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PWA (Progressive Web App)

3DPrintForge can be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA) — an app-like experience directly from the browser without an app store. You get faster access, push notifications in the background, and limited offline functionality.

Installing as an app​

Desktop (Chrome / Edge / Chromium)​

  1. Open https://localhost:3443 in the browser
  2. Look for the Install icon in the address bar (down arrow with screen icon)
  3. Click on it
  4. Click Install in the dialog
  5. 3DPrintForge opens as its own window without browser UI

Alternatively: Click the three dots (⋮) → Install 3DPrintForge...

Desktop (Firefox)​

Firefox does not support full PWA installation directly. Use Chrome or Edge for the best experience.

Mobile (Android – Chrome)​

  1. Open https://your-server-ip:3443 in Chrome
  2. Tap the three dots → Add to home screen
  3. Give the app a name and tap Add
  4. The icon appears on the home screen — the app opens in fullscreen without browser UI

Mobile (iOS – Safari)​

  1. Open https://your-server-ip:3443 in Safari
  2. Tap the Share icon (square with arrow pointing up)
  3. Scroll down and select Add to Home Screen
  4. Tap Add
iOS limitations

iOS has limited PWA support. Push notifications only work in iOS 16.4 and later. Offline mode is limited.

Offline mode​

The PWA caches necessary resources for limited offline use:

FeatureOffline available
Last known printer status✅ (from cache)
Print history✅ (from cache)
Filament inventory✅ (from cache)
Real-time status (MQTT)❌ Requires connection
Camera stream❌ Requires connection
Sending commands to printer❌ Requires connection

Offline view shows a banner at the top: "Connection lost — showing last known data".

Push notifications in the background​

The PWA can send push notifications even when the app is not open:

  1. Open the PWA
  2. Go to Settings → Notifications → Browser Push
  3. Click Enable push notifications
  4. Accept the permission dialog
  5. Notifications are delivered to the operating system's notification center

Push notifications work for all events configured in Notifications.

Service Worker

Push notifications require the browser to be running in the background (not fully shut down). The PWA uses a Service Worker for reception.

App icon and appearance​

The PWA uses the 3DPrintForge icon automatically. To customize:

  1. Go to Settings → System → PWA
  2. Upload a custom icon (minimum 512×512 px PNG)
  3. Set App name and Short name (displayed below the icon on mobile)
  4. Choose Theme color for the status bar on mobile

Updating the PWA​

The PWA updates automatically when the server is updated:

  • A subtle banner is shown: "New version available — click to update"
  • Click the banner to load the new version
  • No manual reinstallation needed