What Is A Web Application?

Date First Published: 25th January 2024

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 4/10

Learn about what a web application is in this article.

A web application is a type of software that is accessed through a web browser. Web applications are stored on a web server and provided to users with an internet connection instead of being installed on the computer and launched by the operating system offline.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Web Applications

• Improved compatibility. Since web applications run inside web browsers, developers do not need to develop web apps for multiple operating systems. For example, a web application that runs in Google Chrome will work on both Windows and macOS.
• There is no need for updates and installations. The provider will take care of all updates and when they release updates, those changes will take effect for all users without the need for any software downloads. This reduces the risks of users being left with an outdated version of software that leaves them vulnerable to bugs and security risks.
• They provide a more consistent user interface across multiple platforms. This is because the appearance relies on the web browser rather than the operating system.
• The data entered into a web application is stored remotely, offering an easy backup of information. This allows the same data to be accessed by multiple devices rather than needing to transfer files between computer systems.

• They entirely rely on a web browser. If the web browser crashes, unsaved work may be lost.
• Browser updates can lead to incompatibilities with web apps and cause unexpected issues.
• Since they do not directly run from the operating system, they have more limited access to system resources, such as CPU and RAM. This is why intensive programs, like high-end video games, perform better as desktop applications.

Difference Between Web Applications and SaaS

The main difference between web applications and SaaS is that SaaS is a type of software accessed through the cloud, whilst a web application is a type of software that users interact with through a web browser. SaaS usually offer subscription-based models, whilst web applications usually have a one-time payment model.

History

In 1995, Netscape introduced a client-side scripting language called JavaScript, allowing programmers to add some dynamic elements to the user interface that ran on the client side. Instead of sending data to the server in order to generate an entire web page, the embedded scripts of the downloaded page could perform various tasks such as input validation or showing/hiding parts of the page.

Applications like Gmail started to make their client sides more and more interactive in the early 2000s. A web page script is able to contact the server for storing/retrieving data without downloading an entire web page. The practice became known as Ajax in 2005.

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