When the payload is small, Cordova hot updates feel invisible. Large bundles, on the other hand, slow adoption, spike CDN costs, and can soft-brick users on poor networks. The following techniques keep your zips lean without sacrificing features.
Start with Change Diffing
Bundle only what changed. Tools like rsync or custom manifest diffing mean you upload new files instead of the entire www directory. Pair the diffing step with semantic bundle IDs described in our versioning guide so devices only fetch needed assets.
Optimize Images and Fonts
- Convert PNG/JPG into WebP or AVIF.
- Host icon fonts on the CDN with long cache headers.
- Strip unused glyphs from fonts via subsetting.
Lean JavaScript Delivery
Enable tree shaking in your bundler, lazy-load heavy modules, and remove debugging helpers before packaging. If you rely on frameworks like React, split vendor bundles to reuse caches between updates. Coverage reports highlight dead code that can be trimmed before the next push.
Tune Edge Caching
Because hot updates may be requested repeatedly, set immutable cache headers for content-addressed files and short-lived TTLs for manifests. Keep at least two previous builds in the CDN so you can implement the rollback playbook without repackaging.
Consistent payload optimization transforms hot updates into a strategic advantage—releasing more frequently without punishing users or operations teams.