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Over a decade has passed since the release of PhoneGap, however, this hybrid app development framework still is in considerable demand. Also known as Apache Cordova, this open-source framework helps developers to build hybrid apps. Users of Android, iPhone, Blackberry, or a Windows phone can access hybrid apps.
Instead of using an Android or iOS SDK to develop apps for those mobile platforms, hybrid app development involves technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. PhoneGap uses these web technologies in the same way that other popular cross-platform development frameworks do.
Many programmers know these web development technologies, which reduces the learning curve. Ionic, another popular hybrid app development framework was built on top of Apache Cordova.
Quite a few developers have learned PhoneGap, however, it can be hard to hire PhoneGap developers. You need to choose a hiring platform between freelancer platforms and software development companies.
Essential PhoneGap development skills
You need to look for the appropriate skills. A mobile developer with PhoneGap experience needs the following technical skills:
- Deep knowledge of the PhoneGap framework;
- Comprehensive JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3 skills;
- Experience with the “Model-View-Controller” (MVC) design pattern;
- Knowledge of popular front-end web frameworks like AngularJS;
- In-depth knowledge of popular tools like Eclipse, GitHub, Ant, etc.;
- Knowledge of app store publishing processes.
Other skills that a PhoneGap application developer needs
PhoneGap developers need a few more skills, which are as follows:
A. API development skills
Creating RESTful APIs helps the front-end of your web or mobile application access the back-end using a consistent framework. PhoneGap developers need to know the following:
- How to use API development and documentation tools;
- How to develop the backend using modern databases and how to host APIs on the cloud;
- Creating effective rules for API requests and responses.
B. The knowledge of Android and iOS development
Native apps use all device-specific features of the mobile devices for that platform, however, hybrid apps can’t do this. PhoneGap apps can’t match the native user experience (UX) and performance.
Look for PhoneGap mobile app developers with the knowledge of native Android and iOS development. They should know about these operating systems. They need to know how to use native plugins to add more functionalities to the app, for example.
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C. Familiarity with cloud platforms
Cloud platforms can expedite your project. “Platform-as-a-Service” (PaaS) or “Mobile-Backend-as-a-Service” (MBaaS) platforms can save time since they manage the infrastructure side of things. You can focus on development. Look for PhoneGap programmers that have worked on cloud platforms like AWS.
E. The knowledge of application security
A cross-platform app can’t match the security of native apps, therefore, you need to pay more attention to application security. Hire PhoneGap developers that know how to proactively identify application security vulnerabilities and mitigate them. They should know how to secure the 1st party APIs they code.
G. The knowledge of successfully delivering app development services
Application developers also need the following skills and competencies to succeed in software development projects:
- Code review skills;
- The ability to collaborate with testers and DevOps engineers;
- Familiarity with UI design principles;
- Software development process skills.
How to hire PhoneGap app developers?
Take the following steps:
1. Decide whether to use a freelancer platform or a software development company for hiring
If you are the CTO in your company, then you need project execution to go to plan and on budget. Hiring the right kind of application developers is the key here. Incompetent PhoneGap programmers can adversely impact your schedule, cost, and quality objectives.
General-purpose freelancer sites can help you to hire part-time PhoneGap developers on an hourly basis. You might get developers at a low rate on such platforms. A few software development-focused freelancer platforms claim to use stringent screening processes, therefore, you can high-quality developers too. These platforms can’t provide full-time dedicated developers though.
Moreover, these platforms don’t provide project management support. Managing part-time freelancers can be hard. For example, consider the challenges if you are in the United States and you need to manage the work of part-time freelancers in India.
If you have a complex mobile application development project, then you will surely need full-time developers. An app development company such as DevTeam.Space can provide a dedicated team of PhoneGap experts as well as individual developers or dev teams.
As a full-time software development company, we provide a replacement developer if the original developer gets sick, etc. We also guarantee the quality of their work, if you are not 100% happy then you don’t need to pay. In addition to providing development solutions, we also secure your project’s sensitive data and sign an NDA. Carefully analyze your requirements before you make a hiring decision.
2. Interview the candidates
It’s time to interview the candidates. If you know PhoneGap, then you can handle this. Otherwise, you might need to either ask an associate to interview the candidates or get interview questions from the Internet.
You need to cover all the skill areas we have mentioned. Ask the candidates about the complex projects that they have worked on and not just straight-forward projects like eCommerce development. Find out how they had dealt with the complexities.
Explain your project requirements and ask them how they would approach it. Look for specific recommendations and not generic statements.
3. Provide relevant details about your PhoneGap development project
You need to provide sufficient information about your project to developers. Provide the requirements, technical solutions, test plans, etc. Describe the project and introduce developers to your larger team. Explain the roles and responsibilities of developers.
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Establish a communications process. Provide access to the technical environment of your project including the code repository. Explain your project schedule, milestones, the milestone review process, and the payment terms and conditions.
4. Important interviewing tips for hiring PhoneGap developers
The following interviewing tips when hiring software developers with PhoneGap skills and experience:
A. Verify whether the candidates have avoided common errors during mobile development and web app development using PhoneGap.
The PhoneGap platform is JavaScript-based. JavaScript is a dynamically typed programming language. That makes it highly flexible. However, inexperienced developers might make variable type-related errors.
Such errors can create security vulnerabilities in your app. You want to avoid that.
Therefore, look for sufficiently experienced full-stack developers with PhoneGap experience. They know the tricks to avoid common coding errors.
You might find it hard to assess the real experience of freelancers. Consider hiring dedicated PhoneGap developers from companies providing credible PhoneGap development services. DevTeam.Space is such a company with expert dedicated PhoneGap programmers.
B. Assess how the candidates have closed the gaps with native development
You can take either native development or cross-platform development options for mobile app development. However, PhoneGap app development can’t really match the native user experience, performance, and security.
Expert PhoneGap developers can close a few of the gaps while developing cross-platform mobile apps. They need a very thorough knowledge of mobile development though.
Assessing the skills and experience of freelance PhoneGap developers can be hard. However, you don’t need to worry about this if you hire dedicated PhoneGap developers from companies like DevTeam.Space. We follow stringent screening processes. Therefore, our community of developers has the requisite expertise.
Sample interview questions when hiring PhoneGap app developers.
You could hire top PhoneGap developers by assessing the practical knowledge of candidates during the interview. Ask questions that help you to gauge their technical expertise and experience.
Check out the following examples:
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A. Provide a list of PhoneGap events.
Answer: PhoneGap events are as follows:
“deviceready”;
“pause”;
“resume”;
“online”;
“offline”;
“backbutton”;
“batterycriticalbatterylow”;
“batterystatus”;
“menubutton”;
“searchbutton”;
“startcallbutton”;
“endcallbutton”;
“volumedownbutton”;
“volumeupbutton”.
B. Which files does a PhoneGap plugin have?
Answer: A PhoneGap plugin has a JavaScript file. It defines the functions for accessing the native hooks.
Additionally, a PhoneGap plugin has implementation files written in the native programming language corresponding to the target operating system. This file is required for using the native device features.
C. Specify a few important PhoneGap APIs.
Answer: The following are a few important PhoneGap APIs:
- Accelerometer;
- Camera;
- Capture;
- Compass;
- Connection;
- Contacts;
- Device;
- Geo-location.
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