Website vs Web Application - Key Differences

Representative websites and user-friendly web applications are tools that practically every well-functioning company should possess today. Thanks to modern digital solutions, it is possible to efficiently perform daily tasks and achieve business goals effectively. Do you need to create an advanced digital product for your organization but are unsure which solution to choose? Are you wondering what is better: a website or a web application? In this article, you will learn about the key differences between these platforms.

What is a Web Application?

Web applications encompass all kinds of internet services and large websites that function in a web browser without requiring the installation of additional software on the user's computer. They typically have a frontend responsible for visualizing data and transmitting it to the server, as well as a backend that handles the business logic and data processing on the server side.

Web applications are a good solution when a high level of interactivity is desired in a digital product. For example, if the goal is to build a social platform that allows integration with features such as camera access or device location, and can be accessed directly from a web browser, a web application would be an excellent choice. Examples of such platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and popular Google tools.

Why Do Web Applications Offer More Possibilities Than Standard Websites?

Creating a highly interactive and mobile-friendly product poses a challenge that a standard website may not be sufficient to meet. Traditional websites have limited capabilities when it comes to optimizing for mobile devices. On the other hand, web applications utilizing responsive web design can create products that work seamlessly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Other advantages of web applications include:

• No need for user updates: The responsibility for updating the application lies with the application owner, and users do not receive notifications or need to download extensions or install anything.
• Data security: If the device you are using malfunctions, the data stored in the application remains safe as it is stored on external servers.
• Cross-platform compatibility: A single web application can work across different operating systems (e.g., Windows or macOS).

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Website vs Web Application - What Are the Key Differences?

Functionality

Standard websites primarily serve an informational and representational role. This means that after loading a website, users usually can only read its content, view images, or videos. However, they cannot perform any actions (except, of course, navigating to other pages). Web applications, on the other hand, are interactive and allow users to input data, which is then processed by the application and returned to the user. These platforms provide specific functionality and offer a more advanced interface, allowing users more options for interacting with the displayed content.

Utilized Technologies

Websites are typically built using static HTML files, which are markup languages describing the structure of the site (HTML5 is commonly used nowadays). They also utilize CSS stylesheets, which describe how the HTML tags should be presented, and JavaScript, which enables the creation of advanced visual effects, among other things. This allows websites to enhance their functionality and become slightly more dynamic, but they still do not equate to full-fledged web applications.

Web applications, on the other hand, require an additional advanced backend layer, often built using languages such as PHP or Node.js, which is an environment that enables running JavaScript code on the server side. In our daily work, we frequently utilize the Python environment with excellent frameworks such as Django or Pyramid, especially for creating stable web applications and projects with complex business logic. The frontend layer of such applications can be written in pure JavaScript or, more

commonly, using popular frameworks. At iMakeable, our frontend developers mainly work with technologies such as React.js or Angular2+. However, we never limit ourselves to just a few selected technologies. Thanks to our skilled team with diverse skills, we can adapt to the individual needs of each client. If you have previously used a different environment in your projects, there is no need to worry. Our specialists will meet your requirements.

Scalability

One of the significant drawbacks of websites is their limited ability to be creatively expanded and adapted to increasing market demands. Web applications, on the other hand, allow for greater competitiveness by being relatively easily scalable. When designing applications at iMakeable, we always consider the ease of future development for our clients. We understand the importance of efficiently implementing changes, which is why we can easily enrich your application with additional functionalities or modify existing ones.