Web application vs. website – how do they work and how do they differ?

Are a website and a web application one and the same? Both are accessible from a web browser. Is it possible to distinguish between them? What are the types of web applications and what are their advantages?

Web application – meaning what?

We will clear your doubts if you are wondering what a web application is. It is an application that runs in a browser. Through an interface, it is supposed to provide the user with some specific service. In most cases, applications of this type are communicated with a server to serve content to users and respond to their actions.

As you can easily guess, Internet access is essential in this case. Although there are some applications that are able to operate offline, as they store data in the browser’s memory. In everyday practice, you will encounter them less frequently than other types of software.

Web application vs. website – what are the differences?

The main difference between web applications and websites lies in their nature. A web application is interactive in nature, unlike a website, which by definition is informational. You won’t perform any actions on the site, other than clicking through to the next page.

Web applications provide a variety of functionalities, and have a more elaborate interface. The latter allows you to interact with the displayed content (entering data, sending information, etc.). Unlike desktop applications, these applications do not require installation.

Web application development – technological differences

Pages are built on static HTML (markup language) files and CSS styles. Web applications, on the other hand, use technologies that enable more advanced communication with the server. And these are most often:

• PHP, node.js, ASP.NET, JSP – from the server level,
• JavaScript, AJAX – from the user’s point of view.

Distinguishing applications from websites can be problematic. Especially when we are talking about sites put on a CMS (Joomla or WordPress). With the above classification, we should add both WordPress and Joomla to web applications. However, this would not be entirely accurate, because if a site is built on a CMS, but has only an informational function – it cannot be classified as an application.

What are the types of web applications?

Web applications are widely used in various industries. You use them every day, even when you are not aware that this is what you are doing. At Da Vinci Studio, we create dedicated, tailor-made web and mobile applications for our clients. There are as many possibilities as there are clients. However, you will most often come across the following applications:

• booking- through them you will make reservations for accommodation or visits,
• e-learning – you learn, do exercises and check your progress,
• sales – thanks to them, among other things, you make purchases and conduct auctions,
• transactional – with the help of such applications you make payments and carry out online order processing, they are used on trading and auction platforms,
• ERP systems – these are applications designed to organize work and increase its fluidity,
• CRM systems – these are customer relationship management systems. They are used in companies to increase the fluidity of work and combine new functionalities with other systems operating in the company (such as a quoting system),

Advantages of web applications – why is it a great solution?

The main advantage of the web application is easy access. It can be used on any device with Internet access – that is, regardless of the operating system. You also don’t need to perform updates, these are done by the application owners on the server.

Web applications also mean data security. A hardware failure does not cause them to be lost, as these are located on external servers. And at the same time, they are centrally secured. Maintaining web applications is easy and convenient – it requires virtually no action on the part of the user. They can be expanded easily, their functionality can be improved, and they can be integrated with other systems.

Da Vinci Studio – dedicated applications for your business

At Da Vinci Studio we design tailor-made solutions for our clients. We provide dedicated web applications for large and small businesses. Web applications created with your business in mind, will increase the fluidity of work, and allow you to freely achieve your business goals.