Ionic Cordova➔Capacitor 8 & 9

Migration from Ionic Cordova to Capacitor 8 & 9

Modernize your legacy Ionic app by replacing Cordova with Capacitor for modern Swift/Kotlin builds and multiplied performance. See our detailed [Capacitor vs Ionic comparison](/en/comparisons/capacitor-vs-ionic).

Why Perform This Migration?

Cordova is obsolete and no longer maintained by the Apache Foundation
Capacitor provides direct access to native Xcode and Android Studio projects
Full support for Apple Privacy Manifests, Swift Package Manager (SPM), and Android Target SDK 37
Up to 3x faster compilation times

Key Steps in Kerweb's Process

Audit existing Cordova plugins and identify Capacitor equivalents
Remove config.xml files and install @capacitor/core and @capacitor/cli
Generate modern iOS and Android native folders
Update code calls and perform regression testing

Cordova vs Capacitor: Concrete Architectural Changes

❌ Legacy Cordova Architecture

• Rigid, monolithic config.xml file.
• Native iOS / Android projects regenerated and wiped on each build.
• Abandoned third-party plugins blocking Google Play Target SDK 36 and Apple Privacy Manifests.

✅ Modern Capacitor 8 & 9 Architecture

• Declarative TypeScript configuration in capacitor.config.ts.
• Direct Xcode (Swift) and Android Studio (Kotlin) projects committed to Git.
• Direct native API access and full compatibility with Ionic Framework, React, Vue, and Angular.

Modern `capacitor.config.ts` sample

import type { CapacitorConfig } from '@capacitor/cli';

const config: CapacitorConfig = {
  appId: 'app.kerweb.mobile',
  appName: 'MyApplication',
  webDir: 'out',
  server: {
    androidScheme: 'https',
    cleartext: false,
  },
  plugins: {
    SplashScreen: {
      launchShowDuration: 2000,
      backgroundColor: '#0F172A',
    },
  },
};

export default config;

Looking for a feature-by-feature side-by-side comparison?

View Full Comparison

Need an audit for your app's migration?

Julien Kermarec (Ionic Developer Expert) and the Kerweb team will evaluate your existing codebase within 24-48h.

Request a Migration Audit

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