what is web application Development?
Web application development is the creation of application programs that reside on remote servers and are delivered to the user’s device over the Internet. A web application (web app) does not need to be downloaded and is instead accessed through a network. An end user can access a web application through a web browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. A majority of web applications can be written in JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and HTML5.
Web application development will typically have a short development life-cycle lead by a small development team. Front-end development for web applications is accomplished through client-side programming. Client refers to a computer application such as a web browser. Client-side programming will typically utilize HTML, CSS and JavaScript. HTML programming will instruct a browser how to display the on-screen content of web pages, while CSS keeps displayed information in the correct format. JavaScript will run JavaScript code on a web page, making some of the content interactive.
A database such as MySQL or MongoDB can be used to store data in web application development.
VS Native and Hybrid Apps
Web applications are sometimes contrasted with native apps and hybrid apps. Native apps are applications that are developed specifically for a particular platform or device and installed on that device. Native apps can use device-specific hardware, such as GPS or cameras. Native apps typically have an advantage in functionality over web or hybrid apps.
Hybrid apps are a combination of native and web apps. The inner workings of a hybrid application are similar to a web application but are installed similar to how a native app would be. Hybrid applications have access to internal APIs which can access device-specific resources similar to (but not as efficiently as) a native application. For example, native apps are faster and perform more efficiently because native apps are designed to be platform specific. Hybrid apps have the same navigational elements as web apps since hybrid apps are based on web applications. Additionally, there is no off-line mode for hybrid applications.
Tools
Helpful web application development tools include:
- Bootstrap: an automation framework which manages HTML and CSS.
- jQuery and Ruby on Rails: for JavaScript libraries and frameworks respectively.
- It is a JavaScript runtime used as a back-end programming tool.
