yes
MobileFirst Security Framework	Yes	Yes	Yes
Application Authenticity	Yes. See Enabling the application-authenticity security check.	Yes	Yes
Certificate pinning	Yes. See Certificate pinning.	No	Yes
JSONStore	Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-jsonstore plug-in.	Yes	Yes
FIPS 140-2	Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-fips plug-in. Restriction: FIPS is supported for Android and iOS. FIPS is not supported for Windows. See Enabling FIPS 140-2.	No	Yes
Encryption of web resources that are associated with the application within the application binary file.	Yes. See Encrypting the web resources of your Cordova packages.	No	Yes
Verification of the integrity of web resources by using a checksum each time the app starts running.	Yes. See Enabling the web resources checksum feature.	Unsupported	Yes
Specification of the app's target category (B2E or B2C) for addressable device license tracking.	Yes. See Set the application license information.	No	Yes
Simple data sharing	No	Yes	Yes
Single sign-on	Yes Note: Device single sign-on (SSO) is now supported by way of the new predefined enableSSO security-check application-descriptor configuration property. See Configure device single sign-on (SSO).	Yes	Yes
MobileFirst application skins	No Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design.	No Note: To detect and handle different device screen sizes, use standard web development practices such as responsive web design.	Yes
Environment optimizations	Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. See Using merges to Customize Each Platform in the Apache Cordova documentation.	Yes (Cordova). Use the merges directory to define web resources specific to a platform. See Using merges to Customize Each Platform in the Apache Cordova documentation.	Yes (Proprietary)
Push Notifications	Yes. Use the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug-in. Restriction: We can map predefined MobileFirst security checks only to the push.mobileclient scope. Custom security checks are not supported because JavaScript challenge handlers are not called.	Yes Note: For Android, we must add the cordova-plugin-mfp-push plug in. You don't need this plug in for iOS because the push client-side support for iOS is included in the core mfp plugin.	Yes
Cordova plug-ins management	Yes	Yes	No
Mobile Browser Simulator	Yes Restriction: Not all MobileFirst JavaScript APIs are supported by the simulator but we can test calls to adapters with WLResourceRequest. See Previewing Cordova web resources with the Mobile Browser Simulator .	Yes	Yes
Cordova platform management	Yes (Cordova)	Yes (Cordova)	Yes (Proprietary)
MESSAGES (i18n)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Token licensing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Application optimizations
Minification	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools. See Minification.	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools.	Yes (Proprietary)
Concatenation of JS and CSS	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools.	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools.	Yes (Proprietary)
Obfuscation	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools.	Yes (Cordova) Note: Use common open source tools.	Yes (Proprietary)
Android Pro Guard	Yes Note: IBM MobileFirst Platform Foundation V8.0.0 does not include the predefined proguard-project.txt configuration file for Android ProGuard obfuscation with a MobileFirst Android application.	Yes Note: See Android documentation to enable Pro Guard.	Yes