At some point, most business owners realize that it’s time to create a digital product, such as an educational website or an online store. One option for developing such a product is to create a web application. This is a full-fledged application, which customers use through a browser. In this article, we talk in detail about web apps for students, their features and types, so that you can understand their benefits and the main stages of development.
What Is A Web Application?
Unlike a website, a web application is a full-fledged program, which is accessed by the user through the Internet, that is, it does not require installation on the device. A web app is interactive and allows users to interact with various elements, such as leaving a request to buy a product, checking out a flight purchase, or commenting on a friend’s post. You can create a web app in almost any field, and they can all benefit both customers and businesses. Here are some web app ideas:
- social media,
- games,
- educational products,
- ticket and hotel reservation systems,
- online stores,
- financial solutions,
- web versions of software.
Types of Web Applications
Web applications can be classified in different ways: depending on their functionality and purpose. Let’s take a closer look at these types of applications to better understand how they work and which one is right for your business tasks.
There Are Three Main Templates for Building Websites:
- MPA (multi-page application): a multi-page application that sends a request to a server and completely refreshes the page when an action is taken on it;
- SPA (single-page application): a single-page application that contains an HTML page that is dynamically updated based on user activity – without a complete reboot;
- PWA (progressive web application): an application that the user installs and can use in offline mode.
To learn more about the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of SPA, MPA, and PWA, read our article: “What are SPA, MPA and PWA”.
Another classification is based on the purpose of web applications. Here are the most popular types of business applications:
- Corporate portals. Here you can automate many business processes with a single product. A corporate portal allows you to work with documents, track the work of employees, communicate with counterparties, hold PR events, connect company departments, etc.;
- CRM (customer relationship management). It allows to set up a sales funnel, manage customer relationships, maintain a customer base and reduce paperwork;
- ERP (enterprise resource planning). ERP-system can open up new opportunities: standardize reporting forms, control processes, improve the interaction of departments and integrate contractors into the work process;
- e-commerce systems. It is your opportunity to tell customers about your products in detail, receive applications and, indeed, sell goods or services and clarify their Payment system. This is how you shorten the path of the product to the consumer and reduce transaction costs.
Principles of Web Apps
Web applications work according to the client-server principle. In this case, the client browser communicates with the webserver through a network. The content of the web application on the user’s device is generated when the user sends a specific request.
How Web Applications Work
Depending on the type of web application, the principles of their operation may differ:
- Static pages. The user makes a request in a browser and the web server processes it and sends a previously created web page in response. This can be, for example, a news item or other data that does not depend on the actions of the user;
- dynamic pages. Dynamic pages, on the other hand, are not sent directly from the webserver to the browser. They are first sent to the application server, where the code is read and the data is picked up to form the page. Only then is the page sent to the webserver and then to the browser.
Benefits of Web Apps
Save
During development, you don’t have to create separate applications for different operating systems – they work the same in all browsers: Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Google Chrome, etc.
Security
The web-based system has a single point of entry, so you can centrally configure its security. Plus, user data is stored in the cloud so information is safe in case of hard drive corruption.
Access from A Variety of Devices
The user can interact with the web application via a computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. The key is Internet access.
No Client Software
Users don’t need to download anything and, more importantly, update anything. You can change the client interface, and the update to the latest version will happen at the next page load.
Scalability
Even if the load on the system increases, you won’t have to build up the capacity of the client seats. Typically, web applications can handle more data with hardware resources alone, so you don’t have to rewrite the code and change the architecture. The best example of a web application is loandepot loanadministration com. The pandemic has caused rapid development of online business, so many educational tools have moved to electronic format as well. LoanDepot.LoanAdministration.com enables people to verify information about their loans, including any insurance, fees, or escrows.
Bottom Line
The web application requires no installation, all updates occur on the server and are delivered immediately to users – just reload the page or log out and then log back in to your account. But sometimes you need to install additional libraries or use secure network protocols to make it work. That’s why web applications and software are very necessary and important for students in today’s world!