From JSP to React in Liferay: A Practical Migration Story

From JSP to React in Liferay: A Practical Migration Story Sweta Choudhary For years, JSP has been the backbone of UI development in Liferay. It’s familiar, powerful, and tightly integrated with the portal ecosystem. But as applications grow more interactive and user expectations evolve, JSP starts to show its limits. This is the story of how we transitioned a real Liferay module from JSP-based UI to React, what worked, what didn’t, and what I learned along the way. To learn more about how AIMDek’s Liferay services, click here. 1. Why Move Away from JSP? JSP works well for server-rendered pages, but modern enterprise portals increasingly demand: Rich, interactive user experiences Faster UI updates without full page reloads Reusable components Cleaner separation between UI and backend logic In our case, the application had grown complex: Heavy use of JSPs, taglibs, and scriptlets Increasing JavaScript scattered across JSP files Difficult UI state management Reusability was almost non-existent React wasn’t chosen because it’s “trendy”, but because it solved real problems. 2. The Initial Setup: React Inside Liferay Liferay doesn’t force you to abandon its ecosystem to use React. Instead, it provides multiple integration options. We used Liferay’s React portlet approach with: Vite / npm for frontend tooling A React app bundled and deployed as part of a Liferay module REST APIs exposed via Liferay services 3. Migration Strategy (Big Bang Never Works) Instead of rewriting everything, we followed an incremental migration. Step 1: Identify UI-Heavy Sections We started with screens that: Had frequent user interactions Required dynamic updates Were painful to maintain in JSP These were ideal candidates for React. Step 2: Decouple Backend from JSP In JSP, backend logic often leaks into the UI. Before introducing React, we: Moved logic into services Exposed clean REST endpoints Ensured responses were UI-agnostic This step alone improved maintainability, even before React entered the picture. Step 3: Replace JSP UI with React Components Instead of rendering HTML in JSP, the JSP was reduced to a container: It loaded the React bundle Passed minimal configuration (like user info or context) Let React fully control the UI rendering This kept Liferay happy while giving React full freedom. 4. Managing State: A Big Win for React One of the biggest improvements was state management. In JSP: State was spread across request attributes, session variables, and JS hacks In React: UI state lived in components Shared state used Context API Side effects handled cleanly with hooks The result: Predictable UI behavior Easier debugging Fewer “random” UI bugs 5. Authentication & Permissions (Liferay Still Rules) A common concern is: “Will React break Liferay’s security model?” The answer is no. Authentication remained fully managed by Liferay React relied on existing session and permissions APIs enforced permission checks server-side React never became a security risk, it was just a consumer. 6. Performance: Perceived vs Actual Did React make the app faster? Initial load: Slightly heavier due to JS bundle After load: Much faster interactions No full page reloads Better user experience overall For users, the app felt significantly faster, even if raw metrics didn’t change drastically. Partner with AIMDek for Liferay Development Sweta Choudhary Sweta Choudhary is a Liferay developer and enterprise portal engineer who builds end-to-end solutions, combining Liferay backend work with modern React.js frontends. With experience across healthcare, MedTech, and insurance, she focuses on scalable architecture, clean integrations, and maintainable platforms that deliver smooth, user-friendly experiences. skip render: ucaddon_next_prev_post

FemTech App Development: Key Features, Tech Stack, Costs, and Compliance Considerations

FemTech App Development: Key Features, Tech Stack, Costs, and Compliance Considerations Priya Patel At first glance, a FemTech app may look similar to other health or wellness apps. It collects data, shows trends, sends reminders, and sometimes connects to devices. But once you look a little deeper, it becomes clear that building an app for women’s health is fundamentally different. Product teams must balance user experience, clinical responsibility, privacy, and scalability from day one. Women’s health products expand across fertility, pregnancy, menopause, chronic care, and diagnostics, FemTech apps are becoming core platforms that combine mobile experiences, data science, connected devices, and regulatory compliance. This guide breaks down what truly matters in FemTech app development, including essential features, recommended technology stacks, cost drivers, and compliance considerations you should plan for early. To explore what engineering initiatives AIMDek can help you, visit our page on FemTech & Women’s health engineering services. Key Features in FemTech App Development While feature sets vary by use case, most successful FemTech apps share a common foundation. 1. User Profiles and Health Context FemTech apps must support detailed, evolving user profiles, including: Age, reproductive stage, and medical history Cycle patterns, symptoms, and lifestyle inputs Pregnancy or menopause stage tracking where applicable This contextual data powers personalization and insights, but it also increases responsibility around privacy and accuracy. 2. Health Tracking and Data Visualization Core tracking capabilities often include: Cycle, symptom, or event tracking Trends over time rather than isolated data points Clear visualizations that are easy to interpret without medical training Designing these views requires close collaboration between UX, product, and clinical advisors. 3. Personalization and Insights Many FemTech apps offer predictive or recommendation-based features such as: Cycle or fertility predictions Symptom pattern recognition Personalized content or care suggestions It is critical to clearly position these insights as informational unless the product is cleared for clinical decision support. 4. Device and Wearable Integration Modern FemTech app development often involves: BLE-based wearable integrations Medical sensors for temperature, pH, HRV, or SpO₂ Data synchronization with third-party platforms Device reliability, calibration handling, and data validation become part of the app’s core responsibility. 5. Secure Communication and Engagement Depending on the product, this may include: In-app messaging or chat Telehealth features Notifications and reminders tied to health context Security and consent management must be built into every interaction. Technology Stack for FemTech App Development There is no single “best” stack, but proven patterns exist. Mobile Applications Native iOS and Android for performance-critical or regulated products React Native for faster MVPs and cross-platform consistency The choice depends on regulatory scope, device integrations, and long-term roadmap. Backend and APIs Node.js, Java, or Python-based services REST or GraphQL APIs for scalability Role-based access and audit logging built-in Backend architecture must support long-term data growth and compliance audits. Cloud Infrastructure AWS, Azure, or GCP with healthcare-ready configurations Encrypted storage and secure key management Regional data residency where required Infrastructure decisions directly impact compliance and cost. Data and Analytics Secure relational or time-series databases Analytics focused on trends, not raw exposure Monitoring for data drift, quality, and system health Data handling is often the most underestimated part of FemTech app development. If you are starting out on building something in FemTech, read our guide on Building FemTech Products: MVP to Scale. Compliance and Regulatory Considerations Compliance is not an add-on in FemTech. It shapes architecture, UX, and even feature scope. Key considerations include: HIPAA for handling protected health information in the US GDPR for user consent, data minimization, and deletion rights in the EU FDA guidance for digital health, wearables, and clinical decision support EU MDR implications if the app connects to regulated medical devices Even apps positioned as “wellness” must be careful not to cross regulatory boundaries unintentionally. Cost Considerations in FemTech App Development There is no fixed cost for building a FemTech app, but several factors strongly influence budget. Major cost drivers include: Depth of health tracking and personalization Device or wearable integrations Compliance and validation activities Data security and infrastructure setup MVP versus scale-ready architecture A lightweight MVP may focus on core tracking and UX, while a production-ready FemTech platform requires investment in quality, validation, and long-term maintainability. In general, an initial MVP app may cost anywhere between $20,000- $50,000 depending on above factors, whereas a complete end-to-end medical grade app with various integrations may cost $100,000 and upwards. There really is no single one-size-fits-all quote, but you can reach out to us with your requirement, and we can give you a quote with a free consultation call on your roadmap. Get a free roadmap consultation call + quote Common Challenges in FemTech App Development Teams often face challenges such as: Over-promising medical value without regulatory clearance Underestimating data privacy and consent complexity Scaling from MVP to a compliant commercial product Handling real-world device data inconsistencies Maintaining user trust over long engagement cycles Addressing these early reduces rework and regulatory risk later. How to Choose a FemTech App Development Partner When selecting a FemTech app development company, look beyond technical skills alone. Key evaluation criteria should include: Experience in women’s health or digital health products Strong understanding of compliance and quality frameworks Ability to integrate hardware, cloud, and mobile platforms A product mindset that supports long-term scale, not just MVP delivery FemTech products often evolve into regulated platforms. Your development partner should be prepared for that journey. Final Thoughts FemTech app development sits at the intersection of technology, healthcare, and lived experience. Success depends on building systems that are secure, trustworthy, and adaptable as regulatory and clinical expectations evolve. Teams that invest early in the right features, architecture, and compliance foundations are far better positioned to scale responsibly and sustainably. If you are planning a FemTech or women’s health app and want to validate your feature scope, tech stack, or compliance approach before building, a structured discovery phase can save significant time and cost later. Explore what AIMDek can do for your FemTech product Priya Patel Priya Patel is a MedTech, Digital health &

React Native Vs Xamarin- Which Cross-Platform Framework Should You Choose?

React Native Vs Xamarin- Which Cross-Platform Framework Should You Choose? Avakash Dekavadiya According to Grandview research, “The mobile app market size valued $206.73 in 2022 and expected to reach $565.40 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 13.4%.”The latest pandemic has geared up the businesses to go mobile, which has accelerated the mobile app development need worldwide. The increasing requirements to get the mobile apps developed at speed for both major platforms- Android and iOS have made things a little trickier for the development companies. Forward-thinking companies and savvy business leaders are looking for the best cross-platform app development framework 2022 that helps them meet the needs as expected. That’s where react and Xamarin turned out as the top mobile app development frameworks to build apps for multiple platforms at the time and cost of one mobile app development. With the unique business needs and growing technological possibilities, choosing one cross-platform framework is difficult. The decision process is ironed out with a side-by-side comparison of these two frameworks. Before digging deeper into the debate of React Vs Xamarin cross-platform framework to find the best mobile app development framework in 2022, let’s first understand react and Xamarin frameworks individually. What is React Native framework? React Native framework was built by Facebook’s engineer to improve mobile experiences in 2015, and later it was made available to developers by making it open-source. Gradually, the platform has evolved as a matured cross-platform development framework with all the capabilities baked into it, which enables native-like app development. With an easy learning curve, the framework renders native UI and hot reloading that speeds up development. The enormous possibilities for third-party plugin integration made leading brands such as Tesla, Discord, Walmart, and Shopify power their app using the framework.What is a Xamarin framework? Xamarin- the dot net framework was founded in 2011 and gets open-source when it’s bought by Microsoft in 2016. With Microsoft visual studio IDE and visual studio enterprise features, Xamarin has become a perfect fit for enterprise app development. the framework excels at converting platform-specific elements at runtime and rendering native-like experiences. The improved access to native APIs, built-in Xamarin forms, and .NET framework feature leverage make the framework a better fit in the shoes of cross-platform development. Most of the use of C# makes it easier for development companies to get developers that can work with the Xamarin framework. Xamarin vs. React Native- the side-by-side comparison determining which is better Performance The cross-platform frameworks are ill-famous for their performance which is compromised just for the sake of reduced development time, efforts, and cost. Nowadays, continuous upgrades have changed the scene. The best cross-platform app development framework 2022 is now delivering stable and high-performant releases. React Native is a JS-based framework that reloads the code by pushing a refresh to the app, thereby eliminating the compilation requirements. It relies on the chrome developer tool for debugging. It does not support 64-bit mode on Android and also shows poor results on iOS when code is executed. Compilation and development drastically impact the performance. Xamarin development provides native performance comparable to Java offers in Android app development and C# in iOS development. Xamarin test clouds facilitate developers to test the app during development consistently which results in error-free coding. Moreover, the test cloud is performed across all the platforms which eliminates the need to test the app individually on distinct devices. Conclusion: top mobile app development company finds React Native slightly edges behind Xamarin in terms of performance. Popularity React Native stands out in the market share of technology products with 17% usage in mobile app development. 28% of the software development companies leverage this technology and it’s widely used in the USA by 49% of the companies. According to a Stack Overflow survey conducted on over 80,000 developers, React Native scored 6th position with a 14.5% share among all the frameworks and tools. The updates rendered through Xamarin in reduced time and cost are deployed to a source file and later on the platforms. These characteristics and leverage by the mainstream brands showcase that Xamarin has scored optimal popularity. However, Microsoft itself won’t use Xamarin for its flagship app and considered by the developers’ dreaded framework. Conclusion: React Native wins in the React Vs Xamarin cross-platform framework comparison. Development Environment Developers feel good when building a mobile app using React Native because the framework won’t mandate using any specific development environment alike Xamarin. By installing Node and using any development environment such as Atom, Vim editor, and Spacemace editor, they can get started right away. Xamarin framework requires developers to download Microsoft Visual Studio or the Visual Studio Community edition depending on the project’s needs. Having Mac is also necessary to build the app. Conclusion: React Native gains an edge and is favored by the top mobile app development company. Compilation React Native is a JS-based framework that leverages JIT compilation, which runs faster as opposed to interpreted languages because it gets transformed into machine code prior to execution. However, JIT compilation works only for Android but not for iOS which impacts the iOS app’s performance. In Xamarin, the compilation time surges with the app’s size, which ultimately increases the development cost and time. The case is no different with debugging that less or more follows the same process. On the flip side. Xamarin’s compiler is fairly suited to both- Android and iOS apps, which makes it the best framework for Mobile App Development In 2022 Conclusion: In the tug of war between- React Vs Xamarin’s cross-platform framework, Xamarin takes the lead. Development Cost Both frameworks- React Native and Xamarin which are regarded as the best cross-platform app development framework 2022 are entirely free to use. However, the visual enterprise edition of Xamarin is a premium version that costs around $3000 annually to the developers. Xamarin is used for non-enterprise projects with up to 5 users and more features or users, paying an extra amount becomes essential. On the other hand, React Native framework won’t have anything in the bucket that

React Native Vs Flutter- Which Cross-Platform Framework Is Most Preferable in 2022?

React Native Vs Flutter- Which Cross-Platform Framework Is Most Preferable in 2022? harsh kotadiya The cross-platform tools are getting matured and stable with technological progress. The advent of cross-platform frameworks enables native-like development without leveraging Swift for iOS development and Java for Android development. The native-comparable development makes cross-platform frameworks prominent in the market, and allows businesses to migrate the app from one framework to another following the latest trend. The top mobile app development company increasingly prefers them for Android and iOS app development services. However, the selection of the best Mobile application Framework is a critical decision that determines how efficient the mobile app’s functionality will be and how the app looks and feel across all the platforms. React Native and Flutter- both frameworks from tech giants aim to help businesses deliver better service and performance. In the tug of war, it’s implausible to declare the winner. Here, we have compared both- React Native vs Flutter in 2022 based on some parameters that will help you choose the best framework for your next mobile development project. before moving ahead with a comparison, we will have a glance at both frameworks in brief. What is React Native? The open-source framework is created by Facebook, way back in 2015, to resolve internal technical issues. Later, React Native gates opened to the world that enable developers to leverage React Native for building native-like UI and incorporate native functionalities or capabilities to the cross-platform apps. The JS library makes developers write only one codebase and get the app shipped for both platforms- Android and iOS. Instagram, Skype, Tesla, Bloomberg, and Pinterest are the popular apps that are powered by React Native framework. What is Flutter? The framework launched by Google, that’s based on Dart programming language provides all the tools to the developers to build apps that work hassle-free on mobile, desktop, and web platforms. The enhanced UI toolkit of the Flutter is eye-candy that enables expressive UI development that offers native-like performance. Know more about flutter Refer Our Previous Blog The framework becomes officially available for use in 2018 and thereafter it’s continuously upgraded to stabilize the development. Hamilton app, Xianyu by Alibaba, Google ads app, and Reflectly are popular apps built using Flutter. The top mobile app development company giving credence to the framework for improving Android and iOS app development services. The one-to-one comparison of both frameworks- React Native and Flutter Reduced Development time Flutter emerged as one of the fastest-growing cross-platform frameworks for mobile application development. But the development speed is lower as compared to React Native. When working with Flutter, developers require to necessarily add different code files for Android and iOS applications in the case when app development involves complex design. Flutter re-build native components, which speeds up the development process, but React Native has a large collection of third-party libraries that accelerate app development. React Native counts more on third-party libraries as it provides only UI rendering and device access APIs. On the flip side, Flutter has more native support on the system level. mostly, the top mobile app development company meets the clients’ needs for rapid Android and iOS app development services using React Native framework. Performance matters a ton Both Flutter and React Native provide optimal performance for mobile applications. But Flutter wins the race of the best mobile application development frameworks. JS bridge in React Native is liable for establishing communication between native modules. On the other hand, Flutter does not involve a bridge between native modules as React Native requires. That’s why a higher number of frames dropped in React Native as opposed to Flutter.This is the main reason behind the degrading performance of React Native. However, a third-party library such as Proguard improves the React Native app’s performance with bytecode optimization. Plus, Flutter has out-of-the-box support for a native component and has set 60 FPS animation standards that help in increasing the app’s performance. A similar thing can be done in React Native, but it will increase app size. So, it’s not a good option. Technical Architecture React Native architecture relies on JS runtime environment, which is also referred to as JavaScript Bridge. Facebook’s Flux architecture is leveraged by native API and platform to communicate with JS code. Flux is the architecture of Facebook but still needs a JavaScript bridge to integrate it. However, this design is not fast enough to defend against Flutter. Flutter is built using Dart language, which already has pre-built components that alleviate the need for a bridge to communicate with native APIs. Flutter has Cupertino, Material design, and Skia (a 2d graphics rendering library) that provides everything that developers need for app development. Programming language Flutter is built on top of the Dart programming language, which is barely used by developers before 2011. However, the developers who have tried their hands on Dart find it easier to use because of its easy-to-understand syntax and support for object-oriented concepts. The extensive documentation makes it quick to get started for new developers. React Native use JavaScript as a programming language, which is the most widely used programming language. It means any JS developer can start building an application using React Native framework. JavaScript has a huge community that can’t be compared with Dart. The community facilitates many pre-developed modules which makes development faster. Installation is a breeze! Flutter needs binary packages to be installed from GitHub irrespective of the platform selected. Also, developers need to install additional libraries based on your systems like macOS, and set up system-like path variable, which is a time-consuming process and makes the installation process slower. React Native has an easy and speedy installation process. It requires a Node package manager which comes with Node.JS that can be installed through a single line of code. More steps involved with Flutter framework installation make it slower. So, we can say React Native is the best mobile application development framework when it comes to faster installation. Release process Flutter enables a seamless release process and it’s easy to get

React Vs Angular: Which Is A Best Fit For Your Business Project?

React Vs Angular: Which Is A Best Fit For Your Business Project? Avakash Dekavadiya This is the real story of every developer building web apps or front-end. With the myriad of options available in the form of JS frameworks, it’s confusing to choose the right JS framework that meets the business-specific project requirements along with critical aspects. It’s difficult to get out of this struggle. The tug of the war between the two frontend frameworks- Angular and React is a real struggle. Picking up one and placing a bet on one of these frameworks is a daunting task when clients ask for the best option to select. If you are also one of those entrepreneurs, we recommend you connect with web app development experts that provide the right decision based on your project details. The extensive expertise and experience of our developers in trying their hands on both frameworks enabled us to shed light on the comparison of these two frontend frameworks- Angular and React. Before getting into the depth of their differences, we will first understand what’s Angular and React frameworks. What is React.JS? The frontend JS library was developed by Facebook to build excellent UI. Leveraging declarative programming style, React determine UI state and enable developers to preview how the app will look and user interaction. In addition to reusable library code, the JSX and virtual DOM in React makes it a great fit for native-rendered, mobile app, and web app development. The open-source nature of the framework enabled businesses to use React libraries to build UI from the ground. The modularity and coherent nature of components make React highly reusable that increases the development time. Netflix, New York Times, and others have migrated to React for high-performance and other impressive features. What is Angular.JS? Since 2010, the Angular framework is developed and maintained by Google with continuous upgrades. Since the release of Angular 2 in 2016, the umbrella term Angular 2 is used for all the Angular updated versions from Angular 2 to Angular 10. It’s built on top of TypeScript to create web apps, hybrid apps, and single-page web apps. With support for MVC architecture, Ajax, HTTP, and Observables, the framework is the best fit for dynamic web app development. Forbes, Samsung forward, BMW, and Microsoft Office home projects are built using the Angular framework. Hire Frontend Developers Contact The one-to-one comparison between React vs. Angular to know the best of both worlds Performance React and Angular are good frontend frameworks that deliver the best performance for web and mobile development. However, React uses virtual DOM to update the change without rewriting the complete HTML document. Thereby rendering update gets speed up, which in turn, ensures fast performance regardless of app type and size. Angular operates on real DOM to access and change document content, layout, and others. The problem with real DOM is- for updating a little data, the tree structure of HTML tables gets updated unless it reaches the data that needs to alter. Angular copes up with performance lagging with code practices optimization that enable the Angular app to deliver good performance. Angular provides $cacheFactory to recalculate the data that needs to calculate at a later stage, which works best for memorization. That’s why PayPal’s payment gateway leverages Angular to handle more than 300 million transactions across the world. Component architecture React framework builds user interface by breaking web app UI development into components. At first, the components are built that self-manage their respective states and then structured together for complex UI engineering. Also, Redux, Babel, and Webpack are some of the tool integrations are required for component architecture creation. The Angular ecosystem has an array of features such as Angular CLI, Angular Universal, and RxJS that build an architecture plain-sailing without any outside help. Data binding Syncing data between UI and business logic is referred to as data binding. React uses one-way data binding wherein nesting of child component with high-order parent component is done, which makes debugging easier and code stable. Heavy parsing tasks and enormous data manipulation are managed by React leveraging one-way data binding in conjunction with two-way data helpers. On the other hand, Angular leverages both one-way and two-way data binding that updates two layers with the same data. The model layer gets updated as soon as the input data changes in the backend. The binding of the HTML element with the model variable helps in crafting interactive UI with no callbacks or developers’ efforts intervention. The bi-directional nature of Angular with two-way data binding makes it easier for enterprises to obtain data from ERP software like- accounting, finance, medical, and other software. Bundle file optimization Businesses that team up with web application development partners expect high loading speed to improve click-through rates. It’s a bundle file that’s downloaded at the initial page, which is if optimized, the page gets loaded quickly. Bundle file size matters a ton in the case of large-sized web or mobile apps as it impacts performance. Angular handles single-page web application development easily. The framework leverages the compiler to create an understanding between the code in the bundle file and the browser, which speeds up compiling process. However, the HTML code written in components extends the bundle size that interferes with performance. That’s where the Ahead-of-time compiler helps a ton, which is activated through CLI. React uses WebPack to break your code into smaller parts, dynamic import loads only required code, and tree shaking to remove unused modules for reducing bundle file size. Code quality Angular CLI, Angular Material, Angular Core, and other tools allow developers to build and deliver the project with quality code. It also helps in predicting compilation behavior that enables creating builds smoothly and minimizing iterating efforts, which ultimately results in quality code. React is different from other frameworks in the sense of code review practices provided by Linters. Following a set of rules strictly, Linters generate the same code practices that keep the codebase consistent, which, in turn, improves the code