Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your First Blazor PWA 🚀

 

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) have revolutionized web development by delivering native-like performance, offline capabilities, and seamless installation—all within the browser. If you’re a beginner looking to create your first PWA with Blazor, Microsoft’s modern web framework, you’re in the right place!

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through creating a Blazor PWA from scratch, covering setup, essential features, and deployment. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional PWA ready to impress users.

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What You’ll Need

Before we dive in, ensure you have the following tools installed:

• .NET SDK (7.0 or later): Download here
• Visual Studio 2022 or Visual Studio Code with the C# extension.
• A modern browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.

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Step 1: Setting Up Your Blazor PWA Project

1. Create a New Blazor WebAssembly Project
   Open a terminal or command prompt and run the following command:

   
   dotnet new blazorwasm -o MyFirstBlazorPWA --pwa
   cd MyFirstBlazorPWA
   

   • --pwa: Configures the project as a Progressive Web App with essential PWA features like service workers and a manifest file.
   • The project will be created in a folder named MyFirstBlazorPWA.

2. Open the Project
   Open the project in Visual Studio or your favorite code editor:

   Run the App

3. Run the app to see it in action:

   dotnet run

   Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5000. You should see the default Blazor app.

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Step 2: Exploring the Project Structure

Blazor’s PWA template includes the following key files and folders:

• wwwroot/manifest.json: Defines your app’s metadata, such as name, icons, and theme color.
• wwwroot/service-worker.js: A script that enables offline capabilities by caching assets.
• wwwroot/index.html: The main HTML file that loads the Blazor app.
• Pages/: Contains Razor components like Index.razor and Counter.razor.
• Program.cs: Configures the Blazor app and registers services.

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Step 3: Adding PWA Features

1. Customize the Manifest File
   Open wwwroot/manifest.json and update it to reflect your app’s details:

   
   {
     "name": "My First Blazor PWA",
     "short_name": "BlazorPWA",
     "start_url": "/",
     "display": "standalone",
     "background_color": "#ffffff",
     "theme_color": "#0078d7",
     "icons": [
       {
         "src": "icons/icon-192x192.png",
         "sizes": "192x192",
         "type": "image/png"
       },
       {
         "src": "icons/icon-512x512.png",
         "sizes": "512x512",
         "type": "image/png"
       }
     ]
   }
   

2. Configure the Service Worker
   Open wwwroot/service-worker.js and add caching for additional assets:

   
   self.addEventListener('install', event => {
       event.waitUntil(
           caches.open('v1').then(cache => {
               return cache.addAll([
                   '/',
                   '/index.html',
                   '/css/app.css',
                   '/_framework/blazor.webassembly.js'
               ]);
           })
       );
   });
   

3. Test Offline Functionality
   Run the app again, and once it loads in your browser, disconnect your internet. Refresh the page to ensure the app works offline using cached assets.

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Step 4: Building Essential Features

1. Create a Home Page
   Edit Pages/Index.razor to add a custom welcome message:

   
   @page "/"
   
   <h1>Welcome to My First Blazor PWA!</h1>
   <p>This app works offline and delivers a native-like experience.</p>
   

2. Add a New Feature: Task List
   Create a new component Pages/TaskList.razor:

   
   @page "/tasks"
   
   <h3>Task List</h3>
   
   <input @bind="newTask" placeholder="Add a new task" />
   <button @onclick="AddTask">Add</button>
   
   <ul>
       @foreach (var task in tasks)
       {
           <li>@task</li>
       }
   </ul>
   
   @code {
       private string newTask = "";
       private List<string> tasks = new();
   
       private void AddTask()
       {
           if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(newTask))
           {
               tasks.Add(newTask);
               newTask = "";
           }
       }
   }
   

   Add a link to the Task List page in Shared/NavMenu.razor:

   
   <a href="tasks" class="nav-link">Tasks</a>
   

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Step 5: Deploying Your PWA

1. Build for Production
   Run the following command to generate the production build:

   
   dotnet publish --configuration Release
   

   The output will be in the bin/Release/net7.0/publish/wwwroot folder.

2. Deploy to a Hosting Platform

   • Azure Static Web Apps: Use the Azure portal or Azure CLI for deployment.
   • GitHub Pages: Push the wwwroot folder to a branch like gh-pages.
   • Firebase Hosting: Use Firebase CLI to deploy your app.

   Example for Firebase Hosting:

   
   firebase init hosting
   firebase deploy
   

3. Test Your PWA
   Visit your deployed app in a browser. You should see an "Install" button or a prompt to add it to your home screen.

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Step 6: Enhancing Your PWA

Once your first Blazor PWA is up and running, you can enhance it further:

• Push Notifications: Use web push APIs to send notifications to users.
• Data Synchronization: Implement IndexedDB for offline data storage and sync with a backend API.
• Real-Time Updates: Use SignalR for live data updates and collaboration features.

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Conclusion

Building your first Blazor PWA is a rewarding experience that opens the door to modern, high-performance web development. With its seamless integration of C# and .NET, Blazor simplifies the process of creating feature-rich, offline-capable applications that feel like native apps.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out my book, Building Progressive Web Apps with Blazor, for more detailed guides, real-world examples, and advanced techniques.

Happy coding! 🚀