Web app development is a term that refers to the development of applications that are intended to run on a web server. If you are wondering “What is web app development?” You should keep reading.
Web application development is a common solution that’s been going on for the past couple of years and everyday it gains more notoriety due to the possibilities it offers in regard to accessibility and compatibility. Web applications can be developed in short time and its maintenance doesn’t take much resources either. One the other hand, once an app developer has decided to design some web applications, it may come in handy to know the different types of web apps that can be done so he can choose whatever web app its best for his needs. In this article we will analyze the five types of web app development (it’s not really the same as web development) that are more popular and with some examples: static web applications, dynamic web apps, web apps with CMS and E-Commerce.
What is a web app?
Web apps or Mobile apps are informatic programs executed in a web server, user access to that server using internet and a browser. All of this data the server uses to work is stored in the web and are processed by the same web, that’s why, as opposed to Desktop or Mobile apps, installation is not needed, all the user needs to have to use them is an internet connection.
Web apps are based on the client-server architecture. They merge server-side scripts like PHP and ASP in order to offer information to the users. Thanks to this, it is possible to interact with them using online forms, content management systems, shopping carts, etc.
Examples of web apps
The work in web application development done by Google and Microsoft 365 are some of the most popular examples of a development process done right in the web development world. These web apps offer, among other things, word processors, spreadsheets, e-mal and cloud storage.
The native apps offered by Google makes team work a lot easier because it allows sharing documents and the calendar and all the users can access the same version of a file at the same time, it doesn’t matter where they are or what device they are using. We use web apps in a web browser everyday for the most common things, like chatting with friends and family, online shopping, managing banking operations and engaging in digital marketing. The development process of native apps is one of the most important jobs in the world, maybe it can only be compared to what a web developer can do.
Web App characteristics
Most web apps, as it happens with any product made from software development, have common features that help us categorize them into a single group.
- No installation or download is needed. Web apps are stored in a server and they can be accessed from a web browser. That way no storage capacity is needed from the user.
- They are highly compatible and accessible. Web Apps, progressive web apps in particular, only need a single software development in order to be accessible from any device that has an internet connection.
- Updates and maintenance is easy to do. With progressive web apps, and even with custom web apps, there are never going to be compatibility problems, as every user uses the same version of the app. In that sense, web apps are the perfect digital product.
Web site vs Web App
The main difference between a website and a web app is that the latter focus on the user interface and experience. A web developer can create an amazing and functional website, but only an app developer will be able to bring it to life by creating an immersive and unforgettable experience. Web apps are oriented to fulfill a specific task like digital marketing, that’s why if a web developer wants to also develop web apps, he would need to put more effort and be more attentive to detail than just developing a custom web site that doesn’t even have a user interface. A web app can have a lot of functionalities, but at the end of the day is a digital product so it will still need back-end programming, databases and a lot of focus on user experience and modern web trends.
Also, web apps use a lot of different programming languages, even more that those web developers use, like JavaScript, Python, Ruby and PHP, and they need development frameworks and technologies like Rails, Django, CakePHP or Angular.
Static Web Apps
- Static Web Apps are often developed in HTML and CSS and a little bit of JavaScript, this is why they can be Hybrid Apps. They can have digital content like videos, audio, banners or animated GIFs that boost the user experience.
- On the other hand, they don’t have a lot of functionalities, the user can’t modify them, that’s the app developers job. That’s why they offer little to no possibility of interaction, something that doesn’t sit right with the modern web.
- Updating them is complex, it has to be done manually by the app developers.
- Changing its content is also tedious, the use of a programming language is needed, so sometimes you will need the help of web developers.
- They are a good way to present information.
Dynamic Web Apps
- More complex and technical than hybrid apps.
- The content is updated every time a user makes use of the app.
- Even web developers can update the contents using a CMS.
- They can be developed using a simple programming language like PHP or ASP.
- They can have a lot of web-platform features like forums and databases.
- The possibilities of design and presentation are endless, almost like what mobile applications can do.
- Users can make changes to the application software.
CSM Web Apps
- WordPress.The most well-known CSM. It’s the cheaper option and is friendly with beginners. There were a lot of options and development frameworks.
- Joomla!. A free CSM that has a lot of learning paths. It has a big community of app developers ready to help you with whatever you need.
- Drupal.An open source CSM. It’s mostly used for social media and things that are intended for a community to use.
E-Commerce Web Apps
These Web Apps are used for digital marketing. Its development is more complex than other web apps and is mostly considered to be a client program. It should allow internet transactions to function properly using credit cards or PayPal.
Portal Web Apps
Portal Web Apps allow access to content from a home page. From there users can have a profile, forums, chats, e-mail, recent content and a lot more. Users tend to prefer portal web apps to traditional websites because they can access everything the app has to offer whenever they feel like it.
Wrapping up
As you can see, there are a lot of web apps, each one of them with different features and utilities. Now you can choose what kind of web app you are interested in developing, or whatever your client needs. Remember that now that you know about app development, you can get on the future of development and start changing way more for your work. Hope you like money! And we hope we answered the question “What is web app development?” with great results.
