The Creators Update for Windows 10 pushes the Windows web platform to EdgeHTML 15. EdgeHTML 15 introduces a number of new, modern capabilities for web developers. In this article, we will look at some of the major new features that developers can expose to use in their products or apps.
Payment Request API for Microsoft Edge
The new W3C Payment Request API enables simpler checkouts and payments on Windows 10 PCs and phones. In Microsoft Edge, the Payment Request API connects to the user’s Microsoft Account (with the user’s permission), allowing easy access to payment information. This payment detail is securely saved in a digital wallet, so that next time you are shopping on Edge, you don’t have to manually input the common fields like the shipping address, enabling speedier checkouts.
You can learn more about the Payment Request API on this page, or check out the Payment Request API samples on Microsoft Edge Dev.
CSS Custom Properties
Microsoft Edge in the Creators Update supports CSS Custom Properties (formerly called CSS Variables). These are the new primitive value type to fully cascade variables across CSS properties. Learn more about CSS Custom Properties on this page
WebVR Developer Preview
Microsoft Edge now supports the WebVR 1.1 draft specification. As a developer, you can now use this API to create immersive VR experiences on the web with the recently available Windows Mixed Reality dev kits. If you cannot afford one, get started without a headset using the Windows Mixed Reality Simulator.
Please note, while Microsoft has enabled WebVR by default on Edge browser, you must turn on Developer Mode in settings in order to use the Windows Mixed Reality Portal or Mixed Reality dev kit.
Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo will ship the world’s first Windows Mixed Reality-enabled headsets later this year, starting at just $299 USD.
Brotli Compression
Brotli is a compression format that achieves up to 20% better compression ratios with similar compression and decompression speeds (PDF). This ultimately results in improved page load times. As compared to existing algorithms, like Deflate, Brotli compression is more efficient in terms of file size and CPU time. Learn more about Brotli on this page where we have covered it in detail.
And lots more…
There are a dozen more features including WebRTC, async-await, TCP Fast Open, Intersection Observer, experimental support for WebAssembly, and more.
You can find the full list of what’s new in the Dev Guide.
You can try Microsoft Edge on the Windows 10 Creators Update today. If you’re on another platform such as macOS, Microsoft recently partnered with Browser Stack to offer free unlimited live cloud testing on Microsoft Edge. Alternatively, you can also download a free virtual machine from Microsoft Edge Dev.
