In the 21st century, it becomes imperative for every business to build a website that engages its users and increases reach manifold. Websites have risen in popularity for their ease of use, convenience, and operations. The demand for such websites which are also incorporated with the latest technologies has also risen.
People often end up confusing websites with web applications and vice versa. However, the two digital spaces can easily be differentiated by their functionalities and uses. While a website is majorly informative, a web application performs certain functions for people who have access and credentials to account on that application. Here are certain characteristics that differentiate the two.
Characteristics of Web Applications:
- Web applications provide a variety of authentication, security, and interactivity compared to a website. It also performs more diverse functions than a website.
- A web application is accessed via the internet and is stored on a remote server. On the other hand, a website consists of static content and does not require to be precompiled before deployment.
There are many types of web applications that serve different purposes. Given below are the 7 different types of web applications available in the market, each accompanied with examples and advantages for better understanding.
1: Static Web Applications
Web applications with less interactive features and static content are called Static Web Apps. These applications lack interactivity and have less access to change and update content. These web applications lack the scope of personalization and are delivered straight to the end user’s browser. They also have the same appearance as when stored on the server. Unlike dynamic web applications, Static web apps do not require web programming and website designing. Static web applications are the easiest to create. Digital resumes, marketing landing pages, etc., are some examples of static web apps. These web applications are limited to a few pages (three to four pages or fewer and do not require as much personalization as one would expect).
Advantages of Static Web Applications
- Easiest to build
- Economical and pocket-friendly
- Easy indexing on search engines
- Can be transferred easily
2: Dynamic Web Apps
Many times users of web applications need to fetch real-time data which requires more complex features. Dynamic web applications are sophisticated web applications that can cater to these requirements. These types of web applications usually have an administration panel that allows developers and users to update or change information in the database and upgrade the application to new functionalities as and when required.
Programming languages like Ruby on Rails, Node.js, CSS, HTML, jQuery, Python, etc. are used to build dynamic web applications. Some popular dynamic web application examples include YouTube, Netflix, Twitter, etc.
The advantages of Dynamic Web Apps are
- Better user experience
- More interactive with customers/users
- Easy to update and change
- Quick and easy navigation
3: Single-Page Applications (SPAs)
Single-page applications are the easiest way to interact with customers. They requires small amounts of data and can take care of user requests much more quickly. Single-page applications are also easy to update as per future requirements. These web applications come with many advantages:
- User-friendliness
- Easy debugging
- Reusability of applications
- Better caching
Examples of Simple Page Applications include Gmail, Google Maps, PayPal, Pinterest, etc.
4: Multi-Page apps (MPAs)
As the name suggests, MPA or multi-page applications are web applications that have multiple pages. Such applications load each page every time a link is clicked on the page.
As they combine several pages, multi-page apps demand a data transfer from the server to the browser and many UI design layers.
Examples of multi-page applications include blogs, forums, eCommerce websites, and similar platforms. The two most prominent examples of multi-page apps are Amazon and eBay.
Advantages of MPAs
- Easy to optimize for Search Engines
- Unlimited scalability (you can add any number of pages)
Popular MPAs include CNN, eBay, Amazon, etc.
5: Portal Web Apps
Portal Web Applications are web-accessible, interactive tools on a secured website that provide data, and allow users to modify and communicate with that data. This type of web application also enables service providers to track users’ website activity. Registered users of such an application are segregated according to their access control and given access to features accordingly. Student, real estate, government, and patient portals are types of portal web apps.
Advantages of Portal Web Apps
- Easy integration
- Extremely Interactive
- Omnichannel presence
- Easier customer retention
Examples of Portal web applications are the Stanford University web app, Yahoo, Netscape, etc.
6: Rich Internet apps (RIAs)
Rich Internet Apps are yet another type of web application that possess many functions as desktop applications but are slightly different. Used to resolve browser restrictions, RIAs are made via client-side plugins like Shockwave, Flash, etc. Efficient with attractive UI and high interactivity, Rich Internet Apps are much more engaging than traditional apps but equally vulnerable to threats.
A few Benefits of RIA include:
- Data visualization
- Convenient Integration across different systems
- Synchronization of Control items
Examples of RIAs include Adobe Flash, Google Gears, etc.
7: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
A Progressive Web App (PWA) is an app built using web platform technologies but provides a user experience as that of a platform-specific mobile app. A PWA is versatile in the sense that it can run on multiple platforms and devices from a single codebase. Its web pages have an interface similar to mobile applications and are designed to enhance the mobile web experience as well as offer consumer services even in cases of sluggish Internet access. A few well-known PWAs are OLX, Starbucks, MakeMyTrip, etc.
Its advantages include:
- Offline connectivity
- Access platform-specific features
- Improved performance
- No updates required
8. Web Application Search
While most web applications boast a search feature, relying solely on keyword-based search functionality may lead to missed opportunities in connecting users with relevant content, products, or data, especially in cases involving substantial information, diverse products, location data, or user-generated content. This underscores the significance of semantics, urging the adoption of Semantic Search. Semantic search stands out as a search technique leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) to grasp the contextual nuances and meanings embedded in a user’s search query. A Semantic Search Engine, also known as a Vector Database, is meticulously crafted for executing semantic similarity searches. Distinctively, Semantic Search Engines employ a specialized indexing algorithm to construct an index of vector embeddings. This index, coupled with similarity metrics, empowers users to seamlessly query for items sharing semantic similarities within the Semantic Search Engine.
Conclusion
Each type of web application comes with a host of benefits for businesses who choose to invest in developing them. To stay ahead of the competition, it is crucial for businesses to understand their needs before they start looking for web development companies for their projects. Once the requirements are understood and the needs of the companies are discussed, picking the right web app development company should be the next goal. Amongst the many web development companies offering custom web development services, select the one that stands out for its reliable web development services and expert consultation services.
