A web application is a website that contains pages with partially or completely unformed content. The final content is generated only after the visitor requests the page from a web server. Because the final content of the page depends on the request created based on the actions of the visitor, this page is called dynamic.
The range of uses of web applications is very wide. This section discusses the general use of web applications and gives an example of a simple web application.
Typical uses of web applications
The use of web applications brings some benefit to both web site visitors and web site developers.
Web applications allow visitors to quickly and easily find the information they need on websites with a lot of information.
This type of web application allows you to search the content, organize the content, and navigate through it in a way that is convenient for visitors. Examples of these applications are internal company networks such as Microsoft MSDN and Amazon.com.
Web applications allow you to collect, store and analyze data from visitors to the site.
For a long time, the method used was to send data entered into HTML forms to CGI applications or designated employees for processing as emails. The web application allows data to be saved directly into a database, as well as to retrieve data and generate reports based on the retrieved data for analysis. Examples include interactive pages for banks, pages for inventory control, sociological studies and surveys, and forms for user feedback.
A web application can be used to update Web sites with periodically changing content.
The web application frees the web designer from the chore of constantly updating the HTML pages of the site. Content providers, such as news editors, are responsible for ensuring that fresh material is available, and the web application makes sure that the site is automatically updated. Examples include the Web version of The Economist magazine and CNN News Service.
The main benefits of web add-ons:
- Web add-ons can be used on any operating system (Linux, Mac, Windows) because all of them support modern browsers;
- Due to the fact that the web add-on uses the same code compared to desktop add-ons, they are much easier to maintain;
- The add-on is easier to program as it does not involve a lot of work on the PC components (core, processor, video card);
- unlike mobile add-ons, web add-ons do not require grabbing any platforms to release your program;
- web add-ons are a more cost-effective option for any business
- because web applications do not require a subscription or purchase of licenses, and can be used as SaaS service, which is considerably cheaper.