A Top-Notch Guide on Web Application Development For Super Success

Web application development has come a long way from static web pages and offers interactive features that almost resemble a mobile application. While mobile applications are faster and provide native capabilities, they need users to update apps regularly.

On the other hand, Web applications update automatically, and users can access them across devices without installation. Thus, it makes web application development far more attractive option for several organizations.
Here, we will discuss the web application development process, its types, stages, frameworks used, and its cost of development. So, let’s start with the basic concepts of web application!

What is a web application?

A web application is a computer program that leverages the browser to execute specific functions. It communicates with the server-side for processing data through an HTML, AJAX, or API request.

How is a web application different from others?

Mobile applications need native environments of a mobile device to offer more interactive functionalities. While websites are entirely different, focusing on the presentation of information through web pages. A web application is a combination of both a mobile application and a website.

Types of web applications

All types of web applications differ in terms of architecture and their interaction with the server. From Progressive Web Apps(PWAs) to Single Page Apps, every type has different functionality that sets them apart.

1. Progressive Web Apps(PWAs)

Progressive web applications offer a mobile app-like experience through enhanced web capabilities. It is a single solution-based type of web app that caters to more than one platform as per need.

2. Single Page Applications(SPAs)

SPAs are browser-based applications that do not need to reload for displaying content on a given page or any changes in the interface. The entire architecture is split into two layers, server-side and client-side. Both these layers communicate via API requests(AJAX). The client-side deals with the user interface through the browser, and the server-side handles the database with third-party services.

3. Multi-Page Applications(MPAs)

Multi-page applications are conventional web applications that need to reload for changes in a page to be displayed. For example, after a user requests data exchange, a new page is requested to be displayed on the browser from the server. It has a complex architecture with several pages linked with each other.

4. Static Web Applications

Static web applications exhibit content that is not flexible or interactive. These web applications are developed using jQuery, HTML, AJAX, and CSS. Though it may be static in its characteristics, it allows gifs, animated elements, banners, and videos to make a web app aesthetically pleasing.

5. Dynamic Web Applications

Unlike static web apps, dynamic web applications are complex in structure. They use a database for loading data, and contents get updated each time a user accesses the app. Content modification according to the user request is performed through a central admin panel.

6. eCommerce Web Apps

Most eCommerce web applications are an extension of MPAs or multi-page applications. For example, large-scale online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay are multi-page apps by structure with several pages interlinked.

7. CMS Web Apps

A CMS web application is designed to create, curate, modify and manage website content. Expertise knowledge in a programming language is not required. However, there are tools that the Content Management System(CMS) offers to make the changes in web apps.

Top web application development frameworks

A web application development framework is not just a suite of tools; it can also offer pre-written scripts or codes for specific functions. In addition, some of these frameworks have massive libraries with ready-made components and scripts that you can use for the web app development process.

Ruby on Rails(RoR)

Ruby on Rails(RoR) is an open-sourced server-side web application development framework. It uses the Ruby programming language to build powerful web applications. RoR or also known as Rails, has an MVC(Model-View-Controller) architecture at its core. It is an opinionated framework with a default code structure that works on the assumption of choosing the best way to develop a web app.

PHP

PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language also known as a hypertext preprocessor. It combines the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) with an HTML document to help you develop dynamic web applications. It can easily embed HTML codes and is compatible with MySQL, Oracle, and other such database tools.

Node.Js

Node.Js is a Javascript-based runtime environment that offers server-side capabilities. It is an open-source framework that provides high-performance and scalability for web applications through async programming. In addition, there are several Node. Js-based frameworks like Express, Socket.io, and Meteor.js that you can use to enhance the back-end capability of a web app.

Angular

Angular is a typescript-based frontend framework that enables scalable web app development. It offers several in-built tools and libraries that help develop web applications of any size or scope. The best part about Angular is that it provides reusable codes across different deployment platforms.

React

React.JS is an open-source front-end Javascript library that helps in building rich user interfaces for web applications. In addition to that, it offers the flexibility of creating reusable components, which makes the entire frontend development process faster. The best part about React is an extensive library with ready-made components that you can use to build a web app as quickly as possible from scratch.

Stages of web application development

From problem definition to developing a wireframe, building the web application, to deployment, there are several stages that you need to consider as follows.

1. Problem definition
Every web application project begins with the definition of the problem that it will solve. Definition of the problem depends on the type of the market, customer needs, and users’ pain points. There are several ways to define the problem through online surveys, Big Data, and analytics.

2. Build a wireframe
Creating wireframe of the entire development process will help you plan on different aspects like resources, tools, frameworks, and testing requirements. This stage also enables laying down the development approach and its process.

3. Determine the architecture
Web application architecture is the backbone that enables the system, respond efficiently to each user request. Every web app architecture is a multi-layered structure.

4. Design & Build your web app
Web app design and development begins with a wireframe of the entire interface to understand critical touchpoints where users interact with the system. It will enable visualization of user experience and ways to improve them.

5 Test, iterate & deploy
The best part about agile methodology is testing at the end of each sprint to make changes before deploying the subsequent iterations quickly. Here, quality assurance is essential to ensure the high performance of web apps.

How much does web app development cost?

When you are planning for web application development, the cost is an essential aspect to consider. However, estimating the cost of web application development is a daunting task as several factors affect it, as mentioned below.

Complexity of features
The type of feature to be built depends upon your project requirement. For example, simple features like logins, navigational functions, or even social sharing buttons do not need extensive knowledge, reducing the cost of hiring an experienced developer.

Developer’s cost
There are three levels of experience for which you can hire developers for web app development- junior, mid-level, and senior.

Conclusion

Web application development has picked up the pace, especially during the pandemic. In addition, as more users are online due to COVID-related restrictions, web applications offer interactive experiences on the go. However, you need to go beyond conventional approaches to reap the benefits of web application development.

Originally published at Simform: A Top-Notch Guide on Web Application Development For Super Success.