Capacitor is a cross-platform native runtime developed by the Ionic team that enables web apps to be deployed on iOS, Android, and Progressive Web Apps (PWA) using a single codebase, facilitating communication between web apps and underlying operating systems. By utilizing a Web View, which is a lightweight browser instance, Capacitor extends web apps to access native functionalities through a Native Bridge that manages message passing and invocation between the Web View and native runtime, allowing the integration of native plugins and custom native code. This architecture supports asynchronous calls, routing web app requests to native plugins, and returning results back to the web app. The platform provides developers with the ability to build native apps while maintaining a web development experience, offering the advantage of a "write once, run anywhere" approach and compatibility with the broader web development ecosystem. Capacitor's approach contrasts with other cross-platform technologies that rely on native system controls, emphasizing the use of web development techniques and tools.