Techniques for web application updates

• US 10,416,992 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WhatsApp LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: WhatsApp LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Anderson, Matthew Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US15/717,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20190095196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

Techniques to update a web application are described. A method includes receiving an application update request for a requested web application from a service worker web application executing in a web browser on a client device, the application update request comprising a cached version indicator for a local cached copy of the requested web application on the client device; determining whether an updated requested web application is available based on the cached version indicator. When the cached version indicator is less than a current version indicator, an archived copy of the previous version of the requested web application indicated by the cached version indicator and a current copy of the current version of the requested web application are retrieved, and a delta update is generated based on the archived copy and current copy. The delta update is sent to the service worker web application. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an application update request for a requested web application on a client device from a service worker web application, the service worker web application executing in a web browser on the same client device as the requested web application, the service worker web application separate from the requested web application and operative to load and maintain the requested web application, the application update request comprising a cached version indicator for a local cached copy of the requested web application on the client device;

determining that the cached version indicator received with the application update request is less than a current version indicator for the requested web application;

retrieving a copy of a previous version of the requested web application indicated by the cached version indicator;

retrieving a copy of a current version of the requested web application;

generating a delta update based on the previous version and the current version of the requested web application; and

sending the delta update to the service worker web application where.

2. The method of claim 1, the application update request received in response to an application load request of the web application in the web browser on the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a client web application request from the web browser on the client device;

sending the service worker web application in response to the client web application request;

receiving an application download request from the service worker web application; and

sending the previous version of the requested web application to the service worker web application in response to the application download request, wherein the previous version of the requested web application was current at a time of request for the application download request.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a web page request for the client web application from the web browser on the client device, the web page request comprising the client web application request; and

sending a client web application web page to web browser on the client device in response to the web page request, the client web application comprising the service worker web application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the delta update using a minimal block move diff technique.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the delta update following sending the delta update to the service worker web application.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a web application server component operative on the processor to;

receive an application update request for a requested web application on a client device from a service worker web application, the service worker web application executing in a web browser on the same client device as the requested web application, the service worker web application separate from the requested web application and operative to load and maintain the requested web application, the application update request comprising a cached version indicator for a cached copy of the requested web application local to the client device; and

send a delta update to the service worker web application where the cached version indicator is less than a current version indicator of the requested web application on the web application server; and

a web application update component operative to;

determine that the cached version indicator received with the application update request is less than a current version indicator for the request web application;

retrieve a copy of a previous version of the requested web application indicated by the cached version indicator;

retrieve a copy of a current version of the requested web application where the cached version indicator is less than a current version indicator; and

generate the delta update based on the previous version and the current version of the requested web application.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the application update request received in response to an application load request of the web application in the web browser on the client device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

the web application server component operative to;

receive a client web application request from the web browser on the client device;

send the service worker web application in response to the client web application request;

receive an application download request from the service worker web application; and

send the previous version of the requested web application to the service worker web application in response to the application download request, wherein the previous version of the requested web application was current at a time of request for the application download request.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

the web application server component operative to;

receive a web page request for the client web application from the web browser on the client device, the web page request comprising to the client web application request; and

send a client web application web page to web browser on the client device in response to the web page request, the client web application comprising the service worker web application.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, the delta update generated using a minimal block move diff technique.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

the web application update component operative to;

discard the delta update following the web application server component sending the delta update to the service worker web application.

13. At least non-transitory one computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive an application update request for a requested web application on a client device from a service worker web application, the service worker web application executing in a web browser on the same client device as the requested web application, the service worker web application separate from the requested web application and operative to load and maintain the requested web application, the application update request comprising a cached version indicator for a cached copy of the requested web application local to the client device;

determine that the cached version indicator received with the application update request is less than a current version indicator for the requested web application;

retrieve a copy of a previous version of the requested web application indicated by the cached version indicator;

retrieve a copy of a current version of the requested web application;

generate a delta update based on the previous version and the current version of the requested web application; and

send the delta update to the service worker web application.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the application update request received in response to an application load request of the web application in the web browser on the client device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive a client web application request from the web browser on the client device;

send the service worker web application in response to the client web application request;

receive an application download request from the service worker web application; and

send the previous version of the requested web application to the service worker web application in response to the application download request, wherein the previous version of the requested web application was current at a time of request for the application download request.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive a web page request for the client web application from the web browser on the client device, the web page request comprising to the client web application request; and

send a client web application web page to web browser on the client device in response to the web page request, the client web application comprising the service worker web application.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

discard the delta update following sending the delta update to the service worker web application.