Web Application Basics and Definition

Simply put, a web application is a software or program that a user accesses through a web browser using the internet or a network. Most people who used a computer are already familiar with applications and programs as for sure, their computers have locally installed software.

A good example of locally installed software is Microsoft Office. A desktop program (other term for local program) is different from a web application as local programs only require to be installed on the computer and that the PC meets the minimum system requirement of the particular program. Once these two conditions are met, any user of the computer can launch and use the local application (of course this is assuming they have permissions to use the program).

Web apps on the other hand are applications that can run on any remote computer as long as that computer has a web browser and network connection. Some web applications require or can only be accessed on specific web browsers, while others require browser add ins or browser languages (e.g Java). Needless to say, web apps are dependent on the network connection speed on which the remote computer is using.

Web apps can be simple or complex. Simple web apps have been around even before the popularity boom of the internet. Examples of simple web apps are message boards and the PERL scripting language. However, as networking technology evolve, more complex web apps are developed as many businesses and organizations saw that they can maximize this technology potential. Nowadays, complex web apps not only involve file sharing but sharing of whole database, spread sheets, etc…

Listed below is the usual process on how web application works. Please note that this is the general process and may differ depending on the web application provider.

1. User request access to the application through the web browser.
2. Using the internet as the medium, the request is sent to the web server.
3. The web server receives, manages, and forwards the request to the appropriate web application server.
4. The web application server processes the user’s request, accesses the database, and responds back to the web server.
5. The web server coordinates with the user’s computer terminal regarding the successful transaction.
6. Information will now appear on the user’s monitor.

Nowadays, there are numerous web application providers available on the internet. We here at OakwoodSystems is an example of such web app provider. We have a team of dedicated, reliable, and professional programmers that can surely cater to your web application needs. To discuss further the type of web app that you require or to know more about services, please feel free to contact us or drop us an email. We’ll surely get back to you at the soonest possible time.