Ionic is a framework on top of Cordova which is a framework for building " hybrid apps ". Please consider that Ionic is not the only framework using Cordova and Cordova is not the only framework for hybrid apps . In general , using the hybrid app approach allows you to write apps as they were webpages ( HTML , CSS and Javascript ), which are then " run " inside a webview of a native app ( basically an instance of the system ' s browser ). What Cordova does , is extending the standard Javascript API with new APIs ( packaged as " plugins ") that give access to the operating system ' s features that are not usually available to the browser ( like sensors , contact list , cameras etc .). Given that most mobile operating systems have decent browsers which are , roughly , all compatible with standards , and given that plug...