What exactly is a hApp, how does it differ from a dApp and what are its benefits both over dApps and regular apps? Are there any specific drawbacks?
Great question.
Hyrbid apps are designed much the same way as traditional single page web apps we have today. There are some key additions which enhance and drastically alter the development and capabilities of it. First off hApps utilize a UDSP stream with the centralized service and decentralized nodes to quickly gain access to static & dynamic content. A UDSP connection is a bi-directional encrypted stream used throughout the life of the app. This allows hApps to instantly acquire only the needed app assets at that moment. Over time the stream can be utilized to pull more content on an as needed basis. This functionality in and of itself gives hApps a performance boost because they are running lean. hApps will only download assets they need only when they need it. That functionality can be altered by the developer. However, that is the natural state of an hApp. Imagine walking across a bridge that is building itself as you are using it, that's an hApp.
Because hApps take advantage of centralized services they can easily and quickly be accessed with less delay than current web apps and dApps.
dApps remain to be dreadfully slow because they require consensus and the blockchain which will be drastically slower than a centralized server processing simple user requests.
We have a plan setup in the future that would allow decentralized nodes to also perform work instead of just the centralized service. However, that functionality is in Alpha and will be detailed at a later point.
We designed hApps to eliminate the drawbacks associated with solely decentralized or centralized networks. All the while maintaining the benefits of both. Users can access an hApp and process user requests faster than your typical web apps yet they will have wider availability than decentralized apps. The network is similar to a distributed network except there are still nodes that act as sources for content.
Another interesting advancement over wApps and dApps is the entire front-end has be equipped with standard js libraries and enhanced defaults for typical HTML elements. The front-end also comes with an enhanced version of Ractive which is used to easily create hApps and take advantage of UDSP streams for component specific assets.
hApps will run leaner & faster than other app types while maintaining an easier development and life cycle. This translates into money/time saving for businesses and average users.