Superpowers of browser's Web API  

Web API

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Web API

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Collection of built-in interfaces that allow developers to interact with and manipulate web pages and web applications within a web browser.

Web API

- Web API docs

Nikola Mitrović

Development Lead & Software Engineer

Vega IT

Novi Sad, Serbia

Intersection Observer API

  • Provides a way to asynchronously observe changes in the intersection of a target element with an ancestor element or with a top-level document's viewport

Intersection Observer API

import { useState, useEffect, RefObject } from 'react';

export const useVisible = (
  ref: RefObject<HTMLDivElement>,
  options = {
    root: null,
    rootMargin: '0px',
    threshold: 1.0
  }
) => {
  const [isVisible, setIsVisible] = useState<boolean>(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    const { current: elementRef } = ref;
    
    if (elementRef) {
      const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
        ([entry]) => setIsVisible(entry.isIntersecting), options
      );

      observer.observe(elementRef);

      return () => observer.unobserve(elementRef);
    }
  }, [ref, options]);

  return isVisible;
};

Intersection Observer API - Use Cases

Lazy-load images

Infinite scroll lists

Defer animations

Save compute power

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Intersection Observer API - Browser Support

Page Visibility API

  • Provides events you can watch for to know the current visibility state of the page

  • Triggers when user

switches tab

minimizes window

puts another window as overlay

locks/turns off device

Page Visibility API

import { useEffect, useState } from "react";

export const usePageVisibility = () => {
  const [pageVisible, setPageVisible] = useState<boolean>(true);

  useEffect(() => {
    const handleVisibilityChange = () => {
      const isPageVisible = document.visibilityState === "visible";
      setPageVisible(isPageVisible);
	};

    document.addEventListener("visibilitychange", handleVisibilityChange);

    return () => {
      document.removeEventListener("visibilitychange", handleVisibilityChange);
    };
  }, []);

  return pageVisible;
};

Page Visibility API - Use Cases

Improving performance

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Pause audio/video

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Detect page visit count

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Poll server data

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Carousel

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Page Visibility API - Browser Support

Screen Wake Lock API

  • Prevent devices from locking the screen when an application needs to keep running

  • Only visible (active) documents can acquire the screen wake lock

Screen Wake Lock API

import { useEffect, useCallback, useRef } from 'react';

export const useWakeLock = (shouldWakeLock = false) => {
  let sentinel = useRef<WakeLockSentinel | null>(null);

  const requestWakeLockSentinel = useCallback(async () => {
    sentinel.current = await navigator.wakeLock.request('screen');
  }, []);

  const releaseWakeLockSentinel = useCallback(async () => {
    await sentinel.current?.release();
    sentinel.current = null;
  }, []);

  useEffect(() => {
    (async () => {
      if (shouldWakeLock) {
        await requestWakeLockSentinel();

        return releaseWakeLockSentinel;
      }

      await releaseWakeLockSentinel();
    })();
  }, [shouldWakeLock, requestWakeLockSentinel, releaseWakeLockSentinel]);

  return { isWakeLock: !!sentinel.current };
};

Screen Wake Lock API - Use Cases

Reading an ebook

Presenting to an audience

Following a recipe

Map navigation

Scanning a QR / barcode

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Screen Wake Lock API - Browser Support

Screen Wake Lock API - Drawbacks

Web API - Bonus points

  • Network API

  • Beacon API

  • Media Session API

  • Background Sync API

  • Background Fetch API

  • Broadcast Channel API

Web API - Takeaways

  • Standardized code

  • Standardized code

  • Standardized code

  • Smooth learning curve

  • Increase performance of web apps

With great power comes great responsibility

Green JavaScript

Internet is consuming 21% of the electricity

check out carbon footprint

website traffic

energy intensity

data transfers

Thank you!

n.mitrovic@vegait.rs

You can find me at

Link to the slides

Superpowers of browser's Web API

By nmitrovic

Superpowers of browser's Web API

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