INITIAL IDEA 2 (Web Application Development)

Web Application Development 

Web application development is the creation of application programs that reside on remote servers and are delivered to the user’s device over the Internet. A web application (web app) does not need to be downloaded and is instead accessed through a network. An end user can access a web application through a web browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. A majority of web applications can be written in JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and HTML5 (TechTarget, 2019).

(Lance, 2023)

Web applications use a combination of server-side scripts (PHP and ASP) to handle the storage and retrieval of the information, and client-side scripts (JavaScript and HTML) to present information to users. This allows users to interact with the company using online forms, content management systems, shopping carts and more. In addition, the applications allow employees to create documents, share information, collaborate on projects, and work on common documents regardless of location or device (Stackpath, 2023).

How a Web Application Works?

Web applications are usually coded in browser-supported language such as JavaScript and HTML as these languages rely on the browser to render the program executable. Some applications are dynamic, requiring server-side processing. Others are completely static with no processing required at the server. The web application requires a web server to manage requests from the client, an application server to perform the tasks requested, and, sometimes, a database to store the information. Application server technology ranges from ASP.NET, ASP and ColdFusion, to PHP and JSP (Steckpath, 2023).

Benefits of a Web Application

-Web applications run on multiple platforms regardless of OS or device as long as the browser is compatible

-All users access the same version, eliminating any compatibility issues

-They are not installed on the hard drive, thus eliminating space limitations

-They reduce software piracy in subscription-based web applications (i.e. SaaS)

-They reduce costs for both the business and end user as there is less support and maintenance required by the business and lower requirements for the end user’s computer

Tools of Web Applications

Helpful web application development tools include:

-Bootstrap: an automation framework which manages HTML and CSS.

-jQuery and Ruby on Rails: for JavaScript libraries and frameworks respectively.

-js: is a JavaScript runtime used as a back-end programming tool.

Reference(s):

Reis, L (2023) Product photo of Knuckle Cream Beard Balm and social media for Daily Grind Beard Co's facebook page Available at: A cell phone sitting on top of a wooden table photo – Free Smartphones Image on Unsplash (Accessed: 15/05/2023)

TechTarget Contributor (2019) TechTarget Available at: What is web application development? | Definition from TechTarget (Accessed 26 April 2023)

Stackpath (2023) Stackpath Available at: https://www.stackpath.com/edge-academy/what-is-a-web-application/#:~:text=Example of a web application&text=Popular applications include Google App,sharing of documents and calendars. (Accessed 26 April 2023)