Web application development is a client-server computer program that lives on the web servers and generates contents such as the user interface and client-side logic that the web browser requires.
Web applications are a combination of multiple functionalities to create a smooth experience for users. Proper interaction is established and the users can navigate through the app with little or no assistance.
Many web applications are written in JavaScript, HTML5, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Common web applications are Learning Management Systems, Online Retail Sales, Project Management System, Tracking System, WebMail and so on.
Web Application Development Services
Web application development services are rendering the creation of web applications for clients as a service. Usually, this service is carried out or rendered by a web application development company.
Web application development services providers carry out all the processes involved in the development of web applications. The web app development company would usually have a portfolio to showcase past jobs done.
Web Application Development
Web application development is the process of building application programs that live on web servers and are delivered via the internet to its users.
It involves the use of web app development technologies for the creation of web applications with dynamic features. Web applications are accessed over the Internet, hence it does not need to be downloaded.
The web application user can access the web application with internet browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, and many other browsers.
Web Application Development Process
The web app development process is divided into 6 steps. This is done so that requirement mismatching and work redoing can be eliminated and overall code quality can be improved. The processes are:
1. Product Management
The initial thing to do here is the carry out market research before the web app development as a product comes under project management.
The project manager has to find answers to why, when and what concerning market competency strategy, roadmap, marketing, and release of the product.
Carrying out thorough research, about the demand for the product and features to be embedded during the web app development. Planning the web application development process needs to be competitive when it comes to the actual cost.
Making the web application better in terms of performance, features, user interface (UI), user experience (UX) and cost.
2. Business Analysis
Web application development services face the problem of mismatching requirements for development by the client. This mismatching of requirements can lead to redoing the work by the development team which incurs extra cost and waste of resources on the web app development company.
To eliminate these problems, improve the code quality and speed up the whole process, the services of IT Business Analyst is employed.
The IT Business Analyst solves the problem of between the development team and the clients that want web app development by ensuring all the needed features of the client’s needs for their web application are possible and feasible within time bounds and the client’s budget.
3. Research
Technical research for the web application’s development is initiated during the business analysis process. However, most of the research is done after mapping the initial requirements of the project.
The research phase of web application development includes the following process
- Finding appropriate front-end and back-end development frameworks.
- How the project will be designed to rule out future issues that may arise.
- How the data will be handled through the APIs in the web applications.
4. Software Architecture and Design
This stage is crucial for organizations that require custom web application development. After understanding the web application’s requirements, the software architecture design of the web application is initially decided and done by the project managers and software architects. The software architecture and design phase are finalized after the design phase is completed.
If a client asks for a change of something and or the web application design is not in compliance with the previously designed software architecture, then it is modified by the developers by getting approval from the software architect.
5. Development
This is where the actual creation of the web app takes place. The development phase is divided into three parts to eliminate errors and to speed up the web application development process.
Phase 1: Designing
In the designing process, the client, front-end developer, business analyst, and user interface designers come to a conclusion and collectively decide the colour scheme and initial idea of the web application’s appearance and take into account the functionalities that have to be built by the front-end web developer.
A web designer designs the wireframes and mockups which are then used by the front-end web developers and user experience designers as a blueprint to create the user interface of web applications with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and frontend Frameworks.
Phase 2: Front-end Development and UX Development
Front-end web development includes user experience designing, analytics animations, web application responsiveness handling, and session management with cookies.
Front-end web developers have a variety of options to develop the user experience using JavaScript frameworks.
Web applications are mostly developed using Model View Controllers (MVC), meaning that front-end code works independently of the backend.
Front front-end web app development technologies stack includes
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
- Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)
- JavaScript
- jQuery (JavaScript framework library)
- Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)
- Angular (MVC JavaScript framework library)
- Vue js (MVC JavaScript framework library)
- React js (MVC JavaScript framework library)
- D3 js (MVC JavaScript framework library)
- Canvas js (MVC JavaScript framework library)
Phase 3: Back End Development
Back-end development includes managing services on the back end, database handling, session management, creating security for web applications, and API development. Custom web application development requirements are implemented on the back end.
Back end development technologies stack includes:
- PHP
- Zend Framework
- ASP.NET
- ColdFusion
- Ruby on Rails Perl
- Python
The specific technology used will be dependent upon the requirement of the business or client.
6. Testing
On occasion, testing would consume more manpower and time than the application development itself.
Some of the most common testing needed for any web application development are the following listed below
- Quality assurance and bug testing
- Multiple browser compatibility
- Application security
- Performance – Load and stress testing
- Usability
- Regressive testing procedures make sure that the developed application is bug-free to the barest minimum and it can handle a larger number of users. Web application testing can be done can be categorized into two namely:
- Automated Testing – Automated testing is the trend in the software industry as it is easy to create artificially, worst-case scenarios with automated testing tools where web applications can crash, unit testing, integration testing, load testing, performance testing, stress testing, regression testing come under automated testing
- Manual Testing – Manual testing is the process of carrying out testing physically with humans manually. All the types of testing carried out with automated testing can be done manually but it will consume more time, reason automated testing is more adopted.
Explore The Ultimate Guide to Manual Web Application Testing: A Step-by-Step Manual Approach
However, manual testing is not going away anytime soon because alpha testing, beta testing, user acceptance testing requires human intervention since the criteria for passing are of human perception.
Coding Guidelines, Standards, and Convention
The standard set of rules used for the programming and development of web-based apps are referred to as the coding guidelines.
These rules and standards are meant for the entire process involved in the web development process from start to finish. These rules also enforce writing clear comments and providing documentation.
Importance of using Coding Guidelines
- Provides the platform or environment for multiple programmers to handle the same project
- It helps the developers familiarize themselves with the code within a short time.
- It makes the maintenance and management of that particular version easy.
- MAkes the source code and its readability better
Web Applications Lifecycle Model
The web application lifecycle covers the development of a web app from start to finish as well as all the team members involved in the process.
Every organization may set forth its unique style of operating. Some companies follow a certain standard model such as System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) or Agile Software Development Model.
SDLC is the conventional process used for web app development, which entails the research process that will help to identify and define the required application, design, the specific blueprint to be used, the testing phase and also the fixing of issues and bugs as well as the maintenance of the app.
Agile Software / Web App Development – is the iterative development process and development process practices that focus on the collaboration of people involved and provide a better procedure to allow changes to be implemented for the web application requirements.
Agile methodology includes the research process, an analysis phase, management of the project, the design, the programming, the implementation, regular checking, adaptation and maintenance.
Trends and Popularity Of Web Application Development
The demand for companies to build web applications is growing substantially. If a web application is properly built, it should be able to:
- Reach and serve millions of consumers and businesses.
- Generate multiple sources of income from the users, business owners, and advertisers.
- Easily built business goodwill and assets based on audience reach, popularity, technology and potential growth.
Impact of Web Applications on Business
Modern web applications have a substantial business impact on the way companies and consumers do business.
1. There are opportunities to gain the upper hand and bypass the conventional company structure when this type of opportunity was rarely possible or existed before the advent of the web
2. Information and resources are immense and available to information seekers.
3. Businesses or companies that used to profit from consulting that can now be easily acquired online are struggling and will have to take a new business direction if they want to continue being in business.
4. The web created a global business environment that challenges how conventional companies do business.
5. Companies need to reinvent and evolve in order to compete in modern trends and the global marketplace.
6. Companies need to reinvent and evolve in order to compete in modern trends and the global marketplace.
Web applications have transformed businesses and made it possible to reach a larger audience and make more profit.
The beauty of these processes is the fact that there are customizable options available to fit the particular needs of each business. This means that no matter what your requirements are, there will be a workable solution to make it happen.
Every business looking to have their web app developed would, therefore, have to make a list of what they want to achieve and then pass this information over to the web application development company to translate it into a real-life app for the business.
