Web applications are great because the program is stored on a distant server and can be accessed from your browser. There is no need to download anything. Therefore, it’s a website that can execute several functions for you. A few popular examples of web applications are Trello, Twitter, Amazon, Flipkart, Pinterest, Make my trip, Word press, Google sheet. These all can be accessed from any browser anywhere.
Web Application development
Web application development concentrates more on communicating with the browser rather than focusing on standard engineering procedures. Web application development services are provided by the developers, who start the idea of developing a new web app based on solving a specific problem. They design an app on a particular framework engaging the users, test it internally and make it live.
Difference between Web Application and Websites
While trying to understand web applications, the first thing that comes to mind is the difference between web apps and websites. Both of them are built with the same technologies like- HTML, JAVASCRIPT, CSS, etc., and the end-users access them both via web browser.
Websites are a group of static HTML pages but web apps allow the users to carry out a large range of tasks performing tools. Websites provide a lot of information in the form of content or images that cannot be edited by users, whereas web applications permit creation, reading, updating and deleting information.
However, these days websites provide the feature of an upvote, comment, or subscribe to communicate with the users. So, we can say that this blurred line of difference is diminishing.
Types of Web application development
There are five types of web applications based on how they look and the functions they perform.
Static Web Application- This application is called static due to its nature and lack of stretch. In this application the same data is shown to every user, as it is like a cluster of static web pages. These pages are built using HTML and CSS. It is not easy to edit them since these pages are created on the server end. Developers need to reload the whole page for showing up the changes. They provide no interactivity.
Still, some businesses like to gather contact information, personal information, company information and use this application to create their websites. Here, there is no need for users to input any information.
Dynamic Web Application- This application is called dynamic as it involves programming both on the client and server side. In this application, you can search, create a personal account, post a comment or communicate in any other way, retrieve different results with alteration in input, then you are dealing with the dynamic web application.
In this application the web pages do not follow a defined order, rather the output depends on input from the client end or server end. A large number of programming languages like PHP or ASP are used to construct this web app. These apps need web hosting, databases, and servers.
Ecommerce Application- Ecommerce means the use of the internet to buy or sell anything. It’s technically complex to develop an app where you can maintain the updated database for different products, manage orders, display offers and discounts, process payments, maintain day-wise, month-wise, and yearly records of all the transactions. Therefore, Ecommerce web apps call for a lot of programming. It involves sharing business information, preserving the relationship, and managing transactions on computers that are connected to a network.
Portal Web Application- This application provides users a secure platform, where you can log in using your user ID and password to make payments. It is a web-approachable, communicative tool. A great example is an internet banking website. It provides lots of information regarding current accounts, gives secured chat rooms, email, or messaging facilities to answer your queries. Bank customer services also use the same portal to get the relevant information regarding customers. These actions are generally tracked for security and marketing analysis purposes, also keeping in mind the privacy and security of their users. The users can make changes to the website to include interest, enter chat rooms or they can also change the colors and backgrounds appealing to them when they log in.
Content management system web application – A content management system i.e CMS web application is essential if you want your web application to be regularly updated. It provides an interface that can be retrieved and upgraded. This web application is very helpful for personal blogs, company blogs, media sources e.t.c.
Animated Web Application – If we desire to animate our web application then it must be compatible with the technology FLASH. This technology is essential to make your website full of modern proficiency. The downside is that Google or other search engines are not able to read the information provided by this technology. SEO optimization or web placement will not work and this is the main disadvantage of using this technology.
Progressive Web Application – This web application uses modern technologies to develop a product that gives you the combination of the best web application and native mobile apps. These applications can be accessed anywhere and anytime, like live websites. You can also save it to your system where you are working. There is no need to download this application to get going.
These applications are very fast, inexpensive, and very easy to construct and operate. Research shows that an application loses nearly 20% of its users, from the point of its discovery to start using the app, they need to find a native app and download it before using. On the other hand, a web application is like a website, It gets rid of the process of downloading and onboarding. Users can easily use them as soon as they are discovered.
Single Page Application- SPA’s are easy and simple to develop. It helps the user to interact with a web application on a single page without any interference. SPA’s are fast as compared to other types of web applications. These can be developed according to necessity, but due to universal URLs, single-page applications do not meet SEO guidelines. Therefore, it is not appropriate for e-commerce, but good for social networking, e-mail messaging, online video, or audio players.
Multi-Page Application- This application follows the traditional working of web applications. Whenever the user clicks for an extra task, the app fills up and shows an extra page from the server end in the database. The process of developing pages on the server, sending them to users, and dispensing them on the browser harms the user interface. When multi-page applications are developed out of responsiveness, they come along well with the mobile setting. Various languages like HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT, AJAX e.t.c are used to develop these pages. MPA’s follow SEO guidelines and all the pages are optimized for keywords, so they can be placed in ranking for different keywords. There is no page limit or loading of data regarding different products or services. However, it is really difficult to update or maintain it, as it takes time to develop this application being associated with SPA. Few examples are Market place, Online stores, Catalogs, Web portals e.t.c.
Rich Internet Application- This application has very few desktop functionalities, but they are fast and interactive. They engage the users impressively. Rich internet apps are informed of browser limitations, and they rely on user-side plugins. Some examples are Flash, Shockwave, Silverlight. RIAs give a smooth and fast user experience as they are built by using tools that run efficiently. The technology used to develop this app are AJAX, JAVA, JavaFX, ADOBE FLASH, Google gears, Adobe Flex, Microsoft Silverlight, etc.
Few popular examples of this application are Google Maps, Google, and YouTube.
We are surrounded by all types of web applications. The applications which have become quite popular are:
Google Docs: It allows you to create, save, and share data with other users. You can easily create a shared file and work on it with other users, permitting everyone to alter it, and the changes are saved in real-time. Also, you can start your work on your system while finishing it off on your mobile.
Gmail: Gmail provides a secure platform to send or receive emails from any device to any device. This quality makes Gmail an application.
Microsoft Office: Previously, Microsoft office i.e Word, Excel, Powerpoint had to be downloaded on the computer before working on it. But nowadays, just like Google space, Microsoft Office can also be worked around online with Word, Powerpoint, and Excel available as web apps. Association is possible as users work online on the shared files. Also with the web application version, the desktop and mobile app are available to be downloaded.
Conclusion:
Web apps have brought drastic change to our lives, as they provide accessibility through many devices and operating systems. They give the experience of mobile apps on phones and tablets. Most web apps can be worked on offline also, as they re-sync the data when the user is back online. These apps are inexpensive and easier to develop rather than mobile apps. Web application developers need to know the various latest technologies to develop these apps. This is a recurring process of updating. There are many web app development companies present in the industry where after understanding your requirement a customized website and app development is done for you.
