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Caution: This documentation is for eZ Publish legacy, from version 3.x to 6.x.
For 5.x documentation covering Platform see eZ Documentation Center, for difference between legacy and Platform see 5.x Architecture overview.

Building mobile browser and hybrid applications with eZ Publish

This tutorial focuses on creating a mobile website and extending it to be a hybrid mobile application. The mobile website is accessible via a URL. Hybrid applications access the mobile website through an app, bringing together features of both web and native applications.

They are downloaded via an app store and look and feel like a native application, although they are simply displaying the mobile website. The main advantage of a hybrid application over a native application is that a consistent user experience can be enjoyed by a wider audience (via the mobile URL) while still making the most of the marketing opportunities presented by app store distribution. Changes are made on the web application end rather than requiring the user to perform the update manually via the app store.

Native applications are applications designed to work on a specific device such as an iPhone or BlackBerry. Users download these applications from an app store or through an internal enterprise program. The main advantage of native applications is that they offer access to built-in device features such as cameras or GPS functionality. Native applications often perform better than other types of apps, as they live on the device itself. These applications can also present unique marketing opportunities if they are distributed via an app store.