To understand how develop a web application, you first need to know a little more about this type of development. In this article, we offer you five types of web applications, some examples and other considerations that will be useful to you.
What is a web application?
A web application or web app is a version of a web page that has been optimized, usually by a development team, to be used from a mobile phone. Thanks to this, it can be adapted to any device.
These are 4 characteristics of a web application that will help you differentiate it from other types of applications:
They require a single development for any device. A single development in HTML5 is enough for any operating system.
There is no need to download them. The application is hosted on a server and is accessible from a browser. This means that you need to be logged in to access it.
They are accessible from any browser. If you have a browser installed on your device (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.), you can access the web application.
They appear as results in traditional search engines. As they do not need to be downloaded, you will not find them in app stores, but they will appear accordingly in engines such as Google.
Although native applications allow for more complex development, they are also more expensive and not always necessary. The decision will depend on the use that will be made of the application.
The types and functioning of web applications
This time, we want to make a classification of the types of web applications. This classification will be made according to the function of the presentation web applications with the content they should display. We distinguish 5 types of web applications and they are as follows.
1. Static web application
If we choose to create a static web application, the first thing to know is that this type of web application displays little information and usually doesn't change much.
They are usually developed in HTML and CSS, although mobile objects such as banners, animated GIFs or videos can also be displayed somewhere in the web application. You can also talk about web application development with jQuery and Ajax.
A portfolio, digital curriculum, or company overview page would be examples of static web applications.
It is not easy to modify the content of static applications. To do this, it is necessary to edit the HTML and update it on the server. These changes will normally be the responsibility of the webmaster or of the web app development company that programmed the design of the web application.
2. Dynamic web application
Dynamic web applications are much more technically complex. They use databases to load information and this content is updated each time the user accesses the web application. a>
There are many programming languages for developing dynamic web applications. Languages PHP and ASP are the most common because they allow good structuring of the content.
Dynamic web applications generally have an admin panel (CMS) to make changes.
The update process is very simple and you don't even need to enter the server to modify it. It also allows you to implement many features, such as forums or databases.< /span>
The design of dynamic web applications can also be modified to suit the administrator.
3. E-shop or e-commerce type web application
If, on the other hand, the web application is a store or a digital business, we can say that the development will tend to resemble that of an m-commerce or of an e-commerce.
The development is more complicated because it must allow electronic payments by credit card, PayPal or other payment method. The developer must also create a management panel for the administrator. From there, products will be downloaded, updated or deleted and orders and payments can be managed.
Some examples of web application projects for online sales are carried out by large companies like El Corte Inglés. In this case, the web application is adapted to the mobile device as a mobile application, which allows you to interact with it as if it were a native application.
4. Portal web application
By portal we mean a type of application in which the home page allows access to different sections, categories or sections. Here are some examples:
Forums
Chats
email address
Search engine
Access area with registration
*5. Web application with content manager
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In the case of web applications whose content must be constantly updated, it is preferable to use a content management system (CMS) thanks to which the administrator can make changes and updates himself.
These managers are intuitive and very easy to manage.
Here are some examples of content management systems:
WordPress: It is undoubtedly the most widespread of content managers. There is a lot of information on the web, tutorials and guides to customize it, understand it and it is also free.
Joomla: It is the second leading CMS, after WordPress. Although it doesn't have as many users, it has a powerful community.
Drupal: This is a free software CSM. It is very adaptable, and recommended especially for generating communities.
This type of web application is very common for content pages, such as blogs, information pages or media.
Examples of web applications
Many companies choose to create web applications to improve user interaction with their services. This is why you could use some of them in your daily activities without even knowing it!
Google, for example, has a web app version of all its services: Calendar, Drive, Maps, Gmail, YouTube… The web app version of these portals is very similar to native apps.
Another example, in this case of an online store web application, is the giant Amazon. Again, it offers a very similar experience to the native application and also has a web app version for its platforms Amazon Video and Amazon Music.
Sometimes, programming a web application is done in such a way that a mobile application is also accessible from the computer. This is the example of the instant messaging platform WhatsApp or Telegram. Both allow you to read your conversations, send messages, access multimedia files…
Are you looking for an expert in web application design?
We hope that the information in this article has helped you decide whether what you need for your business is a web application or not. If so, what would be the next step? Do you need help creating this web application? If so, seek professional support.
If you don't know where to start, Sparkout tech solutions will be of great help to you. We are a platform that brings together web development and design professionals. Using our algorithm, we will assign you a team with experience in web application projects similar to yours.
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